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Utilisation of existing data sets in medicine/the life sciences
30.09.2024 – Both the secondary utilisation of collected research data and the use of routine data are essential components of compatible and resource-saving research practice. Access to the data is a fundamental requirement, but it is equally important for ...
Comment on: GL9 (Life sciences) , GL10 (Life sciences) , GL11 (Life sciences)
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)
Open Science as Part of Research Culture. Positioning of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)
19.06.2023 – In its position paper entitled “Open Science as Part of Research Culture”, the DFG sets out its existing positions on the issue of open science and examines the potential and challenges involved. From the DFG’s point of view, while open science – ...
Comment on: GL7 (Statements) , GL13 (Statements)
Academic publishing as a foundation and area of leverage for research assessment
25.11.2022 – The DFG has responded to developments in the field of academic publishing with its position paper “Academic Publishing as a Foundation and Area of Leverage for Research Assessment”.
Comment on: GL13 (Statements)
Guidelines for quality-promoting aspects in medicine and biomedicine
06.07.2021 – An orientation for applicants, reviewers and committee members.
Comment on: GL7 (Life sciences)
Documentation of research results in experimental chemistry
23.04.2021 – When documenting research processes and results, the procedure must be mapped out as precisely as possible and also summarised for better verifiability.
Comment on: GL12 (Natural sciences)
Diverse (digital) publication options in the humanities and social sciences
23.04.2021 – In the humanities and social sciences, a variety of formats in different media are suitable for publishing research results in the humanities, which should be carefully assessed prior to publication. Important criteria here include the reputability of the ...
Comment on: GL15 (Humanities and social sciences)
Replication as a component of quality assurance in the humanities and social sciences
22.04.2021 – The replication of findings obtained using quantitative methodology is an essential component of quality assurance in all research in the humanities and social sciences.
Comment on: GL7 (Humanities and social sciences) , GL13 (Humanities and social sciences)
Use of chemistry-specific repositories
20.04.2021 – Chemistry-specific repositories can be used to deposit research results in the form of data and materials (e.g. chemical substances).
Comment on: GL13 (Natural sciences)
Preamble – Life Sciences
20.04.2021 – Characteristics of life science research and associated requirements for quality-promoting measures
Comment on: Preamble (Life sciences)
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)
Positive example of the utilisation of older data in the geosciences
03.12.2020 – Example from Saxony
Comment on: GL13 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
Further links on the subject of documentation
03.12.2020 – Sammlung externer Links zum Themenkomplex.
Comment on: GL12 (Link list)
Software development and handling research data in mathematics
03.12.2020 – Appropriate accessibility is important in terms of the verifiability of research work in mathematics where self-developed software and data are key factors.
Comment on: GL7 (Natural sciences) , GL12 (Natural sciences) , GL13 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
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)
Methods and standards in the life sciences
03.12.2020 – Many methods used in life science projects are subject to limitations. When selecting a method, it is important to consider its strengths and weaknesses; this should be documented and compensated for by means of the appropriate controls. Research in the ...
Comment on: GL11 (Life sciences)
Scientific achievement and evaluation criteria in the life sciences
03.12.2020 – The rapid availability of methods has greatly accelerated research in many areas of the life sciences. Intense competition, combined with the enormous pressure to publish, is difficult to reconcile with high quality standards. Quantitative publication ...
Comment on: GL5 (Life sciences)
Further links on the subject of methods and standards
03.12.2020 – Sammlung externer Links zum Themenkomplex.
Comment on: GL11 (Link list)
Handling research data in the humanities and social sciences
03.12.2020 – Research data in humanities and social science projects are as diverse as the wide range of subjects and methods and form an integral part of the research results. A conscious approach to the documentation, maintenance, archiving and provision of data for ...
Comment on: GL7 (Humanities and social sciences) , GL12 (Humanities and social sciences)
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)
Overarching quality assurance in the life sciences
03.12.2020 – In the life sciences, quality assurance in a research project begins with thorough research into the state of knowledge and a clear definition of where there are gaps in knowledge. Researchers are expected to use contemporary analytical methods for ...
