“Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is committed to the maxim of academic integrity: The daily activities of its members in research, teaching, and studying, in continuing academic education and in academic management are in line with the values and rules of good academic practice.” - from JGU’s mission statement (PDF).

We define academic integrity as an attitude and behavior that is in line with academic standards and with ethical and legal requirements for academic pursuits. The term not only covers research in the narrowest sense, but also applies to studying and teaching. One of the central tasks of academic teaching is to familiarize students and young researchers with the standards of good academic practice and to enable as well as to encourage them to comply with these standards.

Such an understanding is based on the JGU's Regulations for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice (PDF) and the German Research Foundation's Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice (PDF).

Research (see the FAIRUSE study, for example) shows that misconduct occurs particularly where requirements are unclear to students and study conditions are problematic or when students feel that their own capabilities are too low to achieve their study goals fairly. Our prevention services therefore begin by clarifying the requirements and presenting academic standards in an understandable way. This information is supplemented by teaching basic academic working techniques (for example, when dealing with other people’s ideas).