how much plagiarism is allowed in thesis in germany

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Dealing with Plagiarism

Since the 2014 summer semester, the Faculty of Social Sciences has developed a procedure for dealing with plagiarism, which has been approved by the Faculty Council. The guiding principle in academic work is honesty towards oneself and others. The Faculty of Social Sciences is bound by Goethe University Frankfurt’s principles for the safeguarding of good academic practice as well as the Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice of the German Research Foundation. In this sense, all academic papers submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences for assessment must meet the applicable academic standards.

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct and an infringement of the basic principles of good academic practice.

A paper submitted at the Faculty of Social Sciences is identified as plagiarism if it verifiably uses the intellectual property of another person without marking it as such, thereby suggesting or claiming its authorship. Intellectual property can include whole texts, parts of texts, wordings, ideas, arguments, illustrations, tables or data and must be marked as the intellectual property of the author. If such marking is deliberately omitted in a submitted paper, it causes those assessing the work to make mistakes and thus constitutes deception. All regulations for submitted papers that exist at the Faculty of Social Sciences sanction deception.

The most common forms of plagiarism are: (adapted from Schwarzenegger, Ch./ Wohlers, W.: “Plagiatsformen und disziplinarrechtliche Konsequenzen" in: Fuchs, M.: Quellen zitieren, nicht plagiieren (University of Zurich, unijournal 4/06, p. 3.)

• The author uses another person's entire work or essential parts of it (full plagiarism).
• The author uses and combines parts of texts from different works of others without indicating the sources. This also includes downloading and using parts of texts from the internet without indicating the source (copy & paste plagiarism).
• Translating foreign-language texts or parts of foreign-language texts and passing them off as one's own (translation plagiarism).
• Using parts of a text from another work, but slightly changing and/or rearranging it (paraphrasing), without indicating the source with a reference.

In addition, there are other forms of academic misconduct:

• The author submits a paper under his/her name that was written by another person (ghostwriting).
•   The author submits a paper more than once as an examination achievement, for example in different modules or degree programmes (double assessment of examination achievements).

All these forms of plagiarism remain inadmissible even if the author is mentioned in another context in the paper.

What happens in the event of suspected or actual Plagiarism?

The Faculty of Social Sciences strongly opposes infringements of this kind. As a matter of principle, all papers submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences must be presented in digital form and include the student’s “Declaration on Examination Achievements” confirming that they have written the paper independently. The papers submitted are retained for a specific time period in accordance with the respective rules and are thus available for easier identification of plagiarism as well as for later checks.

In the event of suspected plagiarism, teaching staff at the Faculty of Social Sciences are requested to review papers submitted for assessment more closely. If a paper submitted for assessment is identified as plagiarism, certain procedural steps are taken:

• Teaching staff state their reasons and provide proof of the plagiarism in writing. The submitted paper is graded as 5.0 (“Insufficient”).
• The Examination Office documents each case of plagiarism as an attempt at deception.
• The Examination Committee examines whether the case is serious. If this is not the case, the paper can be repeated. However, if the case is serious, the student can be excluded from producing further examination achievements. This means that their degree programme in Sociology or Political Science is terminated.
• Students have the possibility to appeal or object against Examination Committee decisions.

The Examination Committee acts on the basis of the applicable Study and Examination Regulations and sanctions academic misconduct accordingly. These sanctions can have far-reaching consequences for the author, such as exclusion from producing further examination achievements or – if discovered later – withdrawal of the academic degree.

Since the 2014 summer semester, students are required to submit this declaration as a compulsory part with all written work. Examination achievements without this declaration are not accepted for grading. In the case of the dissertation, an electronic version must also be submitted.

You can find the "Declaration on Examination Achievements"    in the   downloadcenter  under your field of study. 

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Plagiarism Policies in Germany: What You Should Know About Them?

• October 2, 2020

A few years back, people were less familiar with plagiarism due to the limited access of the mass to the content available. With time, people’s exposure to earlier information or restricted to the tendency to create duplicate content has also increased.  Plagiarism in Germany,is nothing unusual. But thanks to the strict and effective copyright laws of the country, the issue of plagiarism receives proper care nowadays.

With the increasing standard of research and fact-finding, students’ abilities to create original and unique content becomes irreplaceable in academics. This competition among students enrolled in higher education often leads to the creation of duplicated content.

Research work is, no doubt, time taking process that requires creative exploration of the researchers. Creativity, if it is time-bound, tends to lose the needed freedom leading to plagiarism. Often the pressure of a deadline and lack of understanding of the subject matter also result in copyright infringement.

Countries like Germany, who are willing to walk the extra mile, have taken up extraordinary measures for maintaining the quality of higher education in schools, colleges, and universities.

The Effectiveness of the Laws in Germany

• Unlike a few years ago, when the entire world struggled to search the methods of dealing with plagiarism, Germany and other countries have centrally administered agencies to check on the quality of education to ensure that they are provided nothing but the best.
• State-led accreditation agencies ensured quality education is delivered by the institutions providing higher education to tomorrow’s leaders.
• Degrees and education programs are approved once they qualify the assured quality by the different accreditation agencies.
• These schemes drive the universities to have a healthy competition, urging all organizations to deliver equal, if not better, the students’ standard of education.

More About the Plagiarism Policies in Germany

• The centrally monitored agencies responsible for maintaining the standard in colleges and universities have efficiently made all the assessment and marking transparent, keeping the copyright infringement in mind.
• The process of cross-checking is an old but effective way of keeping the issue of plagiarism Germany under control. The faculty members thoroughly scrutinize the semester papers. The availability of text compare tools enables the faculties to identify the duplicated paper within a few minutes. The software highlights the repeated words, phrases, and such things that help proofread and determine the research paper’s quality.
• The oral assessment is an integral part of the overall assessment in colleges and universities. VIVA enhances the effectiveness of the evaluations providing students the opportunity to showcase their uniqueness and, at the same time, reduces the possibility of an accusation of plagiarism.
• The best way to limit access and control plagiarism is by using copyright over content, whether digital or printed. It helps an organization protect its content from content theft as the access is only allowed to limited viewers. Copyright checker capably points out those content that has copyright; thus, the users also can avoid using those content to save them from the trouble of copyright infringement.
• Students and teachers more aware of plagiarism and the consequences, and agencies to take measures to make them aware of it as they often indulge in plagiarism unknowingly.
• The country is popularizing the tools and apps available online, such as text comparison tools and plagiarism checkers that can separate the plagiarized one’s original content.

