996011 Research Ethics (WS) (SoSe 2018)

The workshop introduces the participants to basic issues of the ethical conduct in research, that is, the idea of “good scientific practice”.

Spectacular cases of obvious misconduct, e.g., unethical experiments, fabrication of data, and plagiarism, have received widespread media attention. Research suggests that less spectacular and less clear cases of misconduct are not at all uncommon. The workshop is intended to enhance the participants’ awareness of the implicit and explicit rules of conduct in research. Acquaintance with these rules will improve the participants’ research practice, and it will help them to recognise and handle cases of misconduct of others.

The workshop is based on the curriculum prepared on behalf of and in cooperation with the Ombudsman für die Wissenschaft. Among the topics addressed are:

– Local, national and international rules and regulations of “good scientific practice”
– Ethical issues of research design: Are all research question and methods permissible?
– Handling data (e.g., from surveys): Dos, don’ts, caveats
– Citing sources: Quoting, paraphrasing, plagiarising
– Authorship and the process of publication
– Issues in the relationship of supervisors and the supervised
– Potential conflicts of interest in academic research
– Conflict management: How to deal with conflicts and academic misconduct

The participants will be encouraged to actively engage with the topic. For this purpose, lecture-like parts will alternate with case analyses, plenary discussion, and practical exercises.