scientific fraud was often misrepresented as the work of aberrant individuals

Aubrey Blumsohn, a senior lecturer in metabolic bone disease at the University of Sheffield, said scientific fraud was often misrepresented as the work of aberrant individuals.

But, he told the conference, “It is not rare, it is a group activity.” He said it could involve collusion between drug companies, researchers, journal editors, ghost writers, and regulators.

He said the mechanism for fraud was usually more nuanced than direct fabrication of scientific findings and involved techniques and behaviour that could “disturb the scientific record.”

He said the details of fraud often only emerged during litigation but that this “should not be the most important part of the process.”

http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1526?etoc=