Consequences of Copyright Infringement in Germany

Cancellation of the Paper :

Undoubtedly, the consequence of plagiarism in Germanyis the research paper’s cancellation. A copied paper without any input from the writer himself or herself is null and void.

It does question not only the credibility of the writer but also damages the reputation of the writer. Especially if the student appears with a plagiarized paper in front of an external examiner, the institution’s reputation also comes at stake.

Monetary Loss:

If the original writer’s content is protected by copyright, the offender may also face monetary loss. The same applies when the student or researches loses an academic year.

Legal Consequences:

The content owner also holds the right to put legal charges on the offender, depending on the content theft intensity.

How to Avoid Plagiarism in Germany?

Generally, the content with copyright comes with a disclaimer to alert people seeking unauthorized access. Writers should be cautious about looking for these signs before using such content in their original work. It is better not to publish anything that is not written by the writer.

Knowing the art of citation saves one from the issue of copyright infringement . It includes the process of giving the writer the credit that they deserve.

Proofreading paper before the submission is also a vital part of preventing plagiarism.

One can use plagiarism checker tool to remove any accidental repetition of words, phrases, sentences, or others’ ideas.

Institutions often consider summarizing or paraphrasing as plagiarism if it is presented without proper citation. The writer should use his/her words and ideas to reduce plagiarism possibilities.

Using Copyleaks for Better Performance

Copyleaks copyright checker ensures that a paper is free from all types of plagiarism . In the present world, students often take cunning steps to avoid plagiarism. Hence, just a standard checker is not enough.

One needs to have a technically sound plagiarism checker, which provides an accurate result with the source from where the student or the writer has copied content.

Copyleaks is one such checker. It is supported by sophisticated technologies, such as Machine Learning technology and AI technology that maintain accuracy.

Find out what's in your copy.

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Master's thesis

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Souren Head of Group

Phone: +49 3677 69-4080

Mail: [email protected]

Topics for master's theses

You can find the current topics on Moodle .

If you are interested in one of the topics listed there, please contact the supervisor at an early stage. We are also happy to supervise theoretical and practical topics proposed by yourself if they are compatible with our research foci .

Procedure of a master's thesis

1. search for topics.

Students of the degree programmes in Industrial Engineering and Management, Business Information Systems and Media Management can select topics for Master's theses from the regularly updated list of topics for Master's theses of the group or inform themselves in a personal conversation with the academic staff of the group about research topics on which Master's theses can be written. Students also have the opportunity to submit their own suggestions for topics for Master's theses.

The exact topic, the specific requirements and the deadlines for the work are determined by the head of the group in consultation with the respective supervisor.

2. Topic spcification (exposé)

After consultation with the potential supervisor of the Master's thesis, an exposé for the chosen topic has to be prepared. The exposé is a forward-looking form of content specification and should contain the following points:

• motivation, objective, guiding questions,
• rough outline and structure of the thesis (description of the rough outline),
• essential literature references.

The period until the submission of the first version of the synopsis to the supervisor should not exceed 4 weeks. There should be a maximum of 2 weeks between the feedback on the first version and the submission of the final exposé.

3. Registration

If the exposé is positively evaluated in the subject area, the application for the issue of a Master's thesis topic (registration at the examination office) can be filled out.

After confirmation of the admission requirements for the Master's thesis by the examination office, please hand in the application form to your supervisor. After the form has been signed by the head of the group and the respective examination board chairperson, the Master's thesis topic is officially assigned and the processing period begins. Plagiarism checks are carried out as standard for theses, for which we use the OURIGINAL software if necessary. To check your theses with this software, we need your consent, which is why we ask you to hand in the signed consent form with the registration of your work. For further information, please contact your supervisor.

4. Writing a Master's thesis

You can now write your Master's thesis. The length of a Master's thesis should generally be 60 to 70 pages. Please note that the number of pages may only be exceeded in justified cases that have been expressly approved by the supervisor (e.g. empirical work).

For information on the structure of the Master's thesis, please refer to the guidelines for writing scientific theses at the group of Sustainable Production Management and Logistics.

5. Interim presentation

Participation in an interim presentation is obligatory for every Master's student after three months at the latest. This gives each Master's student the opportunity to present the status of her/his work and receive feedback from the auditorium (subject area, fellow students).

6. Submission

For each thesis, an abstract (in German) of a maximum of 2,400 characters and an English abstract of approximately the same length must be prepared. This page is to be included at the end of the thesis.

Before submitting your thesis, please enter the bibliographic data (including abstract and summary) of your thesis into the web form on the HSB Notification of a Thesis page of the University Library.

Please note the following for the fields:

• The thesis is subject to the obligation of secrecy → no, unless otherwise agreed with the supervisor
• Date of defence/assessment → Date on which you receive the assessment email from your supervisor.
• Day of the last examination (date) → corresponds to the day of the defence/assessment
• Supervisor → Always enter the name of the supervising university lecturer "Prof. Dr. Rainer Souren" here.
• Second examiner → the name of the supervising academic staff member must be entered here. In the case of a thesis supervised directly by Prof. Souren, please ask who is acting as second referee for the paper.

The German-language abstract and an English-language abstract (= translation of the abstract) are submitted to the library for the purpose of publication, cf. § 25 (8) PO-AB for degree programmes "Bachelor" and "Master". The student is responsible for the content and form of the summaries (German and English) as the author of the thesis.

When handing in the thesis, in addition to the three hard-bound copies, a CD of the thesis (Adobe PDF or MS Word files) and the autoresponse mail (registration of a thesis) from the university bibliography must be handed in. If online sources are cited in the thesis, the corresponding source files with exact source reference and retrieval date must be attached to the CD. Please ensure that the signed declaration on honour is included in all three copies of the thesis.

