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Comments - General (75)
Reforming research assessment
29.10.2025 – Guideline 5 emphasises that research achievements must be evaluated based on transparent and verifiable assessment criteria. These criteria should reflect the various dimensions of a researcher’s outputs, with a particular focus on originality, ...
Comment on: GL5 (General)
Neutrality of review processes and discussions
03.09.2025 – Neutrality is a fundamental prerequisite for fair and reliable scientific review processes and discussions. The consistent disclosure of conflicts of interest, bias or favouritism protects not only individual procedures but also the credibility of science ...
Comment on: GL16 (General)
Honorary authorship and its various forms
23.07.2025 – Guideline 14 of the DFG Code of Conduct states that researchers must have made “a genuine, identifiable contribution” in order to be named as an author of a research publication. By the same token, it emphasises that “honorary authorship where no ...
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Predatory journals and hijacked journals
23.07.2025 – Predatory journals are dubious publication media that only appear to uphold academic standards. Hijacked journals deliberately imitate the appearance of reputable journals in order to deceive authors.
Comment on: GL15 (General)
Scientific Integrity Scouts
22.05.2025 – Scientific Integrity Scouts play an important role as peers in conveying and updating knowledge about the standards of good research practice (GRP) and in facilitating dialogue on unresolved questions. Establishing Scientific Integrity Scouts within ...
Comment on: GL2 (General)
Archiving of research software
24.04.2025 – The requirement to archive research software covers a range of aspects. Practical guides issued in connection with the NFDI provide support in this area.
Comment on: GL17 (General)
Research software documentation
24.04.2025 – When the development of research results shall be fully documented, this more often includes the research software used.
Comment on: GL12 (General)
Publication of scientific results in preprints
19.03.2025 – Preprints are academic publications that are published without peer review, thereby allowing for the rapid dissemination of research results.
Comment on: GL13 (General) , GL15 (General)
FAIR access to research software
19.03.2025 – Research software used to generate and publish research results should be incorporated in scientific discourse. Researchers themselves decide how to publish their research software.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Quality assurance in the development of research software
19.03.2025 – Quality assurance has a key role to play in the development of research software. The DFG has established five guiding principles for this purpose.
Comment on: GL7 (General)
Authors involved in data collection
27.09.2024 – Collected data is often further processed by others in the same working group and becomes the subject of new publications in its processed form.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
What does “shared first authorship” mean? What problems can occur?
27.09.2024 – As defined by most journals, shared first authorship means that several first authors have made equal contributions.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Equitable Research Partnerships in international cooperation.
15.08.2024 – It is important to reflect on the framework conditions for international research cooperation with a view to their fairness and equity – especially regarding structural asymmetries between the research systems in question.
Comment on: GL8 (General) , GL9 (General)
Enhancing reproducible research practices
15.08.2024 – The reproducibility or replicability of results is a fundamental quality criterion in many areas of research. In order to make scientific studies or experiments reproducible or replicable, Guideline 12 requires transparent information to be provided so ...
Comment on: GL2 (General) , GL3 (General) , GL4 (General) , GL7 (General)
Measures to protect researchers from abuse of power (in particular: sexual harassment)
16.05.2024 – The working environment for researchers in early career phases should be designed in a way which provides the best support, career advancement and protects them from any form of abuse of power.
Comment on: GL4 (General)
Order of authors in academic publications
14.05.2024 – The order of authors in academic publications must be based on clear criteria that reflect the practices within the relevant subject areas.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Mitigating Bias in Scientific Evaluation and Decision-Making Processes
19.06.2023 – Judgements and discussions (including one’s own) should be critically examined for potential bias.
Comment on: GL3 (General) , GL4 (General) , GL5 (General) , GL16 (General)
Ghost Authorship and Ghostwriting
13.04.2023 – In research publications, all those persons who have made a genuine and identifiable contribution are to be named as authors.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Publication organs in open access
13.04.2023 – Open access publications ensure permanent and free access to research results for readers.
Comment on: GL15 (General)
Referencing one’s own preliminary work (“self-plagiarism” or “text recycling”)
28.11.2022 – The re-use of a researcher’s own preliminary work should be appropriately indicated.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Diversity in the research system
16.11.2022 – Excellent science needs a diversity of perspectives and experiences.
Comment on: GL3 (General)
What to do in the case of an author passing away during the research work/publication process
22.04.2022 – The question of what to do in the case of an author passing away during the research work or publication process arises on the condition that the person has made a scientifically relevant contribution by the time of their death that entitles them to ...
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Notes on implementation
12.04.2022 – Higher education institutions and non-HEI research institutions must implement the 19 guidelines (Level 1) and explanations (Level 2) of the Code in a legally binding manner in order to receive funding from the DFG.
