Plagiarism, idea theft, or falsifications can have serious consequences as scientific misconduct. Especially in teamwork, researchers share responsibility for the misconduct of their colleagues and can be held accountable for it. "Research & Teaching" has inquired about this with the German Research Foundation (DFG). According to the procedural rules of the DFG, scientific misconduct begins where there is a violation of scientific core duties "and this violation occurs in a blameworthy manner and with some weight". Gray areas include so-called "honest mistakes" or violations of good scientific practice, which, for example, are not covered as offenses in the procedural rules of the DFG for dealing with scientific misconduct or in the model statute of the German Rectors' Conference for safeguarding good scientific practice and dealing with scientific misconduct, due to their lack of seriousness.

Source: Henrike Schwab, Forschung-und-lehre.de

Further Infomationen can be found here: Zitieren statt Plagiieren.

Every written paper needs to be accompanied by a signed declaration of academic honesty. This confirms that you have independently written your paper. Confirmation is validated by your signature. 

Find downloadable templates below (in line with RahmenO-Ba and RahmenO-Ma § 12 (9) and § 24 (4)):

• PDF | Downloadable template
• DOT | Downloadable Word template*

E-mailing a digital version of your paper is sufficient. Please use a working e-mail address that accepts replies. Provide additional contact details in case of technical difficulties.

Please scan your declaration of academic honesty and add it to your paper (see: ‘What should I include in a declaration of academic honesty?’).

Name your file as:

[semester]_[1st word of the seminar’s name]_[your name].[file extension]
→ e.g. SS2018_How_Meyer.doc

If you are asked to hand in a printed paper, please deliver it to the chair’s mailbox. The mailbox is in Lehrgebäude 10, box number 44. This is located in the room next to the beverage dispenser, near the entrance to Zwischenbau VI. 

The module grades are assigned in line with the university’s framework § 15 (1), (4) and (5):

The individual evaluation of module examinations is done by the respective examiners in form of grades.

The following grades are used:

1.0/1.3: very good
→ a very good performance

1.7/2.0/2.3: good
→ a performance that goes above average requirements

2.7/3.0/3.3: satisfactory
→ a performance that meets average requirements

3.7/4.0: sufficient
→ a performance that meets the basic requirements

5.0: insufficient/failed
→ a performance that lacks severely and therefore does not meet the requirements

Culture and Technology is one of the few courses of study at the BTU whose module grades consists mostly two partial grades put together (3 CP + 3 CP). One partial scoring is made for participating in one seminar. Both scores should be given according to a scale from 0 to 50 and comprises 50 percent of the complete final performance. The lecturer will hand the grade to the admissions & registrar’s office.

By law, the admissions & registrar’s office may not accept partial scores. That is why students are not able to ask for their partial grades there.

The lecturers manage the partial grades and give them to the students directly. For data protection reasons, they cannot be sent e.g. via Moodle, but the lecturer has to tell the results privately to every student (e.g. via e-mail).

In fact, partial grades (PG) are sometimes given by the lecturer to the module’s director. The module’s director will then unite the PGs to a final grade which will be sent to the Admissions & Registrar’s Office by e-mail or by inclusion in the exam list.

The average is calculated as follows:

•  \(\frac{\textrm{PG}_1 + \textrm{PG}_2}{2}\leq \left[\textrm{whole grade}\right] + 0.5 \Longrightarrow \textrm{round down}\)
  e.g. \(\frac{\textrm{grade 1} \,+\, \textrm{grade 2}}{2} = \textrm{grade 1.5} \leq \left(\textrm{grade 1} + 0.5 \right) \Longrightarrow \textrm{grade 1.3}\)
• \(\frac{\textrm{PG}_1 + \textrm{PG}_2}{2} > \left[\textrm{whole grade}\right] + 0.5 \Longrightarrow \textrm{round up}\)
  e.g. \(\frac{\textrm{grade 1} \,+\, \textrm{grade 2.3}}{2} = \textrm{grade 1.65} > \left(\textrm{grade 1} + 0.5 \right) \Longrightarrow \textrm{grade 1.7}\)

The academic transcript (‘Studienbuch’) is not used for recording grades anymore. Some students might want to use it anyway to document their studies in a clearly organised way.