7. Assessment and feedback

First and second examiners read through the Master's thesis, evaluate it and write their reviews. Information about the grading as well as copies of the reviews will be sent to you after completion of the assessment process.

Parallel to the thesis assessment process, a disputation of the thesis takes place, which is taken into account in the grading. Experience shows that it takes about 4 to 6 weeks after submission until you receive your grade.

After the grade has been announced, you have the opportunity to make an appointment for individual feedback in the office hours.

8. Deregistration

After submitting the German abstract and the English abstract via the web form, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from the University Library. Please hand this in to the Examinations Office together with the completed Deregistration form from the Departement of Economic Sciences and Media and the application for exmatriculation . Only then you can be properly exmatriculated.

For questions regarding the university bibliography, please contact:

[email protected] http://www.tu-ilmenau.de/ub/

The board of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences decided that plagiarism (uncredited use of somebody else's words or ideas) in seminar papers and bachelor, master or diploma theses will be considered an attempt at deception in the sense of the respective examination regulations.

The wording of the decision is as follows:  

If, during the course of marking a bachelor, master or diploma thesis, plagiarism is suspected then it must be investigated. Software is available to assist the investigation. If it is found that plagiarism did occur, then the thesis must be marked as an attempt of deception, according to the respective examination regulation. If plagiarism occurs whthin a written examination it must also be marked as an attempt of deception, according to the respective examination regulation. Exceptions are not allowed.

A declaration has to be added to each homework, presentation or thesis, that the paper or thesis has been independently prepared, solely with the support of the listed literature references, and that no information has been presented that has not been officially acknowledged. | form for declaration

Furthermore the final digital text document (in the format doc, docx, odt, pdf or rtf) has to be transferred to the mentoring supervisor, the content and wording being entirely those of the paper or thesis. There is an analysis software program available for the supervisors to check the document for plagiarism.

• "How to avoid plagiarism"
• Declaration (German) (Examinations Office site for more information on submitting a final thesis )
• Plagiarism Recognition with Turnitin

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Theses – Frequently Asked Questions

Contact form for students

You are very welcome to approach us. 

Please use the contact form for students because it will help us to handle your request as quickly as possible.

Important links and pointers

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Principles for Safeguarding Good Academic Practice of 22 December 2021

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Merkblatt zur Erstellung von Abschlussarbeiten

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Verfahrensablauf für den Abschluss des Master of Education-Studiums (G, HR, Gym, SoPäd)

Verfahrensablauf für den Abschluss des Master of Education-Studiums (WiPäd)

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• Application for Final Thesis [pdf]
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Examining Board

• Feedback and complaints management

To complete your studies successfully, you must submit a thesis at the end of your programme. On this page, we will inform you about what you need to do and bear in mind.

• Before registering the thesis
• While working on the thesis
• After submitting the thesis

We will also give you an overview of:

Please bear in mind that the rules governing your final exam are entirely based on the examination regulations and their annexes that apply to you.

All rules for your degree programme can be found on the examination pages of your degree programme.

1. Before registering the thesis

1.1. what must i do to be able to register for the thesis.

To be admitted to the thesis part of your programme, you need to have acquired a defined minimum number of credits (ECTS points). This is usually 120 credits in Bachelor’s programmes and 60 credits in Master’s programmes.

‘Acquired’ means that the ECTS points have been credited to your academic record in Stud.IP. Even if module components have been completed, their credits will only count officially once the assessment has been completed.

On top of the minimum number of credits attained, your examination regulations and/or the annex of the regulations that deal with your subject may also require other accomplishments. For instance, you may need to have successfully completed certain subject modules, practical modules or the basic curriculum before you can be admitted to the thesis.

1.2. How do I find a topic, and how may I formulate it?

The best way to settle questions about your topic and to seek assessors is to approach the teaching unit (in other words, the institute or department within the School) within which you want to write the thesis.

Please note:

On Stud.IP you will find a wide range of topics under the tab

Thesis topics

For each topic, contact persons, a general description and the nature of the work required are shown, e.g.:

• ‘focus on application or other practical aspects’; or
• ‘conceptual/theoretical’

1.3. Who may assess and grade my work?

The thesis will be evaluated by two appointed examiners, who act as assessors . While your request is being processed, you will be supervised by the first assessor.

The topic of the thesis is determined by the first assessor. A member of the university lecturers’ and professors’ group or a private lecturer of the relevant subject must be among the assessors. In individual cases, the competent Examining Board may allow deviations from this rule.

Only holders of a scholarly university degree or an equivalent qualification may be appointed as examiners.

1.4. May the thesis be the work of a group?

This depends on specific circumstances.

If the relevant annex of the examination regulations permits, Bachelor’s theses may be the work of up to three persons.

If the examination regulations permit, group theses can also be submitted at the Master’s level.

In the case of group work, the contribution of each examinee to be assessed must meet the requirements of the examination regulations. They must be clearly definable as an individual module component that can be individually assessed (e.g. with reference to sections or page numbers).

In which cases is group work not allowed?

A group thesis is inadmissible if students are to be involved whose thesis work would be outside the scope of their own examination regulations.

For example: A group thesis is not permissible if it involves students of the MA in Education (Gymnasium) as well as students of the MA in Education (Business education) or the MA in Economics and Law. It is also not possible to take a group thesis with students who are not enrolled at the University of Oldenburg.

1.5. How do I register for the thesis, and how am I admitted?

You register for the thesis after you have selected a topic in consultation with your assessors.

For this purpose, use the Registration for the Thesis form.

The process is as follows.

• Using your email address assigned by the university, address your application to the first assessor.
• After consultation with the second assessor, the first assessor then confirms the topic and the assessment plan and sends the form to the Examinations Office.
• If necessary, the Examinations Office will then seek a decision by the Chair of the Examining Board.
• The Examination Office will inform you by email about the processing time and will admit you to the thesis. You will receive a letter of admission by post. Subsequently, your thesis will be displayed as registered in Stud.IP.

