Based on the DFG Code "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice", the TU Berlin has adopted a statute for safeguarding good research practice together with explanatory implementation regulations.
This statute defines the principles of good scientific work at the TU Berlin, creates instruments to safeguard them and codifies a procedure in the event of suspected scientific misconduct.
Please also contact the ombudspersons if you suspect scientific misconduct.
If the ombudspersons share your suspicions, they will forward the case to the Commission for the Investigation of Scientific Misconduct, which will examine and evaluate the allegations and submit a proposed resolution to the Executive Board.
On February 15, 2023, the Academic Senate of the Technische Universität Berlin passed a resolution on the basis of Section 9, Paragraph 1, No. 5 of the Basic Regulations of the Technische Universität Berlin in the version published on September 20, 2018 (AMBl. TU Berlin No. 19/2018, p. 182 ff.) in conjunction with. §§ 7a, 61 paragraph 2 No. 7 of the Law on Universities in the State of Berlin (Berlin Higher Education Act - BerlHG) in the version of July 26, 2011 (GVBl. p. 378), last amended by the Act of March 23, 2023 (GVBl. p. 121), the following statutes were adopted:*) *) Confirmed by the Presidential Board of the TU Berlin on 02.05.2023.
The members of TU Berlin regard the safeguarding of good academic practice in research and teaching as one of their highest goals and, in this regard, attach particular importance to young researchers. This Statute, which is oriented towards the corresponding recommendations of the German Research Foundation, shall serve the purpose of defining the principles of good academic practice and stipulating fair procedures in cases of suspected misconduct.
The basic principle of any academic work is honesty towards oneself and others. This principle is both an ethical standard and the foundation for the rules of academic professionalism – meaning, good academic practice – that differ from discipline to discipline. It is the core task of the university to convey these basic principles to the students and the academic staff. Compliance with, and implementation of, good academic practice is the prerequisite for distinguished and acknowledged academic work that must also seek to find recognition in a competitive international environment.
The procedures for bestowing academic degrees, for promotions, recruitments, appointments and the allocations of funds must be laid down in such a manner as to ensure that assessment criteria emphasizing originality and quality prevail at all times over those of quantity.
When joining Technische Universität Berlin, university members shall be expressly made aware of the validity and importance of this Statute and – insofar as this is possible – obligated to comply with it. This Statute is a constituent part of the teaching and training of young researchers.
TU Berlin will immediately investigate every specific case of suspected academic misconduct. In the event that, following investigation of the matter, a suspicion is confirmed, appropriate measures will be taken in each individual case.
The members of TU Berlin are obliged to comply with the basic principles of academic work, thereby ensuring the integrity of their activities, their honesty towards themselves and others, and their working, in particular,
Qualitative performance and assessment criteria shall at all times prevail over quantitative criteria. Assessors of qualification achievements shall be encouraged to acknowledge explicitly the originality and quality of a paper or thesis. In applications for academic positions, the applicant’s originality and quality shall be assessed higher than quantitative criteria. Faculties may limit the number of publications to be submitted as part of applications.
Primary data that form the foundation of any academic publication shall be stored on durable and protected storage devices in the institution where they were generated for a period of ten years from the date of their publication. Information, by means of which a reference to a certain person may be reconstructed, must be stored separately; such information must be deleted as soon as the research purpose permits it (Section 30 (2) of the Berlin Data Protection Act – BlnDSG). The further storage and use of such information for the purpose of academic self-supervision shall be permissible for 10 years, provided that the data is passed on to an independent body (a so-called data trustee) for safekeeping. Those affected by such storage of their personal data must be informed about the reason for the storage, the period of storage and the protection measures taken during the storage, and their consent must be obtained prior to the collection of their personal data. The records to be stored shall also include samples if they are indispensable for ascertaining the soundness of the scientific results achieved. In the event that storage in “physical form” is impossible, it must be safeguarded in another appropriate form. The storage obligation shall pertain to any objects, documents or data that would enable an expert to ascertain and comprehend the soundness of the scientific results.
Authors of academic publications shall at all times be jointly responsible for the publication contents. An author shall be defined as a person who has made a significant contribution to a publication; so-called honorary authorship shall be excluded. With regard to the sequence of authors, the particularities of each specialist discipline must be considered.
Scientific misconduct can only lead to sanctions according to the present statutes if principles of scientificity have been violated or the freedom of research has been abused in such a way that the work of the accused is to be denied the character of scientificity not only in detail or according to the definition of certain schools, but systematically.