Scientific Integrity

Honesty and integrity are the foundations of research and scientific activities. Events in politics and science have shown that these virtues are not always self-evident and that it is necessary to be actively aware of these qualities.

As a consequence, it is mandatory for all PhD candidates of the GCB to attend the two-hour lecture «Scientific Integrity», which is given once each semester at the University of Bern by Prof. Dr. Torsten Ochsenreiter, Institute of Cell Biology. The lecture must be taken (at least) once, during the first year of the doctoral work.

All doctoral candidates of the GCB are required to register in CTS/KSL. Confirmation of successful passing of the quiz administered online on teaching platform, (Course Nr. 482686) which will be take place directly following the lecture, will be confirmed in CTS/KSL, the course administration database. No ECTS are awarded for attendance at this lecture, and only one attendance per student will be recorded in the CTS/KSL.

Students are urged to be certain they can access the course on ILIAS. The quiz will be administered in the course on ILIAS and will only be visible at the end of the lecture. You must successfully complete the quiz to pass the lecture.

Lecture Description

Basic rules of good scientific practice such as sincerity and honesty, openness, self-criticism, self-discipline, ethical reflection and fairness are of prime importance in all research activities and are prerequisites for the credibility and acceptance of science.The aim of the lecture «Scientific Integrity» is to give an introduction to the central rules of good scientific practice to PhD candidates of all fields and to raise their awareness for common international standards for scientific integrity that concern their own work

Topics include

  • Principles of scientific integrity
  • Planning of research projects
  • Realization of research projects
  • Misconduct in the scientific context
  • Procedures at the University of Bern
  • Impact of scientific misconduct on society and consequences for the research community

The lecture is held in English and provides time for discussion.