Comment on: Implementation of the Guidelines (General)
Reflection on the ethical aspects of research projects
20.08.2021 – Research ethics aspects are fundamentally relevant to the planning and implementation of research projects and require the appropriate reflection
Comment on: GL10 (General)
Selection of reputable publication venues
11.05.2021 – When choosing a suitable publication venue, it is helpful to bear certain questions in mind.
Comment on: GL15 (General)
Neutrality of assessment
03.12.2020 – Among other things, neutrality of assessment means not pursuing self-interest.
Comment on: GL16 (General)
Research work unit
03.12.2020 – A research work unit might be an institute, a chair, a teaching area, a department, a group, a team, etc.
Comment on: GL4 (General)
Recognition of individual achievements
03.12.2020 – Individual achievements should be adequately recognised.
Comment on: GL5 (General)
Handling of research data
03.12.2020 – The DFG summarises its expectations of applicants with regard to the handling of project research data in its “Guidelines on the Handling of Research Data”, which was adopted by the Senate of the DFG on 30 September 2015. These guidelines also refer ...
Comment on: GL12 (General)
Handling research software – case studies
03.12.2020 – Based on practical examples, the handling of research software is explained in the fields of theoretical chemistry and theoretical physics.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Development of research software and its archiving
03.12.2020 – Appropriate version management systems should be used in the development and archiving of research software.
Comment on: GL17 (General)
Sex, gender and diversity in research
03.12.2020 – In some research projects, the consideration of sex, gender and diversity dimensions can lead to the avoidance of "blind spots" and thus increase the scientific quality of the results. Therefore, reflection on sex, gender and diversity should be part of ...
Comment on: GL9 (General)
The most important forms of publication
03.12.2020 – Forms of publication with an identifier (such as ISBN, ISSN and DOI), long-term availability and stable final versions: Fast forms of publication with hyperlink, changeable content and shorter retention periods: Other forms of publication:
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Restrictions on the publication of source codes
03.12.2020 – Restrictions on making source code publicly available may exist for copyright reasons. It can be useful to differentiate between the underlying algorithms and the source code.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Personnel development concepts and support for different career paths
03.12.2020 – Career support according to inclination and talent.
Comment on: GL3 (General)
Maintaining storage capacity
03.12.2020 – Long-term storage of research data
Comment on: GL17 (General)
Limiting the number of self-citations to a minimum and ensuring their correctness
03.12.2020 – Citation of one’s own publications should be kept to the minimum necessary in order to understand the context. Where such a citation is indispensable, it is to be made properly and completely.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Knowledge-oriented and method-oriented research
03.12.2020 – Research methods are the tools of research, but they can also be the subject of research.
Comment on: GL11 (General)
Compliance management systems
03.12.2020 – CMS as a way to mitigate risk for higher education institutions and non-HEI research institutions
Comment on: GL10 (General)
What is the correct interpretation of the sentence: “Software programmed by researchers themselves is made publicly available along with the source code”?
03.12.2020 – The sentence “Software programmed by researchers themselves is made publicly available along with the source code” is intrinsically linked to the concept of enabling public availability as introduced in Guideline 7 (“Cross-phase quality ...
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Deputising for an ombudsperson in the event of bias / conflict of interest or absence
03.12.2020 – If an institution provides for only one ombudsperson, the deputy performs the ombudsperson’s duties to the full extent in the event of bias, a potential or actual conflict of interest or in cases of absence.
Comment on: GL6 (General)
The aspect of increasing independence in early academic career phases
03.12.2020 – Researchers enjoy a balance of support and autonomy appropriate to their career level.
Comment on: GL3 (General) , GL4 (General)
Term of office of ombudspersons
03.12.2020 – When determining the duration of a term of office, it makes sense to draw on comparable regulations for other temporary offices at the institution.
Comment on: GL6 (General)
Defining cases of research misconduct
03.12.2020 – The DFG’s Rules of Procedure for Dealing with Scientific Misconduct define scientific misconduct.
Comment on: GL19 (General)
The decision to publish
03.12.2020 – The decision of whether or not to publish findings is generally made by the researcher responsible for the research results.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Requirements for the office of an ombudsperson
03.12.2020 – Researchers to be appointed to the office of ombudsperson should be trustworthy and act as a role model to others.
Comment on: GL6 (General)
Inadmissible “honorary authorships”
03.12.2020 – Examples of inadmissible honorary authorships
Comment on: GL14 (General)
The role of software developers in publications
03.12.2020 – Software developers can be named as authors, providing the publication was only possible with their active participation.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Diversity, flexibility and permeability
03.12.2020 – Diversity, flexibility and permeability as well as mobility and internationality are beneficial to academic research and are therefore supported.
Comment on: GL3 (General)
Definition of “central governing bodies”
03.12.2020 – The term “central management bodies” refers to institution-wide or overarching management bodies such as the management of a higher education institution or non-HEI research institution, the dean or comparable bodies or persons.
