Ethics Icon to Academic Scandal: Harvard fires professor of honesty for being dishonest

[Social Media]

 

 

Francesca Gino, a prominent behavioural scientist once celebrated for her research on honesty and ethics, has been dismissed from Harvard University after a five-year investigation concluded she had falsified data in multiple academic papers. The decision marks the first time since at least the 1940s that Harvard has revoked the tenure of a faculty member, stripping Gino of her indefinite employment.

 

Gino, 47, rose to international prominence for her work on ethical behaviour in the workplace. She published over 100 academic articles, authored the 2018 book Rebel Talent: Why it Pays to Break the Rules in Work and Life, and regularly spoke to Fortune 500 companies and U.S. government departments. At her peak, she was among Harvard’s highest-paid professors, earning more than $1 million per year.

 

The allegations of misconduct first surfaced in 2020 on the behavioural science blog Data Colada, centering on a 2012 study Gino co-authored about reducing tax fraud. The paper claimed that having individuals sign an honesty pledge at the start of a form—rather than at the end—led to more truthful responses. The findings were influential, but the study was retracted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2021 after it was found to contain fabricated data.

 

In 2023, Data Colada published additional analyses accusing Gino of data manipulation in four other academic papers. These revelations prompted Harvard to conduct a thorough internal investigation, including interviews with Gino and other collaborators, and the hiring of an external forensics firm to analyze the research.

 

As the controversy deepened, Gino was placed on unpaid administrative leave from her position at Harvard Business School. She responded by filing a $25 million lawsuit against Harvard, the business school dean, and the Data Colada bloggers, alleging defamation, gender discrimination, and invasion of privacy. On a website dedicated to her legal battle, she insisted on her innocence. “There is one thing I know for sure: I did not commit academic fraud. I did not manipulate data to produce a particular result,” she wrote. “I did not falsify data to bolster any result. I did not commit the offence I am accused of. Period.”

 

Although a federal judge dismissed the defamation claims, the court allowed her allegations that Harvard had violated its own tenure procedures to proceed. According to reporting by the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper, Gino contends the university breached its contractual obligations during the disciplinary process.

 

A Harvard spokesperson declined to comment on the termination, and Gino has not responded to recent requests for comment. Her dismissal comes at a tumultuous time for Harvard, which is currently facing significant legal and political pressure from the federal government.

 

The university has been accused by the Trump administration of failing to address antisemitism on campus. In the last six weeks, the government has threatened to revoke over $2 billion in federal funding, stripped Harvard of its tax-exempt status, and suspended its ability to enroll international students.

 

As one of the most dramatic academic scandals in recent memory unfolds, Gino’s fall from grace is a stark reminder of the high stakes of academic integrity—especially when the subject of study is honesty itself.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-05-29

 

 

[Tug]

Interesting timing.

[blaze master]

6 minutes ago, Tug said:

Interesting timing.

 

You mean 2020 when it was first noticed.

[hotsun]

You couldnt pay me to study there. Bigger scam than vegas

[gargamon]

23 minutes ago, hotsun said:

You couldnt pay me to study there. Bigger scam than vegas

I'm sure you meant you couldn't pay to go there because you wouldn't be accepted. 

[hotsun]

1 minute ago, gargamon said:

I'm sure you meant you couldn't pay to go there because you wouldn't be accepted. 

Four years one would be better off working and buying bitcoin. Universities are dying

[impulse]

Trust the science!

 

Oh, wait a minute...

 

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Interesting timing.

 

Not at all. This happened long before Trump became President. There were legal proceedings that dragged out. It was a tenure fight. Harvard tried to get rid of her  years ago, but she fought them. The above article leaves out important information;

-The actions started in 2022. Harvard Business School  initiated an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing. The professor contested the  reviewand it  took 18 months to  complete.

- In June 2023, once the university had a compelling case the prof  was placed on unpaid administrative leave, barred her from campus, and had her  named professorship revoked. This also allowed the university to file an action to end the prof's tenure.

 

25 minutes ago, hotsun said:

Four years one would be better off working and buying bitcoin. Universities are dying

 

You obviously have never studied the sciences at a reputable university. Mr. Musk's Space X owes much of its technology to the universities you say are dying.