1.6. What are the rules if external persons, i.e. persons who do not belong to the university, supervise my thesis?

Information on this can be found in the following Guidance leaflet:

Information on the acceptance and processing of theses with the participation of companies and organisations outside the university

1.7. Roughly how much time will writing the thesis take?

A general answer is hard to provide.

It is your responsibility to reserve enough time for the preparation and planning of your thesis. How much time you will need will depend on various things, including personal factors.

Are you unsure about the time required or about finding a topic?

We invite you to make use of the university’s advisory services. They are there to help you.

• The Learning Workshops at the Study and Career Counselling Service (ZSKB) offer training and advice on reading and writing academic texts, among other things.

Learning Workshops at the Study and Career Counselling Service (ZSKB)

• Please also note these pointers and recommendations for your graduation:

Timetable for the transition from Bachelor’s to Master’s

Procedure for completing the Master of Education (primary school, secondary school, Gymnasium, special needs education)

Procedure for completing the Master of Education (Business education)

2. While working on the thesis

2.1. how long can i take to write my thesis.

This depends on the provisions of the examination regulations or their annexes that apply in your case. The Examinations Office will officially inform you of the deadline for submission of the thesis.

Note that the work will not be considered to have passed if you do not meet the deadline and do not prove any valid reasons for this failure.

A valid reason is illness on the part of the student. For information on the extension of the deadline for the thesis in case of your own illness, see 2.4. What if I fall ill while working on the thesis? Can I extend the deadline?

Please note: If, in the case of admission to the thesis or the extension of the submission deadline on valid grounds (e.g. illness), the end of the processing period falls between 24 December and 1 January, the processing time will be officially extended to the first working day after 1 January. No action is required from you in these cases.

2.2. Can I withdraw from the thesis project or change the topic after I have been admitted?

If the examination regulations that apply to you allow it, you can change the topic within a specified period.

For example, the Bachelor’s examination regulations stipulate that the student can change the topic set by the first assessor within the first month after admission without giving reasons. A later change is only possible if valid grounds are recognized.

If you are still uncertain, you are welcome to approach us.

2.3. Can I change the topic of my thesis during preparation?

Once you have been admitted to the thesis, its nature, task and topic are officially fixed. A change of topic is no longer permitted.

However, the title of the thesis may be changed with the permission of the first assessor. In the event of a change of title , you must send a confirmation of the change from the first assessor to the Examinations Office before you submit the thesis. To this end, please use the contact form for students.

2.4. What if I fall ill while working on the thesis? Can I extend the deadline for submission?

If you fall ill while working on the thesis (and can be considered incapable of taking an examination), you must provide appropriate proof to obtain an extension.

Please note: Exam stress is not considered a valid ground for extending the deadline.

How should I announce this inability?

The announcement and proof of your inability to take an examination (in this case, the thesis assignment) must be submitted to the Examinations Office without delay. You can submit proof of this inability using the contact form for students.

A certificate of incapacity for work is accepted as proof, unless another form is required by the Examinations Office.

The proof must include a statement on the probable duration of the incapacity for work.

To whom is the certificate to be addressed?

Please always address the certificate to the  Examinations Office  and not to the assessors. If the grounds for extension have been accepted, the assessors will receive a notification from the Examinations Office.

At what stage should I apply for an extension?

Be sure to communicate the reasons for the extension immediately, as soon as possible.

Recommendation: If you are already unwell when you start working on the thesis, do not wait to see if you will be able to submit it in time despite your illness. Instead, request an extension and provide supporting evidence immediately.

Maximum extension An extension will only be granted for a moderate lengthening of the total period assigned for working on thesis. If the extension or extensions granted would double the originally authorized processing time for the thesis, the assignment is to be replaced by a new one.

2.5. I look after my young children and/or take care of close relatives. Can I apply for compensation for the exercise of these responsibilities?

• Students eligible for motherhood protection (under the Motherhood Protection Act);
• students who raise and care for children in a common household; and
• students who regularly care for close relations for at least 10 hours a week

can apply for an extension of the period for working on their thesis.

There is no specific form for this purpose. Use the contact form for students and send it to the Examinations Office.

Evidence and duration

To be granted an extension, you must provide appropriate evidence.

• Child care: confirmation that you form a common household (Haushaltsbescheinigung), to be obtained from your town’s registration office (Meldebehörde).
• Care: A certificate from your health or care insurance firm.

The Examining Board responsible for your case will decide on the duration of the extension.

Are you pregnant? Please contact the Maternity Leave Team of the Admission’s Office in Division 3. Important information and advice can be found on the webpage on maternity leave for students

Maternity leave for students

2.6. How can I get a special arrangement to compensate for chronic illness or disability?

What are the conditions for such a special arrangement.

To be able to claim a special arrangement for compensation, you must prove that you have a long-term impairment that meets the criteria of a disability or chronic illness.

If your disorder does not have the characteristics of a disability or chronic disease, you will not be able to legally claim a special arrangement for compensation.

How do I request a special arrangement for compensation?

You do not need a specific application form. Submit your application to the Examinations Office using the contact form for students.

Who will decide on my application?

The Examining Board responsible for you will decide on your application.

You will be informed of the extent of the compensation.

If the Examining Board considers the application to be unfounded in whole or in part, it will reject the application in whole or in part. The Examinations Office will issue a decision based on the decision of the Examining Board. The reasons for rejection will be communicated in this document.

Do I have to supply proof that I am entitled to a special arrangement for compensation?

Yes. The disability or chronic illness is generally substantiated by a doctor’s certificate or–in the case of mental illnesses–by a statement from a licensed psychotherapist, or by presentation of a disabled person’s pass.

Here, the main point is not the diagnosis but rather the plausibility of the disability or chronic illness. The certificates submitted must show in what way the disability or chronic illness affects the production of the thesis.

The certificate should contain a recommendation on the length of the extension.

Where can I get support and advice?

The University of Oldenburg and Studentenwerk Oldenburg offer a wide range of advisory services, tips and information. Advice for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses is open to all students who feel they are disabled or chronically ill.

