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Good scientific practice

On 9 September 1998, the Assembly of Members of the Helmholtz Association issued recommendations on safeguarding good scientific practice and on procedures to follow in cases of scientific misconduct. These recommendations are based on the “Proposals for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice”, which were published by the DFG (German Research Foundation) in 1998. The Helmholtz Association recommends that its legally independent Helmholtz Centres apply these principles and codes of practice while taking into account their specific situation.

One of the recommendations is that the Helmholtz Centres define rules of good scientific practice for their research fields and establish them as the basis of their research policy. In the resolution, the centres recognise their particular responsibility towards young researchers, whom they teach the principles of good scientific practice and whom they provide with the appropriate supervision.

Each Helmholtz Centre has one or more ombudspersons offering guidance to people involved in conflict situations. A list of the ombudspersons in the individual centres and their details is available here: