@Valentijn I'm just copying this comment you made on a different thread over to this one because it's more on topic here:
"Fraud is a crime. Do you have evidence that someone committed it, other than circumstance? And there are plenty of ways to discuss improper conduct without using a word which labels it as a crime."
It seems that the words "fraud" and "misconduct" are sometimes used interchangeably. For example in the definition used by the Medical Research Council, as posted earlier by @adreno:
"The Medical Research Council (MRC) definition of misconduct and fraud (or a variation of the MRC code) is widely used. This code states the following definition..." (my bold)
The MRC definition is referring to scientific misconduct which, as I'm sure you know, is not a crime. So going by their definition, use of the word 'fraud' when referring to scientific research does not necessarily label it as a crime.
"Fraud is a crime. Do you have evidence that someone committed it, other than circumstance? And there are plenty of ways to discuss improper conduct without using a word which labels it as a crime."
It seems that the words "fraud" and "misconduct" are sometimes used interchangeably. For example in the definition used by the Medical Research Council, as posted earlier by @adreno:
"The Medical Research Council (MRC) definition of misconduct and fraud (or a variation of the MRC code) is widely used. This code states the following definition..." (my bold)
The MRC definition is referring to scientific misconduct which, as I'm sure you know, is not a crime. So going by their definition, use of the word 'fraud' when referring to scientific research does not necessarily label it as a crime.