If the crowdfunding effort is anything to go by, there is huge sympathy for the data detectives Leif Nelson, Joe Simmons and Uri Simonsohn. The three men — professors of marketing, applied statistics and behavioural science, respectively — have carved out a reputation as defenders of sound scientific research methods. Now they face a lawsuit in the US claiming $25mn for defamation, and the campaign to fund their defence raised over $180,000 in the first 24 hours. The list of donors reads like a Who’s Who of behavioural science, including a $4,900 donation from Nobel laureate Richard Thaler.
In June, Nelson, Simmons and Simonsohn published four posts on their blog, Data Colada, in their own words “detailing evidence of fraud in four academic papers co-authored by Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino”. The blog digs deep into the version history of researchers’ Excel spreadsheets, looking for what its authors say is evidence of data being manually altered at unexpected points. Gino, who is on administrative leave, has sued Harvard and the trio, claiming that their actions have damaged her reputation.
Professor Gino, a behavioural scientist, is entitled to defend her good name, although the flood of donations to the Data Colada defence fund reflects a widespread feeling that the blog is performing an important service. “The field benefits from Data Colada,” wrote one donor. Another declared, “Correcting the scientific literature deserves gratitude, not punishment.”