Outright fraud is pretty rare in science. Nothing is more certain to bring your career a swift end (since anyone in your field can and will try to confirm your results.)
In many papers there is a tendency by the authors to overinterpret their data a bit in the discussion, however any scientist worth his/her salt will come up with their own interpretations.
There is a LOT of information out there. Graduate school trains you to read everything with a very critical eye and reach your own conclusions.
Yeah. So rare that a book was published nearly 10 years ago about this rare behavior:
Stealing into Print: Fraud, Plagiarism, and Misconduct in Scientific Publishing.
One reviewer noted something interesting about the consequences of blowing the whistle on a cheater:
In contrast is the often remarkable boldness of those who draw attention to fraud. In case after case, the whistle-blowers turn out to be young researchers, too principled to connive at a superior's legerdemain and naive enough to assume that university authorities will welcome the pointing out of a wrong. Almost invariably, however, the first response of universities is to investigate the whistle-blower, not the accused. Bruce Hollis, a whistle-blower at Case Western Reserve University, is quoted here with the bitter reflection: "I cannot recommend that junior scientists who discover scientific misconduct blow the whistle unless they want to experience immense personal suffering and a possible end to their scientific careers."
Nicholas Wade New York Times
Kinda of reminds me of ... yes, what happens in Corp America too...;
Funny, you'd think 'scientists' and big wig corp types would have little in common.