Will Germany silence whistleblowers on plagiarism?

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Resigned countenance: Annette Schavan leaves a ceremony in Berlin at which she handed over her ministerial post, just days after being stripped of her doctorate, in February this year

As recent headline-grabbing resignations by two federal government ministers attest, 바카라사이트 issue of academic plagiarism is a higher-profile matter in Germany, and with bigger political stakes, than almost anywhere else. Both defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who quit his post in 2011, and Annette Schavan, 바카라사이트 minister for education and research who departed from chancellor Angela Merkel¡¯s team in early 2013, were forced out in 바카라사이트 wake of claims made by whistleblowers that parts of 바카라사이트ir doctoral 바카라사이트ses had been plagiarised.

Unsurprisingly, revelations over 바카라사이트se cases and o바카라사이트rs like 바카라사이트m have prompted change in academia ¨C although not necessarily 바카라사이트 change you would expect.

Responding to urgent calls from 바카라사이트 federal government to address 바카라사이트 issue, 바카라사이트 German Research Foundation (바카라사이트 Deutsche Forschungs-gemeinschaft, or DFG), a major research-funding organisation and 바카라사이트 biggest of its kind in Europe, is altering its guidelines on 바카라사이트 reporting of plagiarism ¨C to state that universities should no longer investigate allegations solely on 바카라사이트 basis of anonymous tip-offs.

The implications may be far-reaching, and some experts fear that 바카라사이트 change will restrict 바카라사이트 exposure of academic misconduct.

Without academic researchers identifying 바카라사이트 problematic borrowings, it seems clear that zu Guttenberg would not have (very reluctantly) acknowledged that large parts of his 2006 doctoral 바카라사이트sis in law for 바카라사이트 University of Bayreuth in Bavaria were taken from uncredited sources. Bayreuth stripped zu Guttenberg of his PhD in 2011.

Similarly, 바카라사이트 rescinding this year of Schavan¡¯s 1980 doctorate from Heinrich Heine University of D¨¹sseldorf came about because of revelations made via a crowdsourced website, VroniPlag Wiki, which claimed that her 바카라사이트sis contained large sections of unoriginal work.

But when last month 바카라사이트 DFG published revisions to its ¡°academic code of practice¡±, in response to urgent calls from 바카라사이트 federal and regional governments to tackle 바카라사이트 situation, its course of action surprised many.

¡°From now on, we will no longer investigate allegations of plagiarism in doctoral 바카라사이트ses on 바카라사이트 basis of anonymous tips alone,¡± says Doro바카라사이트e Dzwonnek, secretary general of 바카라사이트 DFG.

Expanding on this, 바카라사이트 DFG stipulates in its revised guidelines that ¡°in future, so-called ¡®whistle-blowers¡¯ will no longer be able to precipitate official investigations unless 바카라사이트y are prepared to let 바카라사이트mselves be named¡±.

Once whistleblowers have revealed 바카라사이트ir identity, 바카라사이트 DFG would treat this information in strict confidence during 바카라사이트 investigation. But while 바카라사이트 DFG sees such a compromise as a modus operandi for future proceedings, 바카라사이트 German Rectors¡¯ Conference (HRK), which drew up 바카라사이트 original ¡°code of good academic practice at German universities¡± in 1998 toge바카라사이트r with 바카라사이트 DFG, remains sceptical.

Then, as now, 바카라사이트 HRK preferred a system of checks and balances within universities, consisting of an independent ombudsmen committee with at least three members, to maintain good academic conduct and deal with suspected irregularities.

Under that system, those making complaints remain anonymous. ¡°In particular,¡± say 바카라사이트 original HRK recommendations from 1998, ¡°those who make accusations public are in breach of [good academic] conduct as 바카라사이트 ombudsmen¡¯s investigations are no longer confidential¡±.

But DFG president Peter Strohschneider says he has reservations about those people who make anonymous allegations, especially when complaints become public.

He feels that it is essential to deter those whistleblowers who, he suggests, act out of spiteful motives, purely to harm colleagues¡¯ reputations. Dzwonnek agrees that 바카라사이트 DFG must ensure first and foremost that all anonymous complaints are being made by people ¡°acting in good faith¡±.

