Good Research Practice

Scientific integrity forms the basis of trustworthy science. Science itself ensures good scientific practice through honest thought and action, not least through organizational and procedural regulations. All research institutions are called upon to protect science and themselves from falsification and to take action against the misuse and manipulation of scientific results. The DFG's funding criteria include the obligation to comply with the rules of good scientific practice.


The IPN has defined its own standards of good research practice, which apply to all employees, based on the DFG guidelines for safeguarding good research practice and the recommendations of the Leibniz Association.

Good Research Practice requires IPN’s research to procure reliable and valid results. This requires a systematic documentation, archiving and publication of research methods, data, and results. Research must be traceable at all times within a research project.. This traceability serves, among other things, to protect scientists and their work from outside criticism. Structured research data management throughout the entire life cycle of the data not only facilitates the controlled storage of knowledge within a research group, but also the communication of research data in the scientific community in the spirit of Open Science. A self-imposed Research Data Policy defines basic rules for IPN-scientists regarding a systematic research data management.