Good Scientific Practice

IDOS is committed to the highest ethical standards in all its activities.

 

Two core elements to ensure good scientific practice at IDOS are the Ombuds Office for Good Scientific Practice and the Research Ethics Committee (REC).

 

The Ombudspersons are the first contact in case of any suspected scientific misconduct, as described in the „Guidelines on Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice and Preventing Research Misconduct at IDOS“.

 

The Ethical Research Committee must be contacted to obtain an ethical clearance prior to any research involving primary data along the principles and procedures defined in the document “Research Ethics at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability”.

Ombuds Office for Good Scientific Practice

The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) acknowledges the Guidelines of the German Research Foundation (DFG) on “Safeguarding Good Research Practice”, and, based on these, has developed its own "Guidelines on Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice and Preventing Scientific Misconduct", which all IDOS staff members are obliged to follow.

 

IDOS's Ombuds Office is available as a point of contact for conflicts and questions regarding good scientific practice. It advises, for example, in suspected cases of plagiarism or unclear author relationships and mediates in conflicts on these points. Please contact the Ombuds Office to report any suspected violation of any aspect of good scientific practice (including violations of ethical standards) in research activities overseen and conducted under the auspices of IDOS.

 

All inquiries to the Ombud’s Office are treated confidentially.

Ethical Review Process at IDOS

All research involving primary data collection requires ethical clearance from the IDOS Research Ethics Committee. The committee evaluates that the principles of do-no-harm, transparency and fairness are built in the project design, with a special emphasis on the rights of research participants and research partners. The committee consists of IDOS researchers from different programmes of the institute and benefits from diverse personal and academic backgrounds being represented.

 

On this website you find links to documents and guidelines on which the committee relies, as well as contact details. Please refer to the Research Ethics Committee for any questions regarding ethical standards at IDOS or the clearance procedures more generally.