{"id":4068,"date":"2026-07-29T07:52:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T06:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/?p=4068"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:37:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T10:37:39","slug":"just-look-at-the-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/?p=4068","title":{"rendered":"Just Look at the Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It’s best to look at the data directly and form your own conclusions from it (as @TheResearcher has been saying). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just look at the damn data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Run some tests or do some simple visual checks. That way, your perspective is rooted in actual evidence, rather than filtered through second-hand opinions or culture-war narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two PhD theses are still online: Jason Arday’s here<\/a>, Paula Zwozdiak-Myers downloadable here<\/a> if you want to check primary sources. The data are available here<\/a> on Professor David Harris’ website. These are the materials that Prof Harris, Jack Grove (Times Higher Education) and others submitted to Cambridge and Liverpool John Moores University in September 2025. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Rhys Morgan, Head of Policy, Governance and Integrity at University of Cambridge, then asked Professor Manuel Eisne<\/a>r, Director of the Institute of Criminology, to conduct an inquiry and write a report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report must now be provided, as well as any corresponding report written by Liverpool John Moores University. This is necessary as the Good Law Project have circulated a solidarity letter<\/a>, claiming<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Entirely false allegations of plagiarism were made against Professor Arday and referred to two universities. Investigations have found no evidence whatsoever of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The letter has been signed by three Heads of House: Lord Simon Woolley<\/a>, (Principal of Homerton College), Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu<\/a> (President of Wolfson College) and Sonia Alleyne <\/a>(Master of Jesus College). It has also been signed by two Cambridge academics, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen<\/a> and Professor Ricardo Sabates Aysa.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambridge’s investigation did not clear Prof Arday of plagiarism, but rather ruled the investigation out of scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our advice is anyone considering signing the letter should first look at the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For us, this is not primarily about Prof Jason Arday as an individual. He is not the only case in which individuals appear to have been protected and rewarded within networks at Cambridge University for behaviour that amounts to dishonesty and misconduct. Rather, he is simply the case that has come to light — perhaps for reasons that are not entirely reassuring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our primary concern is the complete failure of process. There should be a formal investigation into how these matters have been handled by the Research Policy, Integrity and Governance division. The current situation raises serious questions about both the integrity of that process and the clarity of its remit, with significant implications for the University\u2019s reputation and its duty of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also aware of other cases in which the Research Policy, Integrity and Governance division appears to have handled matters inadequately, reinforcing the need for a thorough and transparent review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is often Early Career Researchers, such as Dr Magdalen Connelly,<\/a> who have the courage to raise concerns about potential research misconduct by senior academics. These individuals are typically in the most vulnerable position, with limited institutional power and significant personal and professional risks attached to speaking out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s best to look at the data directly and form your own conclusions from it (as @TheResearcher has been saying). Just look at the damn data. Run some tests or do some simple visual checks. That way, your perspective is rooted in actual evidence, rather than filtered through second-hand opinions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4068"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4068\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4081,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4068\/revisions\/4081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}