Scientific Integrity

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 document their presence by passing the quiz administered online on ILIAS (Course Nr. 482686), directly following the lecture. Attendance will then be registered by the GCB in the CTS/KSL after the event. 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 and find the test prior to attending the lecture to avoid failed exams due to technical issues.

Please check the website Transferable Skills Program for (Post)Docs, where details of the lecture schedule are regularly published.

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.