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Ethics Council 

The Ethics Council is an independent body of the German Educational Research Association (GERA) | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (DGfE) that reflects, discusses and evaluates professional ethical conduct in educational science. It serves to protect the integrity of the discipline and to ensure fair dealings within professional fields of activity. The Ethics Council and the Ombuds Committee may cooperate, if necessary, but with a clear division of responsibilities. Members of the Ethics Council are Prof. Dr. Margarete Götz and Prof. Dr. Stefan Aufenanger. 

Download the Rules of Procedure of the Ethics Council | 2025

Code of Ethics

The German Educational Research Association (GERA) | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (DGfE) aligns its professional ethical principles with the guidelines of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) regarding good scientific practice in both nature and scope. They represent a form of scientific self-commitment that includes respectful interaction with colleagues, employees, students, pupils, practice partners, study participants and other parties involved. GERA members bear a special social responsibility in their role as researchers, teachers and practitioners. Their recommendations, decisions and statements can influence the lives of those around them. They are aware of the risks and constraints that can lead to misuse of their influence and endeavour to avoid such misuse and adverse effects on other people. GERA members do not harass any persons, whether they are colleagues, employees, students, pupils, practice partners or research participants. Harassment can include unnecessary, excessive or unjustified control or attacks of a (non-)verbal nature. Sexual harassment refers to unwanted sexual advances of a physical, verbal or non-verbal nature.

The responsible use of resources is an indispensable prerequisite for ethically justifiable action in educational science. The constitutionally guaranteed academic freedom, which applies equally to research and teaching, is inextricably linked to a corresponding responsibility. Taking this responsibility fully into account and anchoring it as a guideline for one’s own actions is first and foremost the task of every academic and all institutions in which scientific teaching, research and practice are conducted.

The following Code formulates a consensus on ethical behaviour within professional and organised educational science in Germany. GERA members are obliged to comply with this Code. GERA members working at universities are called upon to convey the principles of academic and professional ethics set out here in research, teaching, knowledge transfer and professional practice and to encourage students and (post-)doctoral candidates to practice accordingly.

Academics at all career levels regularly update their knowledge of the standards of good scientific practice and the state of research. The GERA Code of Ethics sets out the principles on which the work of the Ethics Council, the Research Ethics Committee and the Ombuds Committee of GERA is based and is binding for educational research and teaching, knowledge transfer and professional practice.

§1 Research

  1. GERA members strive for truth and integrity in the exercise of their scientific activities and their profession. They are committed to the highest possible standards in research, teaching, knowledge transfer and professional practice.
  2. Responsibility in research means organising scientific studies in such a way that they comply with ethical, legal, theoretical and methodological standards. Researchers have a special responsibility towards the research participants, society and the research community. This requires a conscious examination of the possible effects of academic work. The protection of the rights and dignity of participants is central, and requires respectful and voluntary participation in studies. At the same time, it must be ensured that the research does not harm participants. The transparency of academic work and the maintenance of academic integrity are essential to ensure the credibility, traceability and/or reproducibility of the results. Data protection also plays a crucial role: responsible handling of personal data requires maximum confidentiality and clear procedures for data backup, archiving and deletion. Finally, research should be sustainable and create added value for society by addressing relevant issues and making its findings accessible. Further details are provided in § 6.
  3. GERA members respect the principle of transparency in the content and methodology of their work and declare their sources of funding and their interests when conducting research. They provide details of the theories, methods and research design that are important for the assessment of the research results and the limits of their validity to the best of their knowledge.
  4. GERA members do not accept any donations, contracts or research assignments that violate the principles set out in this Code.
  5. As leaders of research projects, GERA members make agreements at project initiation regarding the distribution of tasks, remuneration, data access, copyrights and other rights and responsibilities that are acceptable and reliable for all parties involved.

§2 Teaching

  1. GERA members who take on teaching duties undertake to do so to a consistently high academic standard and to ensure that students receive a good education. The rules of good academic practice should be an integral part of teaching and academic training.
  2. Ethical and data protection premises also apply in principle to teaching.
  3. GERA members are committed to treating students with respect (principle of collegiality), endeavour to ensure fair grading and assessment and do not adopt student ideas within research without referencing them.
  4. GERA members endeavour to level out social, gender, ethnic and religious inequalities in higher education. They do not discriminate against students because of their gender, disability, social or regional origin or their ethnic, national or religious affiliation.
  5. GERA members consider scientific, social and technological developments and assess their relevance for teaching.

