Misrepresenting yourself or your research is, by definition, dishonest.
An undergraduate at the University of Kansas claimed to be a researcher and promoted his (unfortunately incorrect) research on how much a Big Mac would cost if the U.S. raised the minimum wage. His study was picked up by the Post, NY Times, and other major news outlets, who then had to publish retractions.
Misrepresentation might include inflating credentials, claiming that a study proves something that it does not, or leaving out inconvenient and/or contradictory results.
