Scientific Integrity Office

DFG guidelines and statutes of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

The DFG Code of Conduct obliges all scientists and academics in Germany to base their actions on its 19 guidelines for safeguarding good scientific practice. In order to receive DFG funding, research institutions must implement its guidelines and explanations in a legally binding manner. OVGU has done this in its Statutes for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice. The provisions of the statutes are legally binding for all persons who conduct or support research at OVGU. On the DFG's online portal “Research Integrity ”, researchers can find further explanations, subject-specific commentaries and the latest news and event information on the topic of research integrity.

In order to support all researchers at OVGU in the task of optimally integrating the standards of good scientific practice into their three major duties - research, teaching and the promotion of early career researchers - OVGU has created the Scientific Integrity Office.

We provide support in a variety of ways:

• Courses: in close cooperation with the Otto von Guericke Graduate Academy, we offer ongoing courses on good scientific practice. These are primarily aimed at early career researchers. In addition, we are happy to support you in planning and holding your own events on topics relating to scientific integrity. According to the DFG's guidelines, such events can and should be aimed at all academic career levels: “Education in the principles of good research begins at the earliest possible stage in academic teaching and research training. Researchers at all career levels regularly update their knowledge about the standards of good research practice and the current state of the art." (DFG Code of Conduct, Guideline 2)
• Advice: the Scientific Integrity Office advises all members of the OVGU on questions of academic integrity and, if necessary, acts as an interface to the OVGU ombudsman system. This advice is of course provided strictly in accordance with the core principles of good academic practice: strictly confidential and with the basic principle of the presumption of innocence.
• Cooperation with other universities in Saxony-Anhalt: in order to bundle our resources optimally and to support each other, we maintain a close exchange with non-university research institutions and other universities in the Saxony-Anhalt GWP network.