Good scientific practice

Scientific integrity and the observance of principles of good scientific practice are essential prerequisites for scientific work. For the Fraunhofer Society as an organization of applied research, these principles form the basis of its self-image. A high level of care and awareness when it comes to the scientific method and in documenting data is also the basis for the trust of business clients and the public.

This is why the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft welcomes the recommendations of the commission "Self-Regulation in Science" by the member institutes of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is implementing these within the Fraunhofer Society. The principles of good scientific practice are also part of the Fraunhofer mission statement.

General principles of scientific work

• Documentation of all relevant scientific data (e.g. experimental or simulation setup, process parameters) and the results obtained from these (e.g. through numerical evaluation or mathematical modeling).
• Clarity and reproducibility of scientific information and data.
• Storage of the primary scientific data for 10 years, insofar as this is justifiable and possible, in order to enable the published results to be reproduced at a later time.
• Systematic skepticism of data and results, both achieved and predicted.

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You can approach the ombudsman at Fraunhofer IWM in confidence with regard to the following topics:

• Cases of conflict on matters of scientific practice,
• Assumptions or pertinent indications of scientific misconduct,
• Specific suspicions.

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