Comment on: GL6 (General)
Scope and completeness of documentation
03.12.2020 – It is important to distinguish between documentation within a research institution and published documentation.
Comment on: GL10 (General) , GL12 (General)
Identity of the reviewer
03.12.2020 – Confidentiality and neutrality in review and consultation are the basis of any honest assessment process and are an inextricable part of the reviewer’s or adviser’s own identity.
Comment on: GL16 (General)
Research consequences and dual use
03.12.2020 – Wherever research results are directly applicable, researchers have a particular responsibility.
Comment on: GL10 (General)
Supervision during the early stages of an academic career
03.12.2020 – Good supervision mainly consists of regular talks and career advice.
Comment on: GL4 (General)
Timely implementation of investigation procedures
03.12.2020 – Higher education institutions and non-HEI research institutions ensure the timely implementation of investigation procedures.
Comment on: GL19 (General)
Comparability and transferability
03.12.2020 – The systematic evaluation and validation of models or methods is carried out through scientific discussion and in comparison with references or other data.
Comment on: GL11 (General)
Possible reasons for restricting the publication of research results
03.12.2020 – One reason for not making results publicly available may be that researchers do not hold the sole rights to the research results.
Comment on: GL13 (General)
Minimum standards of quality assurance for research publications
03.12.2020 – Several checking procedures and quality assurance measures must be ensured by the publishers or the persons responsible at the publication venue.
Comment on: GL15 (General)
Setting down responsibilities in writing
03.12.2020 – A current, clearly written agreement on roles and responsibilities within a research project can provide clarity for all individuals involved.
Comment on: GL8 (General)
Career development
03.12.2020 – Career development support measures are provided for researchers as appropriate.
Comment on: GL3 (General) , GL4 (General)
Avoidance of the abuse of power
03.12.2020 – The abuse of power in academia is not commonplace, but it does happen. There are many levels at which the abuse of power can occur in academia.
Comment on: GL4 (General)
Documentation concept
03.12.2020 – Even in the planning phase of a research project, it is important to consider conceptual questions regarding data management as well as the documentation of project progression, methods and results.
Comment on: GL9 (General) , GL12 (General)
Avoiding conflicts of interests
03.12.2020 – Avoiding conflicts of interest includes disclosing sources of research funding and other circumstances.
Comment on: GL8 (General)
Individual performance assessment and exclusion of discrimination
03.12.2020 – The academic evaluation of persons may only be based on their individual academic performance. In addition to avoiding legally prohibited discrimination, this also serves to ensure a purely qualitative selection.
Comment on: GL5 (General)
Institutional measures to facilitate the work of ombudspersons
03.12.2020 – Institutional measures to facilitate the work and activities of ombudspersons include: Providing ombudspersons support and flexibility in scheduling by establishing an administrative office for ombudsperson services Reducing the teaching hours of ...
Comment on: GL6 (General)
Repositories
03.12.2020 – Repositories are locations to store digital content.
Comment on: GL15 (General)
Contracts with third parties and usage rights
03.12.2020 – Exploitation of intellectual property is an important element of application-oriented research.
Comment on: GL10 (General)
Authorship agreement
03.12.2020 – When preparing a publication in which several individuals are to be involved, it is advisable to set down in writing early on who will make what contribution.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Documentation of results that do not support a hypothesis
03.12.2020 – The non-confirmation of a hypothesis is also a scientific accomplishment that contributes to gaining knowledge.
Comment on: GL12 (General)
Authorship criteria / negative catalogue
03.12.2020 – Due to the differing practices and cultures in the various academic fields and communities, developing a universally valid and all-encompassing definition of authorship poses a considerable challenge.
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Research support staff
03.12.2020 – Research support staff are non-academic personnel such as laboratory assistants. The term is often used in connection with the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (Wissenschaftzeitvertragsgesetz – WissZVG) as amended in 2015/2016: this stipulates that ...
Comment on: GL4 (General)
Advisory offices
03.12.2020 – In order to strengthen autonomous action in research ethics, it may be appropriate for research institutions to provide subject-specific advisory services in connection with internal or external advisory offices (compliance offices).
Comment on: GL10 (General)
Definition of a “genuine contribution”
03.12.2020 – The requirements in Guideline 14 of the Code (“genuine, identifiable contribution”) have been extended as compared to the definition of authorship in Recommendation 11 of the DFG memorandum (“substantial contribution”). An author is now defined as ...
Comment on: GL14 (General)
Making research results accessible on the internet free of charge
03.12.2020 – Research results can be made accessible free of charge on the internet either by posting them in discipline-specific or institutional electronic archives (OA repositories) in addition to publication by a publishing house, or by publishing them directly in ...
Comment on: GL13 (General)
The word “use” in the sentence “In particular, the researcher who collected the data is entitled to use them.”
03.12.2020 – The person who collected the data, in particular, is entitled to use the data.
Comment on: GL10 (General)