University researchers are typically well-respected and trusted individuals, and as such, are granted a great degree of freedom in their work. Most are worthy of this trust, but there are plenty of bad apples out there as well, gladly manipulating research data, funds, and more to beat out competitors in the cutthroat race for grant money. There's no denying that research fraud is alive and well in today's universities: a recent survey from the British Medical Journal indicates that one in eight UK scientists has witnessed research fraud. When this fraud is uncovered, it's big news, and we've shared 10 incredible cases of fraud in university research here, including several high profile cases you've probably heard of before. Read on to learn about highly disturbing cases of fraud at the university level, and consider how you might carefully protect your own work from the experience of research misconduct.

Psychologist Diederik Stapel Noted Dutch psychologist Diederik Stapel, of Tillburg University, was found to have committed academic fraud in several publications. The fraud spans about a decade of work, including papers on racial stereotyping, advertisements, and the power of hypocrisy. Stapel's work has been published not just in psychology journals and publications, but also in worldwide newspapers including The New York Times. Doctoral theses that Stapel oversaw have also been called into question, with interviews from former students and colleagues revealing that more than a dozen theses may no longer be valid, putting not only Stapel's reputation, but also former students' degrees at risk. Stapel says of himself, "I have failed as a scientist and a researcher."

Dr. Anil Potti's Cancer Research In late 2010, Dr. Anil Potti resigned from his job at Duke University amid questions of research fraud, and his scandalous story continues to play out in 2012. Before he resigned, it was discovered that Potti exaggerated his credentials, claiming incorrectly that he was a Rhodes scholar, a discovery that led to the American Cancer Society suspending hundreds of thousands of grant dollars that were to be used for Potti's work. Since then, nine of Potti's papers on individualized treatments for cancer have been retracted, dashing the hopes of those who would like to believe that this "holy grail of cancer" research might actually work. Potti's work sounded like a miracle, but his promise that 80% of patients enrolled in his drug trials would find the right drug for them proved too good to be true, and some of the patients involved with Potti's research have filed suit against Duke. Despite these ongoing allegations of fraud, Potti continues to work in the field of cancer research, responding to an investigation by 60 Minutes with the comment, "My primary concern at all times is and will be the care of patients and seeking new ways to treat cancer."

Plagiarism at KU Two University of Kansas computer scientists, Mahesh Visvanathan and Gerald Lushington, were found to have plagiarized major portions of their research, for which they had published three articles with an international audience. So much of their work was lifted from other scientists' work, that even "the entire summarizing statement in their presentation had come from someone else's journal article," a presentation that they had planned to make at a conference in Sweden, which they ultimately did not make due to accusations of plagiarism. The two researchers have been working with the U.S. Office of Research Integrity, which found them to be ignorant and complacent about plagiarism in their research program at KU. Unlike so many others involved in research scandals, Visvanathan and Lushington have been allowed to keep their jobs, but under an agreement with the U.S. Office of Research Integrity, KU is to carefully monitor the legitimacy of research that they put out during the next few years.

Andrew Wakefield's Vaccine Connection In 1998, physician Andrew Wakefield published a study in The Lancet, claiming that his research indicated a connection between autism and the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. This research was highly respected and undermined public confidence in the vaccine, leading to many parents refusing the shot. Ultimately, this led to increases in the number of cases of measles and mumps in the U.S. and Europe, with some areas reporting very dangerous and widespread outbreaks. When faced with an investigation in 2010, it was revealed that Wakefield and his colleagues had altered facts about the children in their study, and Wakefield had even been paid off by a lawyer planning to sue the manufacturer of the vaccine. The British General Medical Council found Wakefield guilty of fraud and misconduct, and his work is now viewed by the medical and research community as an "elaborate fraud." Wakefield, however, still defends his research and promises that he "will not be deterred."