§3 Dealing with colleagues, employees, students and practice partners

  1. GERA members endeavour to be objective and fair when hiring, firing, evaluating, promoting, setting salaries and other employment-related issues, as well as when making appointment and co-optation decisions. They do not discriminate against others on the basis of their gender, disability, social or regional origin, ethnic or national affiliation or religion.
  2. GERA members do not use the services of others for their own benefit and do not utilise their work undeclared.
  3. GERA members do not demand personal favours or any personal or professional advantage from anyone, in particular from test persons, clients, employees and students.

§4 Publications

  1. GERA members make their research results publicly accessible in an appropriate manner. This does not apply in cases where it cannot be justified or the right to the protection of confidential records is violated. In cases where the duty of official secrecy or agreements with clients restrict the right to publication, GERA members endeavour to maintain the right to publication as far as possible.
  2. All persons who have contributed significantly to a research result and its publication must be named. GERA members undertake to maintain strict honesty with regard to the contributions of partners, competitors, employees and predecessors. They respect the intellectual property and the authorship of scientific ideas, theories, results and data, which, if they are used, they disclose correctly, completely and within the relevant context. References to ideas developed in the work of others must not be knowingly omitted. The claims to authorship and the order of the authors should reflect their participation in the research process and publication. In particular, the (first) authorship of employees must be appropriately recognised. Project management alone does not authorise authorship. All authors named in the title of a publication bear full co-responsibility for the published text.
  3. If GERA members are active as editors or on the editorial boards of journals, they undertake to assess submitted contributions fairly, without personal or political bias and within a reasonable period of time. They promptly provide information about decisions on submitted manuscripts and state the reasons for their decisions.

§5 Assessments and reviews

  1. If GERA members are asked to assess individuals, manuscripts, research proposals, other work or to provide expert opinions, these must be rejected in the event of a conflict of interest.
  2. Assessments in connection with personnel decisions are treated confidentially by all parties involved and follow the principle of the greatest possible objectivity. Work outputs and facts to be assessed must be evaluated completely, carefully and fairly within a reasonable period of time.
  3. GERA members who are asked to review books or manuscripts that they have already reviewed elsewhere inform the enquirer of this fact. They refuse to review works in whose creation they were directly involved.

§6 Ethics Council, Research Ethics Committee and Ombuds Committee

An Ethics Council, a Research Ethics Committee and an Ombuds Committee will be established on the basis of this Code. These committees draw up their own rules of procedure, which must be approved by the GERA Executive Board. All three are obliged to report to the Executive Board while maintaining the confidentiality of the cases they deal with. .

  1. The Ethics Council deals with enquiries or information from GERA members regarding (possible) violations of this Code of Ethics by members of GERA. It consists of two GERA members who are no longer in active service. The Executive Board elects them by secret ballot from a list of nominations from the divisions by a simple majority of votes for a term of four years. The Ethics Council meets when required or at its own request. The Ethics Council is an independent body that can be called upon in the event of breaches of the Code of Ethics.
  2. The Research Ethics Committee is available to GERA members for advice on research ethics and data protection-related issues in research projects. It issues a research ethics clearance certificate upon request. The Research Ethics Committee consists of five members: the two members of the Ethics Council, one member of the GERA Executive Board and two further members to be appointed by the Executive Board.
  3. The Ombuds Committee deals with personal or collegial conflicts between and complaints from members of GERA. It mediates and moderates disputes and seeks out-of-court solutions. The Ombuds Committee consists of at least four GERA members, who are appointed by the Executive Board on the recommendation of the divisions. It operates on application and request or at the request of the Executive Board.

§7 Further development

The Code of Ethics is reviewed every four years and developed further, if necessary. In particular, new legal provisions, scientific findings or technological developments must be taken into account.

§8 Entry into force

The Code of Ethics shall come into force with its publication in issue 72 (2026) of the GERA journal ‘Erziehungswissenschaft’. The Executive Board of GERA discusses and decides on changes to its wording. The Code of Ethics came into force for the first time with its publication in issue 41 (volume 21, 2010) of the GERA journal ‘Erziehungswissenschaft’. § 4 (5) of the Code of Ethics was amended in 2016. A completely revised, more detailed version was presented and adopted in 2025.

Download the Code of Ethics