Physicist Joachim Heberle, who was appointed as a German Research Ombudsman (Ombudsman für die Wissenschaft) by the German Research Foundation in 2014, has been selected for the recently established position of Central Ombudsperson for Good Scientific Practice by the Executive Board at Freie Universität Berlin. He understands his new role as “moderating, not pronouncing judgments.”

Conflicts in academia can take on many forms – from stormy relationships between students and supervisors, to personal disagreements and allegations of data manipulation and plagiarism, right through to arguments surrounding authorship and use of data. And if a conflict reaches fever pitch, it may even require mediation.

Authorship of research publications can be the subject of some particularly fierce disputes, as these often serve as proof of an individual researcher’s output. Heberle explains, “We frequently have to clarify who could or should be considered the primary author, as in, who contributed the most content to a project or a publication.” Situations like this call for someone who can tactfully navigate the complexities of human interactions – in other words, an ombudsperson. This word, derived from the Swedish word “ombudsman,” meaning “representative,” is used to refer to an independent authority to whom employees can report any interpersonal issues they may be experiencing at work.

The full interview with Professor Joachim Heberle in campus.leben: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/featured-stories/research/2021/heberle-central-ombudsman/index.html

• Coordination Office for Research Integrity at Freie Universität

Contact:
Dr. Britta Anstötz ((VI GWP), Tel. +49 30 838 65568, E-mail: britta.anstoetz(at)fu-berlin.de
Dr. Thomas Weitner (VI GWP), Tel.: +49 30 838 59482, Email: thomas.weitner(at)fu-berlin.de

Central Ombudspersons of Freie Universität Berlin:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Joachim Heberle
Univ. Prof. Dr. Sabine Kropp (Substitute)

Ombudspersons by Department:
overview