In the courses and other teaching activities of the Chair of Technoscience Studies, students need to submit exam components before deadlines within the ongoing semester. It is crucial you meet these deadlines; you can ask for extensions in written form in exceptional cases (e.g. medical certificate). We consider fixed dates pedagogically important and necessary for organisational and administrative reasons. Pedagogically, the Chair of Technoscience Studies cares for designing examinations in a way that allows students to complete courses with an experience of success—temporally close to the engagement within the learning activity. This ensures that you can focus on the ongoing semester, focus on your studies, without distraction by “procrastination” (cf. Häfner et al. 2014). Also, from a regulatory perspective, BTU’s study regulations require students to complete their modules before the end of a semester.

Since the most recent study regulations at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, all grades are sent electronically to the admissions & registrar’s office. After that, grades are entered into a data management system and become visible for students on the online student portal.

Previously, at the Chair of Technoscience Studies, the ‘Studienbuch’ was used as a way to transfer grades from the module’s director or examination board chairman to the admissions & registrar’s office. Students had their grades entered in an academic transcript, which they physically brought to the admissions & registrar’s office where the grade was then entered into the electronic system.

The academic transcript (Studienbuch) is now used primarily as a study aide to give a picture of students’ academic progress.

The Chair of Technoscience Studies owns a comprehensive archive of past internship reports, research papers, and final papers from students. Feel free to ask us for access in our premises.

For issues concerning dissertations, please ask the library staff of the theses department for support.

Module 13509 Master Thesis includes 30 CP, consisting of the written paper and the colloquium (RO §23). The preparation time for the paper (from choosing a topic to submission of the paper) is four months. Afterwards, the oral examination (colloquium) is scheduled. You will be admitted to the final exam after you have collected at least 72 CP before application. The traineeship or the interdisciplinary research work does not have to be completed beforehand, although it is advisable. Students may suggest a subject for the master’s thesis to the potential examiner or they may choose from the available list of topics (StPO 2017 §8).

Module 12194 Bachelor Thesis (StPO 2017, 13348 StPO 2008) is structured in a similar way. At least 126 CP must be collected before admission to the exam is granted.

Completion of the Final Exam

1. Finding a subject:
   • The student decides on a topic together with their mentor and announces it in writing at the admissions & registrar’s office.
     The declaration of intent needs to include:
     1. the master thesis’ subject,
     2. the confirmation of your mentor (a.k.a. first examiner).
2. Admission:
   • The admissions & registrar’s office checks the forms in accordance with the requirements. If approved, a postal or electronic admission for the module will be provided. After this, student and mentor are informed about the deadline.
   • The allotted time may be prolonged if a request is made in writing at the admissions & registrar’s office.
3. Submission:
   • You will have to submit your paper by handing in three bound copies and an electronic version at the admissions & registrar’s office. With the submission, you need to name the second examiner. Furthermore, you have to attach the signed declaration of academic honesty.
   • A lot of students have their master thesis bound as a book but you may choose a more simple and cheaper mode of delivery.
4. Grading:
   • Your master thesis will be viewed within four weeks by two examiners. At least one of the examiners has to be from BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the ‘examiners and observers can be the full-time academic or artistic personnel, lecturers and people experienced in professional practice and training at the University’ (RO2016 §19).
   • The evaluations need to be received by the first examiner. They include a formalised data sheet and an evaluation of at least two pages of continuous text. You should be able to determine the grading criteria from this data sheet.
   • The oral exam (colloquium) takes place at least six weeks after handing in the paper and is open to internal university members (RO §25). If there is a valid reason (e.g. illness, pregnancy), it may take place at a later date. The oral exam consists of a presentation of the thesis work by the student (about 20 - 30 minutes) and an examination talk with the first and second examiner (about 30 minutes). There will be a registrar who writes down the exam’s process. At the close of the exam, the grade is announced, combining 25% of your oral and 75% of your written performance. The first examiner needs to send in the master thesis’ result to the admissions & registrar’s office within two weeks after the colloquium.
   • The student may take a look at the evaluation results. This will be supervised by a member of the admissions & registrar’s office and the result has to be announced within four weeks of submission.
5. Certificate:
   • The master certificate will be given to you in English and German. There will be three documents (certificate, diploma supplement, deed).

You will find more information in the examination and study regulations.

• JPEG | View into the rubric

If you have more questions regarding studies, exams, etc., check the websites of the admissions & registrar’s office where you will find various important documents.

For more information about the Culture and Technology study programme, see the following websites:

• B.A. Culture and Technology
• M.A. Culture and Technology