Comment by bsder

And, even moreso for the short term.

If the scientist in question doesn't get found out for 30 years but then becomes a pariah, it doesn't matter. They displaced a better scientist for their entire career. There is no retroactively fixing that.

There is a huge incentive to cough up something that will make you "famous". If it doesn't make you famous, well, you can bury it and simply be a pedestrian scientist--no harm, no foul. If it does make you "famous", well, you might make it out the other side without anybody being able to pin anything decisive on you. And, if you get caught and become a pariah in 10 years, well, you likely earned way more than you would have in 30 years anyway.

Lying, in this case, almost always comes out ahead.