Draft version 1.7 beta — Revised October 30, 2026
← Return to the table in Chapter 4, § 5
Data fabrication or falsification
A topic page linked from Chapter 4, § 5, Examples of Reported Violations of Enforceable Ethics Codes.
Definition
The material on this page was also covered in Chapter 3, section 4 of this Primer. According to the US Federal Policy on Research Misconduct,1,2...
Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them.
Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
According to Black's Law Dictionary3,4...
fabrication. n. (17c) 1. False information invented to deceive others.
falsifying a record. (18c) The crime of making false entries or otherwise tampering with a public record with the intent to deceive or injure, or to conceal wrongdoing.
Relevant provisions in geoethics codes
AGI – § 1.3; AGU – § IIIB13, V; GSA – § 3.2a.
Code Abbreviations
- AGI — American Geosciences Institute, AGI Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct (2015), Link to current document
- AGU — American Geophysical Union, AGU Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics (2023), Link to current document
- GSA — Geological Society of America, GSA Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct (2023), Link to current document
Notes and References
1 National Science and Technology Council, Executive Office of the President, 2000, Federal Policy on Research Misconduct: Federal Register 65, p. 76260–76264, accessed 20251018 via www.federalregister.gov/documents/2000/12/06/00-30852/executive-office-of-the-president-federal-policy-on-research-misconduct-preamble-for-research. The quoted definition is on page 76262.
2 NASEM, 2017, Fostering Integrity in Research: Washington, D.C., The National Academy Press, 310 p., https://doi.org/10.17226/21896, ISBN 978-0-309-39125-2, accessible via nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21896/fostering-integrity-in-research. The quoted definition is on page 64.
3 Garner, B.A. [editor], 2024, Black's Law Dictionary [12th edition]: St. Paul, MN, Thompson Reuters, ISBN 979-8-350-29089-9, 2071 p.; quoted definition from page 731
4 Ibid., p. 744.