Students with a disability or chronic illness

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the counsellor for disabled students at Studentenwerk Oldenburg:

Studying with a disability or chronic illness

2.7. How should the thesis be submitted? Must I make a sworn declaration?

Current procedure.

Send your thesis as a PDF (1 file) attached to an email to the Examinations Office.

Make sure to address it to the right section of the Examinations Office.

If your examination regulations require a signed sworn declaration (affidavit), you must send it as a PDF file attached to an email message.

Please send the bound copies of your thesis directly to the assessors.

Sworn declaration (affidavit)

The Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (NHG) ( Section 7 para 5 p. 2 NHG ) forms the legal basis for the acceptance of affidavits, in which students declare they carried out the submitted work independently and without impermissible assistance.

You must supply an affidavit if the examination regulations of your degree programme require it. This is the case, for instance, for the single-subject and dual-subject Bachelor’s degree programmes (see Section 13a of their examination regulations). The regulation serves to uphold the quality of exam procedures. It complements older tools for the prevention of scholarly misconduct.

Please bear in mind that submitting an untruthful affidavit can lead to criminal prosecution.

Text of the affidavit

I hereby declare in lieu of an oath that I wrote this thesis independently, using only the cited sources and aids. I furthermore affirm that I have followed the general principles of scholarly work and publication as set out in the Guidelines for Good Academic Practice at the University of Oldenburg.

Guidelines for Good Academic Practice at the University of Oldenburg

2.8. What do I need to know about ‘scholarly work’? What is scholarly plagiarism?

On scholarly work, please see the information provided by the Learning Workshops of the central Study and Career Counselling Service (ZKSB). Under ‘Materials and Links’, you will find helpful pointers and references to the faculties.

Learning Workshops

Materials and Links (in German)

What is scholarly plagiarism?

If you reproduce someone else’s ideas and work in a scholarly text without proper attribution, instead of formulating your own, this is plagiarism. It means passing off someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own.

You must also properly attribute reused content of your own. Otherwise, you will be committing plagiarism. When reusing your own previous work, you must explicitly acknowledge this. For example, insert a note at the beginning of the text or section that says something like: ‘This article uses the results of a seminar paper I wrote for the module [...] as part of the Bachelor’s degree programme in [...]’.

How does the University of Oldenburg deal with plagiarism?

Plagiarism constitutes scholarly misconduct and must be punished for reasons of equal opportunities.

If assessors detect plagiarism, the matter is referred to the Examinations Office and investigated further. If the suspicion of plagiarism is confirmed, the thesis will be assessed as ‘failed’.

In grave cases of fraud, for example the illicit copying of an entire work, or in the case of repeated fraud, expulsion (deregistration) may follow

3. After submitting the thesis

3.1. how and when does the assessment take place, and do i have to take an oral examination afterwards.

The rules state that all examination procedures must be carried out expeditiously. What ‘expeditiously’ means in practice will depend on the case in question. For general guidelines see the relevant examination regulations .

Assessment period

There is no standard duration for the assessment period, as the time required depends on the length of the thesis. The Bachelor’s examination regulations stipulate that theses are to be assessed ‘usually within six weeks after their submission’. Master’s theses are usually to be evaluated within eight weeks of their submission.

If the assessors take longer to assess your thesis than the duration stipulated in the examination regulations that apply to you, the Examinations Office will send them a reminder.

Has the assessment period expired and do you urgently need your final grade? First, contact your assessors. If this does not lead to a solution, contact your

School’s complaints desk

Thesis grade

The thesis is evaluated and graded according to the scale provided in the examination regulations. The grade is determined by the Examinations Office after transmission by the examiners. It is calculated as a weighted arithmetic mean of the individual grades.

After the grade has been determined, you will receive a notification from the Examinations Office by email.

Is there an oral or other examination in the thesis process?

In most of the university’s degree programmes, an accompanying event is organized as part of the thesis process. At this event, the technical foundations of the work are discussed and the achievements and results of the work are reported.

Often the author is also required to ‘defend’ the thesis in a final presentation.

In a few degree programmes (especially at the Master’s level), you are expected to orally present the results of your thesis in a final colloquium that is open to the entire university.

The purpose of these colloquia is to show that you are able to deal independently and in a scholarly manner with interdisciplinary and problem-related questions in the field of your subject and that you can present your insights comprehensibly.

Are you still wondering what the workload of your thesis module comprises and what you need to do in the framework of the module?  Use the contact form for students. The Examinations Office will explain further.

3.2. Can I view the assessment reports on my thesis?

It is not standard policy to provide these reports.

If you would like to view the reports of the assessors on your thesis, you should first ask the assessors themselves.

If you are not granted access, please ask the Examinations Office to allow you to view them. In your request, you should explain why the inspection is of interest to you on legal grounds.

Please be aware that access to the assessment reports and minutes can only be granted within one year after the announcement of the thesis grade.

Please send the application to the Examinations Office via the contact form for students.

The place and time of inspection will be determined in consultation with the Examining Board .

3.3. What can I do if I disagree with the grade of my thesis?

In principle, you have the option of contesting a negative assessment of your work.

However, before launching a formal appeal , you would do well to approach the assessors and ask them to reconsider their assessment, offering persuasive considerations and arguments. Tell the assessors why, from your point of view, the assessment decision is incorrect. It is recommended that you initially contact the first assessor and approach this person with your objections to the assessment.

If the assessors uphold their assessment decision, you are free to contest the assessment in writing.

Please note that you must state very specifically in your objection:

• Why the assessment decision violates your rights, and
• What specifically the assessors should have assessed more favourably.

Only then will the assessment decision be reviewed in an appeal procedure.

The final decision on appeals is taken by the Examining Board .The Examinations Office supports the Examining Board and manages the whole appeal procedure. Objections must therefore be addressed to the Examinations Office.

If you have any questions, please use the contact form for students and the Examinations Office will explain further.

3.4. How many credits do I get for successfully completing my thesis? When will they be added to my record?

The number of ECTS credits awarded may vary from one degree programme to another. While at the Bachelor’s level 15 credits for the thesis module are the standard (12 for the thesis and 3 for the accompanying event), 30 credits are awarded in most Master’s programmes. In Master of Education programmes, the number of credits is different.