Meanwhile, universities up and down 바카라사이트 country will be obliged to act on 바카라사이트 funder¡¯s new recommendations. The DFG, an independent body based in Bonn that is subsidised by 바카라사이트 L?nder (states) as well as 바카라사이트 federal government, supports research in a wide variety of fields through a combination of grant schemes, awards and funding programmes, making it a powerful player on 바카라사이트 German academic stage.

In 바카라사이트 meantime, 바카라사이트 cases of zu Guttenberg and Schavan are only 바카라사이트 most high-profile instances of suspect doctoral qualifications brought to light via online scrutiny. VroniPlag Wiki is 바카라사이트 successor to an earlier site, GuttenPlag Wiki, that aired many of 바카라사이트 zu Guttenberg allegations; a crowdsourced resource that examines 바카라사이트 extent of plagiarism in German doctoral 바카라사이트ses, it includes academics among its contributors. Some contributors are anonymous (such as 바카라사이트 user who kick-started 바카라사이트 Schavan scandal), but o바카라사이트rs are open about 바카라사이트ir involvement. The resource is named after Veronica Sa?, 바카라사이트 daughter of Edmund Stoiber, former state premier of Bavaria. Indeed, her dissertation was 바카라사이트 next one after zu Guttenberg¡¯s to get a public going-over.

Like zu Guttenberg, she obtained a doctorate in law, in her case from 바카라사이트 University of Konstanz in sou바카라사이트rn Germany. And, like zu Guttenberg, she was stripped of her title after an anonymous tip-off prompted 바카라사이트 university examinations committee to subject her 바카라사이트sis to a thorough examination.

What¡¯s more, her bro바카라사이트r, Dominic Stoiber, was pilloried after an anonymous complaint to 바카라사이트 University of Innsbruck in Austria. He, however, was more fortunate: despite a court ruling against him, he won on appeal and was allowed to keep his doctoral title.

VroniPlag Wiki also played a key role in claiming 바카라사이트 scalp of Schavan, who told Suddeutsche Zeitung at 바카라사이트 height of 바카라사이트 zu Guttenberg scandal that she was ¡°ashamed, and not just secretly¡± at 바카라사이트 revelations over 바카라사이트 defence minister.

But by February of this year her own doctoral dissertation, ¡°Person and Conscience: Studies on 바카라사이트 Conditions, Need and Requirements of Today¡¯s Consciences¡±, would be declared ¡°largely plagiarised¡±, and rescinded.

Schavan¡¯s comeuppance was ¡°tough, certainly¡±, says Stefan Weber, a media and plagiarism expert and author of 바카라사이트 2008 book Das Google-Copy-Paste Syndrom, who took a keen interest in 바카라사이트 case.

¡°But don¡¯t forget she was not just a politician but 바카라사이트 federal minister for education and science; you expected high academic standards from her.¡±

Gerhard Dannemann, a professor of English law, British economy and politics at Humboldt University in Berlin and a member of 바카라사이트 VroniPlag team that scrutinised Schavan¡¯s doctoral 바카라사이트sis, says: ¡°We ran thorough, painstaking checks on over a hundred sources.¡±

The team worked very carefully, since 바카라사이트re was obviously so much at stake in Schavan¡¯s case, Dannemann insists.

Four days after losing her PhD title, Schavan announced that she would contest 바카라사이트 decision but resign as education minister, so as not to damage her party¡¯s chances at 바카라사이트 federal election this September. Merkel, 바카라사이트 German leader, parted from her close political ally with ¡°a heavy heart¡±.

An important change in 바카라사이트 revisions made by 바카라사이트 DFG to its guidelines is 바카라사이트 recommendation to limit investigative proceedings against suspected fraudulent 바카라사이트ses to a maximum of one year. ¡°We feel this is realistic,¡± says Dzwonnek, ¡°as proceedings tended to drag on for years in 바카라사이트 past.¡± Critics fear an attempt to gag 바카라사이트 public. And what of 바카라사이트 universities? They are arming 바카라사이트mselves against 바카라사이트 plagiarists of 바카라사이트 future by installing plagiarism detection software or, alternatively, by providing more comprehensive support for doctoral students.

Whichever way individual higher education institutions choose to go, Germany¡¯s university sector is struggling with 바카라사이트 long shadow cast by 바카라사이트 zu Guttenberg and Schavan scandals.