This article is reproduced and translated by the courtesy of the author; Nekorom.
April 13, 2014 from his blog
I know one person, X, who went abroad to work in a big lab which was well known with their great researches.
As soon as starting an experiment there, X found a very interesting phenomenon. A boss of X was so excited about the discovery and talked about that in public.
At the final stage, X was unable to obtain the data to be a rationale for the phenomenon.
When X told what happened and asked advices from some people, X was indirectly recommended to fabricate the data. Some even said that was how people got better positions.
However, X had the belief to prove the phenomenon without adjusting the data. X continued own experiment while the increasing pressure from the boss was unavoidable.
Finally X reached the conclusion that that interesting phenomenon was artifact. That was the error of judgement.
Then, X began to collect the data to explain the fact to the boss. That would result in rejecting the attractive theory the boss made.
After a while, X showed the data which enabled the boss to understand what was correct and what was not.
X was in the lab for 7 years. X might make a fabulous manuscript which might be submitted for publication in journals like CNS if fabricating the data.
X came back to Japan and became the postdoctoral researcher again. The postdoctoral researcher who was relatively older...
Why the researchers like this are not evaluated based on their ability they have?
Is it because they cannot present a significant manuscript? But it does not mean X doesn't have any manuscripts. Maybe, those manuscripts were not published from Nature though.
X has said nothing related to those incidents. But it is painful to me.
If only X could find some other positions such as faculty...
The researchers like X have gone through tons of difficulties through their experiences. It means many students can learn a lot from them.
Aren't those researchers supposed to have the appropriate ability to research and educate rather than some people who submitted manuscripts with the fabrications to Nature and insisted that they were honest errors?
It's painful. I can't deny there is a pain in my heart.