Good scientific practice

The principles of good scientific practice are the basis for all scientific work and are an essential prerequisite for excellent research. Universities in the state of Baden-Württemberg are required by the State Higher Education Act (Landeshochschulgesetz) to establish rules for compliance with the generally recognized principles of good scientific practice and for dealing with scientific misconduct. Scientific institutions such as the German Research Foundation have issued guidelines for this.

Safeguarding good scientific practice

The University of Hohenheim sees the generally recognized principles of scientific practice, as enshrined in the Code of Conduct of the German Research Foundation, as the basis for its work. The University of Hohenheim, therefore, adopted its revised statutes to safeguard good scientific practice on 9 March 2022.

The University of Hohenheim obligates its members to comply with the guidelines for good scientific practice – whilst bearing in mind the specificities of their relevant discipline. Every scientist is responsible for ensuring that their own conduct complies with the standards of good scientific practice. The principles include in particular

  • working lege artis,
  • maintaining strict honesty with regard to a researcher's own and third party contributions,
  • consistently doubting all their own results and allowing and encouraging a critical discourse in the scientific community.

Given its goal of and the need for the transparent and consistent handling of the suspicion of misconduct, the University of Hohenheim moreover defined scientific misconduct in its Rules of Procedure for Self-Monitoring in Science adopted on 9 March 2022, and laid down rules of procedure for suspected cases of scientific misconduct.

The University of Hohenheim, as a center for research, teaching, and the promotion of early career researchers, also has an institutional responsibility in this regard. The President's Office and the Senate of the University of Hohenheim undertake to create and further develop the organs, staff structures, and other necessary prerequisites that will help to safeguard good scientific practice.

Scientific misconduct

The University of Hohenheim will look into every concrete suspicion of scientific misconduct at the University. To this end, it has put in place a Committee for Self-Monitoring in Science and ombudspersons.
 

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Contact

Prof. Dr. Julia Fritz-Steuber
Vice President for Research, Early Career Researchers, and Transfer
+49 711 459 22228
prorektorat-forschung@uni-hohenheim.de