The deliberate falsification of data runs the gamut from something as benign as a performer lying about his or her age, to those that are far more dangerous, such as scientists who falsify research or even entire scientific studies.

The need for eternal youth is no more prevalent than in the world of entertainment. Publicists, managers, agents, and even the celebrities themselves, alter their ages (along with other personal data) with alarming frequency. When a celebrated individual lies about biographical or other pertinent data, Internet Accuracy Project will apprise you of that fact in their profile. No silly euphemisms to sugarcoat the truth will be found here. As infuriating as these lies are for researchers, the end result is "only" wasted time.

When scientists falsify scientific research or entire studies that are later published in top medical journals, the end result can be far more devastating than the above examples. In recent years, an increasing number of top doctors and scientists have been caught fabricating research data to obtain millions of dollars in government grant money, or merely to enhance their standing in the academic community.

Whether you wish to call it lying, cheating, dishonest, amoral or use one of the increasingly popular whitewash euphemisms, such as "professional misconduct," the fact is, the ramifications of this type of behavior goes far beyond wasted time. Large amounts of money better spent on legitimate research are sometimes wasted as a result of the fraudulent studies. Worse yet, desperate patients sometimes begin hasty treatments based on the falsified work, thus placing their lives at serious risk.

We shall refrain from further moral pontifications on the subject, and just applaud those individuals with integrity who are honest, forthright, and thorough in their research, and implore those who are not, to recognize that the consequences of their actions are more far-reaching than they could possibly imagine.