May 08^th, 2025

3:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Biological Science Lecture Building: Room 203, Campus Südstadt, Albert-Einstein-Straße 3, 18059 Rostock

Prof. Michael Rauscher 
PD Rhena Schumann 
(Board of ombudspersons, Universität Rostock)

up to 25 participants

English

Doctoral Candidates, Postdocs, Students writing their Masters' theses, Supervisors of qualification theses of the University of Rostock

Good research practice, working according to the rules of the art, is one of the highest goods of academic work. Violations of these rules, such as plagiarism and publications based on falsified or invented data, have attracted a great deal of public attention in the recent past.

In addition to these obvious cases, however, there are also areas in which the rules are more complex and the boundaries between good scientific practice and academic misconduct cannot always be clearly defined. Moreover, not all supervisory relationships fulfil the ideal of mutual trust and respect. Thus, hierarchical conflicts and accusations of scientific misconduct are often closely linked. Particularly junior researchers can face major difficulties to orientate themselves in this area of tension and to make the right decisions. This is where our seminar comes in. As ombudspersons at the University of Rostock, we have been confronted with accusations of academic misconduct of all kinds and we have experienced in our counselling practice that hierarchy conflicts and abuse of power can play an important role in these cases.

We would like to talk to you about the rules of good scientific practice and scientific misconduct, with a particular focus on the problem area of hierarchy, hierarchical conflicts and abuse of power. Our aim is to help you to better orientate yourself in this field of conflict, to recognise problems, to know how to deal with them and where to find help if you need it.

• What is good research practice?
• Ombudspersons and the Inquiry Committee as guardians of good scientific practice
• Previous cases of conflict and focal points of bad scientific practice / scientific misconduct
• Contact persons and institutions for early-career researchers at the University of Rostock 

Prof. (in retirement) Dr. Michael Rauscher (WSF, Institute of Economics)
Ombudsperson 2002 to 2004 and since 2022

PD Dr. Rhena Schumann (MNF, Institute of Biosciences)
Ombudsperson since 2018