Citations drop after scientists accused of sexual, but not scientific, misconduct
Sunday, March 9, 2025 - 16:54
in Psychology & Sociology
When a celebrity is accused of abuse, fans grapple with the question of whether to continue to engage with that person’s work. Now, researchers have explored whether scientists feel similarly about accused scholars—and found that they tend to avoid citing alleged sexual harassers. Scholars accused of sexual misconduct see a drop in their citations in the years after public allegations , according to the study, published today in PLOS ONE . But those accused of scientific misconduct do not see the same penalty—even though researchers say they’d be more likely to withhold citations from this group than those facing harassment allegations. The findings suggest researchers might lose trust in scholars...