New York – A Columbia University Student was accused of faking a gay marriage study on May 20 after it appeared in a top research journal.
Michael LaCour, a grad student of Columbia University, began the study with researcher Donald Green, the co-author of the project.
Green told NBC News he was tipped off about potential false data in the study after two Stanford researchers tried to expand on the data.
The Stanford researchers said that when they contacted the survey firm LaCour supposedly used, they claimed they had never heard of the project.
LaCour refused to hand over raw data of the study after accusations arose, saying it had been “accidentally deleted.”
“I am deeply embarrassed by this turn of events and apologize to the editors, reviewers and readers of science,” Green said in a letter to the journal.
The study claimed that a short conversation with a gay canvasser could persuade people in favor of gay marriage, significantly more than a conversation with a straight canvasser.
The only response made from LaCour has been from his Twitter, claiming he is gathering evidence to provide an explanation as quickly as possible.
