There are three reasons this happens, and money is at the root of all of them.
- Publish-or-perish: You want to keep that professorship, you had better publish, frequently. Experiments that don't yield results don't count.
- Grant money: You want to get funding for your lab, your assistants and your students, you had better publish. Experiments that don't yield results don't count.
- Start-up culture: Just another permutation of "get rich quick", but you need a saleable product. Experiments that don't yield results don't count.
So there are massive incentives to fake results. "Fake it until you make it", only with actual lives at risk. Say hello to Elizabeth Holmes.
- Publish-or-perish: You want to keep that professorship, you had better publish, frequently. Experiments that don't yield results don't count.
- Grant money: You want to get funding for your lab, your assistants and your students, you had better publish. Experiments that don't yield results don't count.
- Start-up culture: Just another permutation of "get rich quick", but you need a saleable product. Experiments that don't yield results don't count.
So there are massive incentives to fake results. "Fake it until you make it", only with actual lives at risk. Say hello to Elizabeth Holmes.