Esteemed researcher exposed as fraud

For nearly a decade, Diederik Stapel made a name for himself with his eye-catching research into the inner workings of the human mind. Now, the scientific community stand stunned at the revelation that his career was based on lies. JOEP DERKSEN reports.

In life, only three things are certain: We die, we pay taxes and science is never wrong. That is, until last month when word came out that one of the Netherlands' most highly respected scientists turned out to be a complete fraud. Diederik Stapel’s studies were numerous and well-published throughout the world. Working as a professor at the Tilburg University's Institute for Behavioural Economics Research (TIBER), no one questioned his publications, even when the outcomes sometimes seemed too good to be true.

Stapel met his Waterloo when he published attention-catching research suggesting that meat eaters are more asocial than vegetarians. Questioning the methodology of the research and the outcome altogether, some of his students alerted the university. It was then that the bubble created by the esteemed scientist, known for offering new insights into the workings of the human mind, exploded in his face. Tilburg University appointed former president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Willem Levelt, to investigate the matter. Under the Committee Levelt, the commission reviewed Stapel’s publications history, concluding Staple had manipulated or plain made up data in at least thirty studies over nearly a decade.

Stapel, who wrote 14 books and appeared on many television programmes, has admitted his wrongdoings. “I took a wrong turn,” he said in a brief statement. “I have failed as a scientist and as a researcher. I have adjusted research data and falsified researches. Not once, but several times and for a long period of time. I realise that because of this behaviour I leave my direct colleagues with feelings of anger and disbelief. Also, I have put my profession, social psychology, in a bad light. I am ashamed and regret it deeply.”

Speaking to Stapel's colleagues, former students, co-authors and post-doctoral researchers, the Committee Levelt determined the fraud was on Stapel's hands alone. According to their review, he was “lord of the data”, and rarely included students in, or even shared, the raw data from his research. “Under his supervision, these young scientists at the start of their career, have been victimised”, states the report. It is a conclusion that left psychologist Roos Vonk from the Radboud University Nijmegen, who co-published several studies with Stapel, in disbelief. On her blog, she writes that her impression of Stapel was one of a “spotless reputation; he was an excellent teacher and he appeared to be a paragon of integrity.”

The far-reaching effects of this case throw a spotlight on the scientific community itself. For years, no one took a critical look at the often spectacular claims of his publications. Also, the ever-increasing pressure to publish, where the stature of a researcher was rated to the number of times his/her work was published in reputable, played a detrimental role in what should be a healthy scientific environment. “In modern science, the level of ambition is high and competition for scarce resources is enormous,” says Stapel. “Over the past years, this pressure has become too much for me. I failed in withstanding the pressure to score, to publicise and to continuously improve my performances. I wanted too much too fast.”

Stapel has been dismissed by the Tilburg University and investigations have been launched by his former employers at the Universities of Groningen and Amsterdam. The Committee Levelt has recommended the institutions look into possible criminal charges for the misuse of government research funds and detriment to students.

(Gepubliceerd in The Holland Times, december editie).