Good scientific practice

Scientific integrity is fundamental to scholarly work and activities. At the same time, there is often considerable uncertainty about what the rules of good scientific practice are exactly and how they should be implemented in everyday research life. Doctoral studies and supervising situations can be particularly stressful. Therefore it is important to recognize issues and to develop strategies to prevent dubious practices or scientific misconduct.

Our advisory services are aimed specifically at doctoral students and early postdocs. You have the opportunity to contact us about general questions and uncertainties about scientific integrity, e.g.:

• Can my supervisor forward my results to others without my consent?
• Can I use the research from my master’s thesis in my doctoral dissertation?
• Does the head of department really have to be named as an author when I publish?
• What are the rules when I cooperate with other research groups?
• Can I take copies of my work with me when I leave the institution?
• Can I submit my work without my supervisor’s consent?

You can also contact us for advice and support on specific conflict situations. Perhaps the communication between you and your supervisor is strained or there are often misunderstandings that have a negative impact on your scholarly work. To prevent such situations from escalating and leading to scientific misconduct, which can in turn jeopardize successful completion of your doctoral studies, we offer solution-oriented advising as early as possible.

The advising is offered by the Ombuds Office at Universität Hamburg and is open to all doctoral and early career researchers at member institutions. Read more about good scientific practice.