To find the answer to your question, consult the examination regulations that apply to you or the annex to the examination regulations that deals with the thesis module. Please feel free to contact the Examinations Office if you have any questions.

Upon receipt of the assessments or evaluations, the Examinations Office will quickly record the submitted grades. At the end of the day on which the grades are entered into the system, you will receive an email informing you that the grade has been credited to your academic record.

3.5. After passing the thesis, do I have to do something to obtain my graduation documents, and when can I expect to receive them?

Yes, the production of the graduation documents does require you to take action.

With the notice that you have been admitted to the thesis, you will also receive a Declaration on the Issuing of the Graduation Documents . Use this form to apply to the Examinations Office for the graduation documents. At the end of your degree programme, you must provide appropriate information on this form so that everything can be taken into account. Please submit this form via the contact form for students.

The form contains questions regarding matters such as:

Non-essential modules

Non-essential modules (also called additional examinations) are modules that have been successfully completed beyond the requirements of the programme. Such modules are only included in the diploma upon request. Additional notice: Master’s modules taken earlier than scheduled are not considered additional examinations.

Disregarding low grades in the overall grade

If the applicable examination regulations permit, the student’s overall grade will be calculated without taking the lowest examination grades into account. This will be done for modules amounting to a maximum of 18 credits in total.

Additional notice: The module examination grades that were not included in the calculation of the overall grade will nevertheless be shown on the diploma and the Transcript of Records.

Indication of specializations on diplomas

If a student has taken several specializations during their studies, the Examinations Office needs to know which specialization is to be shown on the diploma.

Duration of the preparation of the graduation documents

The time needed to produce the documents depends on various factors and is therefore variable.

Non-binding rule of thumb:

• The Examinations Office expects its staff to need around two weeks of work.
• Add to this the time needed to obtain the required signatures in the Schools;
• as well as the time for the delivery of post within the university.

All in all, the production of the graduation documents will take 4-8 weeks .

4. Responsibilities and contact persons

4.1. examinations office.

The Examinations Office of the University of Oldenburg is responsible for the administration of examinations and for the implementation of administrative procedures under examination law.

Examination matters

Three administrative teams are responsible for handling general examination matters. These include:

• the granting of admission to examinations;
• the processing of withdrawals from examinations;
• the granting of special arrangements for compensation;
• the notification of failed examinations;
• the preparation and issuing of graduation documents and certificates; as well as
• the creation of data records for online exam management.

Besides, the Examinations Office supports the work of the Examining Board , especially its Chair, and acts as an intermediary between the students and the Examining Board. The Examinations Office participates in the meetings of the Examining Board in an advisory capacity.

Higher-level special tasks

• Team for credit recognition
• Typing office (e.g. for graduation documents)

Contact persons and organizational structure of the Examinations Office

4.2. Examining Board

The Examining Board perform the tasks assigned to it under the examination regulations . It is composed of several members with voting rights. In general, these are:

• three members of the university professors’ group;
• a member of academic staff who is engaged in teaching; as well as
• a student representative.

In addition, a person from the Examinations Office takes part in the meetings of the Examining Board in an advisory capacity.

Approval by the Examining Board

The approval of the Examining Board is required in the following cases:

• If neither assessor of a thesis belongs to the professors’ group.
• If the thesis is to be written in an institution outside this university and is to be supervised by an external assessor from this institution.

4.3. Assessors

See 1.3. Who may assess and grade my work?

4.4. Feedback and complaints management

You can address comments and complaints on the work of the Academic Examinations Office directly to Division 3.

We will consider your concerns carefully and individually, in cooperation with staff members from the concerned sections of the university. Our objective is to identify areas for improvement and initiate any measures necessary for this purpose.

Send us your feedback via the linked complaints management contact form.

Complaints management of Division 3

Complaints offices outside Division 3

Unfortunately, we cannot deal with feedback that touches on matters outside the scope of Division 3. We hope you understand this.

However, if you, for example:

• are not satisfied with the supervision by your assessors;
• consider the time for assessment to be too long; or
• find the topic or the workload unsuitable;

and you send us critical comments on such a matter, we will gladly take this as an opportunity to inform the School about the criticism without revealing who submitted it. However, it would be better to address such a request with direct reference to the thesis to the complaints desk of your School.

Complaints desks of the Schools

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PLAGIARISM IN GERMANY

Authors: Dr. Germán Ruipérez, Full Professor at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia of Madrid (Spain) and Dr. José-Carlos García-Cabrero, Associate Professor at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia of Madrid (Spain) in ‘Plagiarism and Academic Integrity in Germany’ Plagio e integridad académica en Alemania’ Published in ‘Comunicar’

The legal arena

The term plagiarism (Plagiat) is deemed by jurists to be a colloquial term referring  to a particular case of copyright infringement considered in Article 23 of the German Intellectual Property Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz), which states that «preparations or other types of transformations of a work can only be published or used with the permission of the original creator of the prepared or transformed work» . Furthermore, according to Article 97, when a person consciously appropriates the authorship of a thought belonging to a third party, thereby infringing existing copyright or exploitation rights, this is unlawful plagiarism that grants the right to compensation. Therefore, in order to talk of unlawful plagiarism in the German legal sense, the existence of recognized copyright of the original work has to converge with the intention to deceive . The existence of the copyright or exploitation rights of the original work is a clearly objective element. Therefore, if an author literally reproduces text that lacks any legal protection, we could not legally talk of plagiarism, since there would be no infringement of any third party rights. However, it could be said to be academic plagiarism. In addition, if an author cites a third party in accordance with the academic reference regulations in his area of knowledge, we could not talk about academic plagiarism, but, in the end, we could talk of an unlawful event from a legal point of view if it was, for example, a very extensive and unjustified citation in its own context. This could be an infringement of the citation right considered in Article 51 of the German Intellectual Property Law . The intention to deceive and the knowledge of the original work is a subjective element and can, therefore, be difficult to prove. In order for unlawful plagiarism to be attributed to a person, the said person has to have acted consciously, and it is necessary to prove the express premeditation or intention of the deceit. For example, if several paragraphs originally written by a third party are literally reproduced without citing the aforementioned third party, and without using quotation marks, this would be evident proof of the will to commit fraud. The intention to deceive would also be proven if, for example, an author commits the same error as a specific publication upon citing an original source, since it can be inferred that the said original source was not consulted, but rather that it was copied from the publication that was expressly not mentioned, with the original misprint included . However, the mere fact that a thought or idea belonging to a third party is reproduced in a written work does not necessarily imply unlawful plagiarism, since it may have been a casual reproduction that was done unconsciously. From a German legal point of view, this would not be plagiarism, but rather a «double creation» or «Doppelschöpfung» phenomenon. According to German legal terminology two authors casually write about the same thought or idea without either of them being aware of the other .

