Academic Integrity in Research? Not Always.

Someone asked me about research integrity.  Here was my answer.  (It was posted here: http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-bit-of-college-can-be-worse-than-none-at-all-1413158511?KEYWORDS=college#livefyre-comment )

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I don’t want to comment on anything other than academic integrity, but that I can do.  First, here is a quote.

“…the ethical standards of the sciences ( certainly in mathematics) have been degraded to such an extent that the most bare-faced plagiarism between colleagues ( often at the expense of those who can’t defend themselves), seems to have become the norm. At least it is generally tolerated, even in exceptionally flagrant instances. .”

(From Alexandre Grothendieck’s Letter to the Swedish Royal Academy rejecting the 1988  $250,000 Crafoord Prize)

I have seen a very egregious case (and other, less egregious ones)where a very productive mathematician’s career (He was the victim.) was almost destroyed by the perpetrators and their colleagues.  I will post the story on my blog.  (It might take a week.)

Thanks for the great question about process.