• Teaching the basics of good scientific practice for theoretical work (citation requirement, plagiarism avoidance, source criticism) and empirical work (methodical accuracy, raw data transparency, data quality) to improve the quality of scientific theses.
• Reflection on the emergence of basic principles of science
• Reflection of sense and purpose of the scientific process

(This used to be called "hodegetics" or "propaedeutics" once.)

Where do the scientific working techniques come from, and why is the safeguarding of "good scientific practice" so important? This lecture deals in an overview...

• with the forms of quality assurance of scientific work (such as codes of conduct, plagiarism software testing, stylometrics, open data, open access)
• as well as with the forms of scientific misconduct (such as plagiarism, ghostwriting, unethical authorship, data manipulation, data fabrication)
• and their grey areas (so-called Questionable Research Practices/QRPs).
• A focus should also be on the possibilities for self-testing for students (e.g. Software WriteCheck).

The topics of safeguarding good scientific practice and scientific misconduct should at least be

•     historical,
•     legal and
•     scientific-ethical

can be illuminated.

Current discussions on "academic hoaxes", "fake science" or the "replication crisis" should enrich the lecture.

The focus on scientific honesty within the framework of a separate lecture reacts to the changes in the framework conditions for academic study:

•     Medialisation/digitisation and thus changing reading and writing skills,
•     Virtualization of teaching through eLearning,
•     Shortening of studies and "schooling" through the Bologna Process,
•     "Academic Capitalism"/General Economization, Rationalization and Purposeful Orientation of Studies,
•     Medialization of prominent plagiarism cases and
•     new scientific irrationalisms such as climate change denial or vaccination opponents.

This is the first lecture of its kind in Austria. Medical courses in Germany have recently introduced a corresponding course as a compulsory subject - above all for the quality assurance of medical dissertations.

Introductory Literature:

Andersen, Daniel/Attrup, Lis/Axelsen, Nils and others (Ed.) (1992): Scientific Dishonesty and Good Scientific Practice, Copenhagen: Danish Medical Research Council.

German Research Foundation (2013): Denkschrift "Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis", Wiley-VCH/DFG. http://www.dfg.de/download/pdf/dfg_im_profil/reden_stellungnahmen/download/ empfehlung_wiss_praxis_1310.pdf)

Bitte bringen Sie für ein Live-Voting am 13.06. Ihr Smartphone mit!

Written examination with open questions/scenarios (no multiple choice test!) on 21.06.2019 with your laptop. Please bring your laptop with you.

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