 

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

Trust the science!

 

Oh, wait a minute...

 

 

There was no science involved here. This was a business  school  professor who made observational studies. 

People who are uneducated and are often afraid of those who have a science education. It is an irrational fear.

[hotsun]

1 minute ago, Patong2021 said:

You obviously have never studied the sciences at a reputable university. Mr. Musk's Space X owes much of its technology to the universities you say are dying.

Yes, dying as in, they are losing credibility now. The value of a degree now isnt the same as when musk graduated

[impulse]

7 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

There was no science involved here. This was a business  school  professor who made observational studies. 

People who are uneducated and are often afraid of those who have a science education. It is an irrational fear.

 

What do you think "the science" is if it's not observational studies?

 

I have a mechanical engineering degree from one of the best schools in the US.  My disdain for "the science" comes from 40 years of publishing and peer reviewing studies that were deliberately slanted to make something look better or worse than it really was.  That's how the science works in real life.

 

[Patong2021]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

What do you think "the science" is if it's not observational studies?

 

I have a mechanical engineering degree from one of the best schools in the US.  My disdain for "the science" comes from 40 years of publishing and peer reviewing studies that were deliberately slanted to make something look better or worse than it really was.  That's how the science works in real life.

 

 

 Ok. How does that  change the fact that you are  making a reference to science, when  there was no science involved?

The professor was not testing an hypothesis, nor was her study scientific. This is why she was  called out and challenged.

The work that she did was not science. She was  at the business school.

 

BTW: You may wish to rephrase your statement.  My disdain for "the science" comes from 40 years of publishing and peer reviewing studies that were deliberately slanted to make something look better or worse than it really was.   I hope you really did not spend 40 years inaccurate or false studies. That would be a rather depressing life.

 

 

[JonnyF]

Reminds me of the BBC fact checker girl who lied on her CV to get the job 😃.

 

It's always the ones who preach honesty, integrity, authenticity etc. who are the biggest frauds. Not unlike Rachel Markle. 

 

I totally would though (Gino, not Markle)...

[blaze master]

1 hour ago, hotsun said:

Four years one would be better off working and buying bitcoin. Universities are dying

 

I see 3 people who studied ancient French poetry gave you a thumbs down. 

[JonnyF]

1 hour ago, hotsun said:

Four years one would be better off working and buying bitcoin. Universities are dying

 

Exactly. Four years to get yourself into tens if not hundreds of thousands of debt and be indoctrinated by loony left wing professors.

 

American Universities are now the domain of the Liberal Elites. Critical thinkers need not apply.  

 

 

[stupidfarang]

1 hour ago, hotsun said:

You couldnt pay me to study there. Bigger scam than vegas

Barron Trump, welcome to Thailand

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

Too bad.  She could have rallied support to save her job if only she'd walked around campus waving a Hamas flag.

[hotsun]

11 minutes ago, stupidfarang said:

Barron Trump, welcome to Thailand

Did he actually apply there? Or is that just what the media says?

[impulse]

2 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 Ok. How does that  change the fact that you are  making a reference to science, when  there was no science involved?

The professor was not testing an hypothesis, nor was her study scientific. This is why she was  called out and challenged.

The work that she did was not science. She was  at the business school.

 

You're demonstrating a very poor understanding of the scientific method. 

 

The scientific method is a systematic process used by scientists to explore questions and test ideas. It typically involves the following steps:

1. Observation: Making observations about the world.
2. Question: Formulating a question based on those observations.
3. Hypothesis: Developing a hypothesis or educated guess to answer the question.
4. Experimentation: Conducting experiments to test the hypothesis.
5. Data Analysis: Analyzing the data collected during the experiments.
6. Conclusion: Drawing conclusions based on the data and determining whether the hypothesis is supported or refuted.

You should have learned that on day 1 of your first lab class whether that was in physics, chemistry, political science or economics or business science.

 

From the OP:  The paper claimed that having individuals sign an honesty pledge at the start of a form—rather than at the end—led to more truthful responses.