Comment on: GL7 (Life sciences)
Archiving a pre-retirement or post-retirement research legacy – an example from the geosciences
03.12.2020 – Material should be saved from destruction if possible.
Comment on: GL7 (Natural sciences) , GL8 (Natural sciences) , GL9 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
Notes on documentation when using computer-assisted algorithmic or data-driven procedures in research
03.12.2020 – A description of the extent of documentation to be expected when using computerised algorithmic or data-driven processes, including tracking processes or machine learning, is provided.
Comment on: GL12 (General)
Further links on the subject of authorship
03.12.2020 – Sammlung externer Links zum Themenkomplex.
Comment on: GL14 (Link list)
Handling samples in the geosciences
03.12.2020 – Samples should be archived and stored for future use whenever possible so as to ensure that the material can be used as widely as possible by the scientific community.
Comment on: GL7 (Natural sciences) , GL9 (Natural sciences) , GL10 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
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)
Electronic laboratory journal and repository in chemistry
03.12.2020 – An electronic laboratory journal in conjunction with a repository are described as an example in the field of chemistry.
Comment on: GL7 (Natural sciences) , GL12 (Natural sciences) , GL13 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
Authorship in the life sciences
03.12.2020 – The attribution and origin of published contributions or findings must be clearly recognisable based on details of the individuals involved. This applies to both publications and research proposals. Due to the variety of research questions as well as ...
Comment on: GL14 (Life sciences)
Maintaining storage capacity
03.12.2020 – Long-term storage of research data
Comment on: GL17 (General)
Archiving in the life sciences
03.12.2020 – Information and research data that is important to understanding the published results should ideally be archived for at least ten years for the purpose of verifiability. In some cases, it may be more expedient to hold the central samples for re-analysis ...
Comment on: GL17 (Life sciences)
Making Research Results Accessible in the Life Sciences
03.12.2020 – The aim should always be to publish a full set of results, since correct correlations and new insights can be gained more effectively and efficiently based on a comprehensive overview of previously elaborated research outcomes. When evaluating results, ...
Comment on: GL13 (Life sciences)
Enabling the availability of primary data and archiving it
03.12.2020 – Numerical simulations can generate very large quantities of data, so it is not always expedient to make the direct results – i.e. the primary data – available in full for the purpose of verifiability and reuse.
Comment on: GL7 (Natural sciences) , GL13 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
Further links relating to legal and ethical frameworks, usage rights
03.12.2020 – Disclaimer: The selection of links provided here does not claim to be exhaustive. They are examples. The editors welcome suggestions for the inclusion of further examples.
Comment on: GL10 (Link list)
Further links on making research results publicly accessible
03.12.2020 – Sammlung externer Links zum Themenkomplex.
Comment on: GL13 (Link list)
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)
Making research results available
03.12.2020 – Research results are often unique or consist of large amounts of data. Both make fully comprehensive provision difficult.
Comment on: GL13 (Engineering/engineering sciences)
Laboratory journals and field books in the geosciences
03.12.2020 – Keeping a laboratory journal is also recommended in the geosciences.
Comment on: GL7 (Natural sciences) , GL12 (Natural sciences)
Archiving data in the earth sciences and environmental sciences
03.12.2020 – Best practice example – PANGAEA
Comment on: GL13 (Natural sciences) , GL15 (Natural sciences) , GL17 (Natural sciences)
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)
Further links on the subject of cross-phase quality assurance
03.12.2020 – Collection of external links on the subject
Comment on: GL7 (Link list)
Further links on archiving
03.12.2020 – Disclaimer: The selection of links provided here does not claim to be exhaustive. They are examples. The editors welcome suggestions for the inclusion of further examples.
Comment on: GL17 (Link list)
Publication media in the life sciences
03.12.2020 – In the life sciences, results are often published in specialist journals and there is a peer review process for this purpose. Prompt availability and open access to published content is vital to scientific progress in the life sciences: this helps ensure ...
Comment on: GL15 (Life sciences)
Further links on protagonists, responsibilities and roles
03.12.2020 – Sammlung externer Links zum Themenkomplex.
Comment on: GL8 (Link list)
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)