Good scientific practice
Good scientific practice requires strict care in the collection and selection of data, clear and comprehensible documentation of all important results, and openness to criticism and doubt about one's own results. TH Köln has laid down the basic principles of good scientific practice in a set of regulations.
The regulations for ensuring good scientific practice, which were drawn up by TH Köln in 2023, contain provisions on the standards set by TH Köln with regard to the quality of the research process, the publication of research results and intellectual property rights. It also defines how to deal with co-authorship and scientific misconduct, for example in the form of plagiarism or honorary authorship.
The regulations of TH Köln are based on the recommendations of the German Rectors' Conference on "Good Scientific Practice at German Universities" of May 2013 and the position paper "Recommendations on Academic Integrity" of the German Council of Science and Humanities of 2015 as well as the "Code: Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Academic Practice" of the German Research Foundation from September 2019. They represent a further development of the "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Academic Practice and Dealing with Academic Misconduct" published by TH Köln in January 2016.
It applies to all members of the TH Köln engaged in research and teaching, all students, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers, as well as to members of non-academic staff who are engaged in academic activities. All of the aforementioned members of TH Köln are obliged to base their academic work on these regulations in order to ensure good academic practice and to actively contribute to the prevention of academic misconduct.
As a place of research and teaching, TH Köln has an institutional responsibility in this regard. The TH Köln is aware of its duty to convey the principles of good scientific practice to students and scientists, especially in the early stages of their careers, and to familiarize them with the techniques of scientific work.
Ombudsperson
As a research-intensive university, TH Köln is particularly concerned to offer its scientists an optimal working environment and high-quality conditions for research and development. In accordance with the recommendations of the DFG (German Research Foundation) on good scientific practice, experienced scientists have been appointed as ombudsperson at the university. The ombudsperson is available to all members and affiliates of TH Köln as a person of trust in cases of suspected scientific misconduct and conflicts. In particularly serious cases, or in cases where the ombudsperson may be biased due to a close relationship to the case, an ombuds committee consisting of three professors is convened. The current ombudsperson of the TH Köln is Prof. Dr. Castro-Lesching, the deputy is Prof. Dr. Haag. Your inquiries to the ombudspersons will be treated confidentially.