Colloquial use

The term for plagiarism in German, «Plagiat», comes from the Latin word «plagium» (theft of slaves, in turn related to the Greek form πλαγιος, deceitful).

The German Duden (2009) dictionary offers a more long-winded definition, which is the most extensive in the colloquial use of the term, and whose entry mentions that it is about the «improper appropriation of thoughts, ideas or similar of a third person in the artistic or research, and its publication. Theft of intellectual property; [legal language] intellectual theft, forgery».

The academic world

Academic plagiarism (akademisches Plagiat) in the German research arena has certain similarities with the more extensive meaning in the international community. Therefore, the definition of Fishman (2009) is often cited:

«Plagiarism occurs when someone:

• Uses words, ideas, or work products. 
• Attributable to another identifiable person or source.
• Without attributing the work to the source from which it was obtained.
• In a situation in which there is a legitimate expectation of original authorship.
• In order to obtain some benefit, credit, or gain which need not be monetary».

Therefore, it is a phenomenon with very specific characteristics.

Firstly, reproducing someone else’s text without quotation marks can be deemed academic plagiarism, as well as when any kind of periphrasis based on an original that is not cited is used.

Secondly, plagiarism is committed when the primary author is not sufficiently identified – in other words, when a direct attribution that would be expected by the reader does not appear. Thus, for example, when ideas from a work have been used, it would not be sufficient to include such work in the bibliography as another reference, but rather it would be necessary to always cite it on whichever pages the singular thoughts or ideas–are being used.

Lastly, it is not necessary for there to be financial gain, since the intention to obtain public recognition for apparently being the author of an idea or thought of a third party not named or insufficiently cited would be sufficient. Since 2014, it is no longer deemed essential for the subjective intention to deceive –which is always difficult to prove– to exist in order to qualify an act as academic plagiarism, but it would be necessary to argue this in order to deal with the case from a legal point of view.

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English abstract

Since the 18th century, Germany is perhaps one of the European countries that has had the most intense public debate on dishonest scientific and academic practices, particularly in relation to doctoral theses. This debate was particularly productive in the late 19th century, giving rise thereafter to the obligatory publication of all doctoral theses as a prior requisite before the title of Doctor can be conferred by any German university. This paper presents the most significant progress regarding plagiarism and academic integrity, especially since the 2011 scandal concerning plagiarism in the doctoral thesis of the Minister Guttenberg, such as the creation of an effective collaborative investigation method for plagiarism in a scientific or academic work using the Internet and social media, which resulted in the «VroniPlag» Wiki. Also, the last two years have seen the definitive consolidation of the figure of «Ombudsman for Science» as a national instrument to prevent, manage and combat scientific dishonesty, as well as the publication in 2013 of a new version of the reference manual in this regard, «Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice». Finally, this paper analyses the conclusions of the German experience about academic ethics from a historical perspective, since its recent achievements and progress can serve as a reference for other European countries.

Spanish abstract

Alemania es quizá uno de los países europeos que, ya desde el siglo XVIII, ha mantenido un debate público más intenso sobre prácticas científicas y académicas deshonestas, relacionadas especialmente con tesis doctorales. Este debate fue especialmente productivo a finales del siglo XIX, dando lugar desde entonces, para evitar estas prácticas inaceptables, a la obligatoriedad de publicar todas las tesis doctorales, como requisito previo a la expedición del título de doctor por cualquier universidad alemana. Este trabajo analiza los avances más importantes en plagio e integridad académica en Alemania, especialmente después del escándalo surgido en 2011 a raíz del plagio de la tesis doctoral del Ministro de Defensa Guttenberg, como son la creación de una eficaz metodología colaborativa de investigación del plagio en trabajos científicos o académicos utilizando Internet y las redes sociales, materializada en la Wiki «VroniPlag». También se describe someramente en este trabajo la consolidación definitiva de la figura del «Defensor de la Ciencia», como instrumento de ámbito nacional para prevenir, gestionar y combatir la deshonestidad científica, aparte de la publicación en 2013 de una nueva versión del manual de referencia al respecto «Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis». Por último se analizan las conclusiones de la experiencia alemana relacionada con la ética académica, también desde una perspectiva histórica, pues sus recientes logros y avances pueden servir de referencia a otros países europeos.

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Weber-Wulff, D. (2014). False Feathers - A Perspective on Academic Plagiarism. Berlin (Heidelberg): Sprin-ger Verlag. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39961-9_2

Weberling, J. (2015). Was ist eigentlich ein «Plagiat»? [What is ‘Plagiarism’?] (http://goo.gl/aKmOr1) (2015-11-15).

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German universities taking six years to act on plagiarism claims

Ombudsmen need more resources and voluntary investigators need recognition if fabrication is finally to be taken seriously, says sleuth.

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Universities in Germany typically take six years to respond to the dossiers assembled by VroniPlag Wiki, a handful of academics who have been outing plagiarising politicians for more than a decade.

Debora Weber-Wulff, professor of computer science at HTW - Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin and long-time member of the group, told  Times Higher Education  that the universities’ foot-dragging was driven by litigation fears, and that they should put more money and incentives behind in-house investigations.

High-profile subjects of the volunteers’ work include European Commission president and former German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen, whose thesis had alleged plagiarism on more than four out of 10 pages. Her institution, Hannover Medical School, accepted that it contained plagiarism,  but said its pattern  “does not indicate intent to deceive”. 

