Code of Scholarly Conduct

This code of conduct provides a general guideline for behaviour in research, teaching and learning, and also governs how we expect students, teachers and other members of the Linguistic Data Science Lab to interact with each other.

It touches on some cornerstones of behaviour and the way we conduct research. It also helps as a guideline for students, who should familiarize themselves with this document before beginning their studies.
Since the Ruhr-Universität Bochum has comprehensive compliance guidelines, we base our code of conduct on that foundation. However, please note that the English version lacks important passages regarding good research practice, so please use a translator for the German website, and check the DFG's page on good scientific practice directly to see one core foundation of good research at the university.
In addition to these guidelines and laws, this page serves to underline some of the most important rules and guidelines:

Good research

In research for publication or education, in classes and in projects, we follow the general guidelines for good scientific work. This includes especially:
Proper citations and references to the work of others are not only a legal question but also one of respect for others and their integrity. Scholarly behaviour in science and humanities generally implies “standing on the shoulders of giants”.
All members of the LDSL understand and practice the importance of acknowledging their scholarly roots and building solid steppingstones for future generations. Today’s researchers are human beings in the middle and should behave accordingly.

Good Teaching and Learning

In our classes, in discussions and in any other exchange, members of the LDSL who offer teaching are guides for the self-driven learning of our students or each other. Teaching and especially the program Linguistic Data Science (M.Sc.) is not a service provided but an invitation to work and learn. Students are required to organize their studies with the help offered, to seek information, and to ask for help and information where needed in addition to what is provided. Teaching staff and advisors take care to be approachable and reachable.

One goal of our classes is to teach proper science and scholarly work. Therefore, a proper citation etiquette is as important in every day work as in scientific publications. Students who fail to recognize and indicate other’s work properly or try to hand in solutions not completely their own, will fail a task, course or be excluded from the program depending on the transgression. If students copy from each other, it will usually not be possible to find out whose work was the original. All parties will be treated as transgressors.

A document of recommendations on citation and formats for works at the LDSL will be published soon. Until then, please ask your teachers or advisors for specifications for a specific task.