RETRACTED: Signing at the beginning makes ethics salient and decreases dishonest self-reports in comparison to signing at the end

TLDR

Many business and government forms rely on honest reporting, typically verified by a signature at the end, yet individuals sometimes cheat for financial gain, harming society. The study tests whether placing a signature at the beginning of a self‑report, instead of at the end, discourages dishonest reporting. The authors implemented a simple intervention that reverses the usual signature order, requiring participants to sign before completing the self‑report. Laboratory and field experiments show that signing before the opportunity to cheat makes ethics salient and significantly reduces dishonest self‑reports.

Abstract

Many written forms required by businesses and governments rely on honest reporting. Proof of honest intent is typically provided through signature at the end of, e.g., tax returns or insurance policy forms. Still, people sometimes cheat to advance their financial self-interests—at great costs to society. We test an easy-to-implement method to discourage dishonesty: signing at the beginning rather than at the end of a self-report, thereby reversing the order of the current practice. Using laboratory and field experiments, we find that signing before—rather than after—the opportunity to cheat makes ethics salient when they are needed most and significantly reduces dishonesty.