Dossiers prepared by the group and sent to university presidents and deans present suspicious sections alongside matching text with hyperlinks to the original source material. “All they have to do is pick up the sources, pick up the thesis, see if we’ve typed it up right, and then decide whether they think it is OK,” said Professor Weber-Wulff. 

A reflection on universities’ responses to the group, titled “ Talking to a Wall ” and published in the book  Academic Integrity: Broadening Practices, Technologies, and the Role of Students  earlier this month, warns of a growing tendency not to rescind degrees but instead issue a “reprimand” for bad practices. 

“That’s a big problem. Universities are eager to use these because that means they don’t get sued,” Professor Weber-Wulff said, adding that institutions tended to win cases when plagiarists do sue, usually because of procedural errors on the part of their institution.

“Every university in Germany has a so-called ombud for good scientific practice, but most of them don’t have the resources they would need, they don’t have people whose job it is to check for plagiarism,” said Professor Weber-Wulff, contrasting this with the University of California, San Diego , which she said had an academic integrity department with 10 staff and a remit to counsel doctoral students on good academic writing practices. 

Plagiarists will be pleased to learn that VroniPlag Wiki’s numbers have dwindled in recent years. “It’s so much work because we don’t use some magic software, this is all work done by hand,” she said. “If you find a case of plagiarism in a student, all the work you have to do documenting it, bringing it to a board, presenting it, that’s all time that you're not investing in other research and publications.” 

Lecturing and organising academic integrity awareness initiatives should count towards tenure or other career benefits, she said, adding that staff working on temporary contracts also needed to be paid for time spent tackling plagiarism.

“I have the feeling that these cases of plagiarism are not taken seriously, or rather that the universities are trying to hide,” said Professor Weber-Wulff. She said the issue would be fixed when any group of graduate students could be counted on to know the academic integrity rules of their institution and how to avoid plagiarism in their own writing.

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Learn how much plagiarism is allowed in 2023.

26 May 2022

Read our short article to find out how much plagiarism is allowed in academic work before it gets you in trouble!

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism is taking someone else’s work and claiming it to be yours. So, it is essentially cheating. However, it's often critical to back up your thoughts and opinions in academic writing, especially when you are specifically asked to perform research e.g., a research paper, a case study, a thesis, dissertation, or general research essay, but you must be careful how you write text to avoid getting in trouble for cheating. Students may take information from books, online documents, a friend, or another student if they reference the other’s work accurately. A student may plagiarize intentionally or unintentionally e.g., students can be accused of plagiarism for forgetting to or being unable to correctly cite sources of information and students can (in extreme cases) be thrown off their course.

How Much Plagiarism is Allowed?

Plagiarism in general academic writing.

A plagiarism checker is used in academic writing to detect plagiarism and although educational professionals may tell a student that the allowed percentage is zero, the maximum amount of plagiarism that academic institutions generally consider acceptable in submissions is actually 15%. Academic institutions interpret the 15% statistic as unintentional plagiarism, and there is also a small percentage allowance for software faults, which can occur with such complicated and detailed technology. So, a plagiarism score of over 15% indicates that the student's work contains a significant amount of plagiarized material and that 1% more can be the difference between academic integrity and plagiarism . Worryingly, a plagiarism percentage of more than 20% is an immediate perceived indicator that text is intentionally plagiarized by the student to deceive their academic instructor or assessor and a penalty may be applied.

Plagiarism in Theses and Dissertations

When it comes to theses and dissertations, plagiarism is constantly monitored and should ideally be zero but 5% or under will normally be accepted. You may find yourself creating sentences that sound similar to those seen in other academic papers, which your teacher or lecturer may overlook, but if this happens too often you may face a penalty.

Plagiarism in Published Journals

In a published journal, plagiarism should again be zero and score of over 5% would possibly be unacceptable (just like theses and dissertations) but in the case of a published journal, legal action can be taken against plagiarized content.

Plagiarism in Blogs

Blog writing is a little more relaxed and a score of 30 percent or under will generally be considered acceptable.

Top Tips on How to Avoid Plagiarism

• Cite properly: A good student knows how to cite according to their educational establishments required citation style. Work may be cited in Harvard, APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, or another style and these can have different versions e.g., APA 6th, MLA 8th. Make sure you give in-text citations, e.g., Shelley, 2012 for every quote, fact, statistic, graph, diagram, photo, etc., that you take from another source and reference the source fully in your reference list e.g., Shelly (2012) The Meaning of Life, Blackbird Publications . Remember that direct quotes should normally be written within speech marks and paraphrased text counts as a quotation requiring citation, but you can omit the speech marks.
• Use a generator: An online citation generator can help you check you are citing work correctly and save your references as you go if you keep them open in a tab and update them each time you use a new source, but they are not completely foolproof or 100 percent accurate all the time, so be sure to double check them.
• Highlight copied text: If you copy and paste information into a document to paraphrase or refer to later, highlight the text in a distinct color (e.g., red for danger) until you have written it in your own words and cited it. This will remind you that it is copied content. It can be easy to forget and include the words of others in your work, especially when you are writing a large document.
• Proofread: Read your whole document beginning to end to check that you have included in-text citations and a reference list entry for every piece of information you have used from another source and that speech marks surround any direct quotes. 
• Detection tools: If you are worried your work could still show a result of more than 15%, try using an online plagiarism detection tool before submitting any work. This can provide you with an estimate of the plagiarism score and identify the plagiarized content for you to edit.

What is your Originality Index?

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Plagiarism in academic writing or any kind of writing can be a tricky area and it’s so easy to get caught out whether you intended to cheat or not! Students can get lost in large documents, lose track of what they have written, what they have copied and pasted, and where text, quotes, statistics, and other information came from. Plagiarism accusations are best avoided so be sure to cite other people’s work correctly and accurately as you go along and find out exactly how much plagiarism is allowed in college, rather than take risks that may be embarrassing or (more worryingly) could potentially cost you penalties or your college place.

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