Some scientists fear that publicized cases are merely the tip of an iceberg. Others remain convinced that the overall incidence remains low, and even those with direct experience of misconduct cases are often optimistic. Many journal editors believe that breaches of the traditional ethics of scientific publication are increasing, but few editors are confident of how they should react. Investigating committees have already identified 58 papers by Herrmann and Brach that involve apparently fabricated data, but investigation of the publications is only 20 percent finished. The investigation will take months to complete, and the intention is to publish the results in an international journal.
Science comes to terms with the lessons of fraud.