Declaration of Academic Integrity
Here we provide you with a template for the declaration of originality, which you can use for term papers and theses:
Template: Declaration of Academic Integrity (German)
Template: Declaration of Academic Integrity (English)
Since final theses must be submitted in printed form and accompanied by a declaration of plagiarism, the declaration should also be submitted in printed form and signed by hand for all final theses.Please note, however, that your department may have its own rules that go beyond the aspects mentioned in the linked template (see below). If you are unsure, always ask your examiners which Declaration of academic integrity you should use! However, the aspects mentioned in the linked declaration must be included in every Declaration of academic integrity.
Dealing with artificial intelligence (AI)
There are no central guidelines at the University of Münster regarding when the use of text-generating AI is acceptable or not permitted. The subject cultures are too diverse for this, and they are addressing the use of text-generating AI in different ways and at different speeds. Further information can be found on this University of Münster homepage on the opportunities and risks of using artificial intelligence (AI).
The following departments and teaching units already provide their own information on dealing with AI:
FB 07, Psychology teaching unit: Handout on dealing with AI and Declaration of academic integrity
If you are unsure, always ask your examiners which Declaration of academic integrity you should use! However, the aspects mentioned in the forms linked above must be included in every Declaration of academic integrity.
Plagiarism Proceedings
Any suspicion of plagiarism must be reported by the teaching staff to the Examinations Office and will be noted in the student's examination file. The examiners document the scope and extent of the plagiarism in the plagiarism report. The plagiarism report is then made available to the examinee so that he/she can submit a statement (not: must). This statement is then forwarded to the examiner with the request to make a final decision as to whether the statement has dispelled the suspicion of cheating or not.
In this context, it is important to note that a grade of 5.0 due to cheating has different legal consequences than a grade of 5.0 due to poor academic work. In serious cases, cheating can lead to expulsion and/or permanent failure of the (partial) degree programme. The dean's office or the examination board would decide on this. If a piece of work is graded 5.0 due to deception, this is not a grade in the true sense of the word, but rather a sanction defined in the examination regulations, within the framework of which examiners have no discretion. For this reason, legal recourse in such proceedings does not provide for any possibility of appeal; instead, a lawsuit must be filed directly with the administrative court.
The following form can (not: must) be used by examiners to report suspected plagiarism:
Reporting suspected plagiarism
Teachers can also find further information on plagiarism here:
