Code of Conduct for the Doctoral Phase at the University of Tübingen

In an initial interview, potential supervisors and future doctoral candidates clarify their mutual expectations and ideas regarding a possible doctoral program and collaboration. An open exchange about mutual expectations at the beginning is an important foundation for the decision to collaborate or not. Therefore, it is advisable to have this conversation before finalizing the legal supervision agreement and to document the results in writing. To make this initial interview as transparent and clear as possible, it is recommended to use the provided checklist. This checklist should be jointly completed by the supervisors and doctoral candidates. This way, mutual expectations and requirements can be clarified, goals can be defined, and career planning can be discussed.

You can find the checklist in the downloads section below.

Before being officially accepted as a doctoral candidate by the respective faculty, prospective doctoral students must first find a primary supervisor. Once the primary supervisor is determined, a secondary supervisor must also be found.

According to the doctoral regulations of the faculties, having a secondary supervisor is a necessary requirement for the doctoral program. In the event of exceptional circumstances (such as an offer from another university, severe illness, or even the permanent unavailability of the primary supervisor), this provision ensures that the doctoral program can continue seamlessly.

The choice of a secondary supervisor can be made collaboratively, and involving an independent, possibly external, individual (in compliance with the regulations of the doctoral regulations) can greatly benefit the doctoral program and the supervisory relationship. Transparent and open communication among all parties is crucial in this process, particularly during challenging phases.

An exposé or outline is the independent conceptualization of one's own doctoral project. Doctoral candidates outline the structure and scope of their topic, which can vary depending on the faculty and department. Based on this, supervisors are able to provide feedback and specific suggestions for changes.

The Graduate Academy offers courses on this topic as part of the Doctoral Researcher Development Program (DRDP).

Clear agreements and good planning in advance are crucial for the success of a doctoral program. In particular, the timeframe and financial support throughout the duration of the doctoral program are important aspects that enable long-term planning security.

Financing can be obtained through employment as a research assistant in research projects. If financed through institutional funds, administrative tasks and teaching obligations typically arise. Another form of financing can be a scholarship or other forms of research funding.

Depending on the degree and qualifications, it may happen that acceptance is granted with conditions, such as the completion of specific courses or other academic or examination requirements. This additional time commitment at the beginning can pose a challenge and should therefore be addressed within a foreseeable timeframe and with clear agreements.

For more detailed information, please refer to additional resources or further information sources.

Time Management

Research Funding

For a doctoral program at the University of Tübingen, several administrative steps are necessary to define the legal framework of the doctoral program. After receiving a commitment for supervision from the primary and secondary supervisors, doctoral candidates must apply for acceptance as doctoral students with the corresponding faculty.

The acceptance and supervision agreement regulates the supervisory relationship through a public-law contract that must fulfill certain minimum requirements, as stipulated in §38, paragraph 5, LHG (state law governing higher education). These requirements include the timeframe, frequency of supervision meetings, and individual study program.

All formal and legal aspects of the doctoral program are regulated in the respective doctoral regulations of the faculties. The doctoral offices of the faculties are the contact points for acceptance into the doctoral program with a supervision agreement, admission to the doctoral procedure, and completion of the doctoral examination, including publication and awarding of certificates. If you have any questions regarding the process and examination regulations, please consult these offices. The contact persons and all important forms can be found on the dean's office websites of the faculties.

Humanities (German page with some information in English)

Science

Economics and Social Sciences

Law

Medicine

Protestant Theology

Catholic Theology

Center for Islamic Theology

Graduate Training Centre Neuroscience

Enrollment

With official acceptance by the faculty, doctoral candidates must register as doctoral students at the Student Administration Office. This requirement has been in place since March 30, 2018, as specified in §38, paragraph 5, of the State Law on Higher Education (LHG).

Doctoral candidates who were accepted as doctoral candidates at their faculty before March 30, 2018, are exempt from the enrollment requirement.

Doctoral candidates who are employed at the University of Tübingen (with a contract of at least half the regular working hours of a full-time employee) can request an exemption from the enrollment requirement at the Student Administration Office.

For further information on enrollment, please refer to the Student Administration Office's website.

Before starting the doctoral program and regularly throughout its duration, comprehensive discussions should take place regarding the career planning and professional goals of the doctoral candidates, both within and outside academia. The supervisors actively provide guidance by offering a realistic assessment of career opportunities. As part of the Researcher Development Concept (PEK), the university promotes regular perspective discussions, which should be conducted during the supervision meetings as so-called advisory conversations. A doctoral program opens up a wide range of professional opportunities. The central Graduate Academy offers training and guidance on career development in various areas.

You can find the offerings of the Graduate Academy here:

Career Development Course Program

Career Paths

The comprehensibility and comparability of scientific results are of fundamental importance to the scientific community. In this context, the university is firmly committed to the DFG Code of Conduct "Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice" and has adopted its own guidelines based on this code. The supervisors and doctoral candidates are responsible for conducting research in accordance with these principles and must ensure their adherence. This includes not only acknowledging the ownership of other researchers but also complying with the regulations regarding (co-)authorship. In collaborative research projects and joint publication endeavors, agreements regarding first authorship and credit allocation for the doctoral project should be made in accordance with the principles outlined in the DFG Code of Conduct.

A successful doctoral project requires efficient planning, good self-management, and clear structure. Similar to classical project management, the success of a doctoral project relies on the intially established structure. Once this structure is in place, full attention can be given to the content aspect of the research and the doctoral thesis.

It can also be beneficial to divide the doctoral project into different phases. Allocating time for research, writing, and proofreading phases can be efficient and productive, especially when incorporating breaks and recovery periods such as weekends and holidays. Regular consultations with the supervisors regarding the progress of the project also aid in planning the next steps.

To support time- and selfmanagement, the course offerings of the Doctoral Researcher Development Program (DRDP) provided by the Graduate Academy can be utilized (DRDP Course Offerings).

For further information:

Time- and Selfmanagement.

Handling research data and research data management are essential aspects that need to be considered before and during the entire doctoral phase. At the beginning of the doctoral program, it should be clarified how research data collected during the research will be managed and stored, including the choice of storage media or devices. To prevent data loss, it is important to secure the collected data, the analysis, and documention on multiple media.

It is also crucial to clearly agree upon and document who owns the rights to the data and what will happen to the data once the project is completed or finished. Additionally, research data management extends to the aspect of long-term availability and accessibility of research results. The University of Tübingen supports researchers in publishing their work in accordance with the Open Access Policy. Open access publishing allows publicly funded research to be freely accessible. Furthermore, the Research Data Portal (FDAT) can be utilized for long-term archival and reuse of research data. For more information and contact details, please refer to Open Access.

For further information on handling research data and research data management:

Guidelines for Research Data Management at the University of Tübingen

Handling of Research Data by the German Research Foundation (DFG)

Colloquia provide doctoral researchers and supervisors with an overview of their research activities and an opportunity to reconsider their presentation. Additionally, the feedback from participants and the direct comparison to peers often helps to assess the quality and progress of the dissertation more effectively.

The nature of feedback plays a crucial role in this context. Colloquia should create a safe environment where feedback is provided in a factual and constructive manner. It is the responsibility of the supervisors to establish appropriate feedback etiquette, moderate the discussion, and regulate it if necessary.

The central Graduate Academy offers qualification programs for both doctoral students and supervisors. In the field of interdisciplinary training, the Doctoral Researcher Development Program (DRDP) provides a wide range of offerings for doctoral students. Supervisors should enable and support the participation in relevant programs. The Researcher Development Program (RDP), on the other hand, offers training and individual coaching for supervisors.

The recognition of research contributions within the scientific community greatly depends on how the doctoral researcher positions their research results in scholarly discourse. It is the responsibility of supervisors to actively promote their integration into the respective scientific associations.

Therefore, supervisors should facilitate the participation of doctoral researchers in workshops, conferences, and other scientific events to introduce them to national and international research networks. These opportunities provide doctoral researchers with a chance to gather new ideas for their projects, increase visibility, and subject their findings to critical examination. In this regard, the university expects that every doctoral researcher is given the opportunity to participate in such formats at least once during their doctoral studies.

Furthermore, supervisors should provide early guidance and optimal support for publications. Similar considerations apply to acquiring international experience, which is of great importance for an academic career.

Links to further training opportunities:

Doctoral Researcher Development Program

Researcher Development Program

Certificate programs

Doctoral Days

Collaborations

Consultation and individual coaching:

Consultation

Individual coaching

Funding opportunities:

Funding opportunities for early career researchers

Information portal for prospective doctoral researchers, doctoral researchers, international researchers, postdocs, junior research group leaders, and junior professors:

Information portal

In situations where conflicts arise in the supervision process, the second supervisor plays an important role. They should assume a neutral rolein conflict situations and provide mediation and advice. If necessary, the second supervisor should refer the parties involved to the appropriate ombudsperson or other counseling services, such as the Family Office, Staff Council, or Disability Office. Another option is to contact the doctoral offices for initial advice. They can direct individuals to the right resources and provide guidance on examination-related or administrative issues.

Ombudspersons for doctoral matters: Since 2014, the State University Law of Baden-Württemberg has mandated the appointment of specific ombudspersons as contact persons for doctoral researchers (§38 (4) LHG). At the University of Tübingen, these ombudspersons are appointed at the faculty level. They serve as a point of contact for doctoral researchers in conflicts that arise during their doctoral studies, such as conflicts between the doctoral researcher and their supervisor. The doctoral regulations of the faculties determine who assumes the role of the ombudsperson. Typically, this position is held by the deans or vice-deans.

Resources for conflict resolution

In a professional supervision relationship, the supervisors maintain professional distance. They are aware of their role as experienced individuals providing technical and professional support, as well as the resulting power and responsibility.

Personal relationships between supervisors and doctoral researchers that go beyond the professional role carry high risks, such as conflicts of interest and roles, abuse of power, favoritism, and bias, and are therefore incompatible with professional doctoral supervision.

Due to the inherent power imbalance, supervisors must never actively initiate personal relationships. If, nevertheless, a consensual personal relationship develops between a supervisor and a student, the supervisor must report it to the faculty and immediately and completely withdraw from supervising the doctoral process. In such cases, the faculty must ensure that the supervision continues appropriately and without disadvantage to the student.

If, within the context of a supervision relationship, there are experiences that raise concerns about maintaining professional distance or personal boundaries are violated verbally, psychologically, or physically, it is strongly recommended to seek advice from a trusted person. For confidential initial consultations in this context, the faculty's equality officers, the university's equality officer, the ombudspersons, or, especially in cases involving sexual boundaries, the external counseling center AGIT in Tübingen are available.

According to § 4 paragraph 9 LHG, the University of Tübingen has appointed a contact person for matters related to sexual harassment. These individuals are Prof. Dr. Karin Amos, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Andreas Rothfuß, Chancellor.

Counseling services:

Gender Equality Representative

Gender Equality Office

Contact Person in case of sexual harrasment

AGIT (external counselling)

In order to reconcile family obligations with academic qualification, supervisors must take into account the family responsibilities and the associated increased workload when supervising doctoral researchers. Long contract durations are necessary to ensure a healthy balance during the qualification phase.

For doctoral researchers with family responsibilities, long-term planning and financial security are crucial due to the responsibility for the family.

Supervisors must allocate time and prioritize the topic of work-life balance, stressful factors, and/or changes in situations in order to create family-friendly working and qualification conditions.

To consider the needs of doctoral researchers with family responsibilities, supervision meetings and discussions should take place during secured childcare hours.

In the event of a doctoral candidate's pregnancy or the application for parental leave, options for contract extension, replacement, relief, and the achievement of qualification goals under the changed time constraints should be discussed openly in dialogue.

Supervisors must be aware of their role model function and consistently advocate for a family-friendly and sensitive approach to improve work-life balance.

The Family Office provides advisory support for questions regarding the compatibility of family and doctoral studies.

Further information:

Working as a parent

Scientific Qualification and Family

Childcare

Obtaining a doctorate offers great opportunities but it also requires a high level of commitment over an extended period of time. To prevent overload and identify stressors in a timely manner, supervisors and doctoral researchers should assess the workload during regular supervision meetings. If it becomes apparent that doctoral researchers are reaching their limits and their mental health is at risk, it is important to work together to find a solution as soon as possible in order to improve the situation in the long term. This can be done by contacting counseling services.

In case of acute emergencies, individuals can also connect directly with the on-duty physician through the reception of the University Hospital during the emergency consultation hours (07071 2982311).

Counseling services:

Psychosocial Counseling Service

Psychotherapeutic Counselling for enrolled students

Further information:

Mental Health

Doctoral Students Council

With the revision of the state higher education law in April 2014, doctoral students councils were introduced as the representation of interests for all doctoral students accepted for doctoral studies (LHG § 38, paragraph 7). As a group of members at the University of Tübingen, all enrolled doctoral students are generally eligible to vote and must be represented in the bodies composed of member groups (LHG § 10, paragraph 1, sentence 2, number 4). This is also specified in the university's constitution (§ 7, paragraph 4, and § 22, paragraph 3, sentence 3). All doctoral students accepted for doctoral studies form councils that are affiliated with their respective faculties. They advise on matters concerning doctoral students and make recommendations to the university governing bodies  (LHG § 38, paragraph 7).

In Tübingen, doctoral students councils are established at the faculty level:

Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences

Faculty of Protestant Theology

Faculty of Science and Mathematics

Center for Islamic Theology

Faculty of Medicine

An overview of all doctoral students councils can be found here.

Further information about the conventions can be found here.

Governing Bodies

According to the state higher education law, doctoral students are considered a distinct status group with voting rights and can actively participate in governing bodies such as the Senate or Faculty Council. Decisions that affect the overall structure of the university are made in these governing bodies.

Every accepted doctoral student can nominate themselves as a representative of the doctoral student body. Typically, this process is carried out through the doctoral student councils, which maintain lists of eligible candidates for representation.

Further information about the bodies can be found here: Division I 2.

Alumni networks provide the opportunity for connection and mutual exchange between alumni and current doctoral researchers. After completing the doctoral program, each graduate should register as an alumna or alumnus to stay in touch with the University of Tübingen and their own field of study.

Further information about the alumni network of the University of Tübingen can be found here.

Here you can download a PDF version of the Code of Conduct for the Doctoral Phase.

Here you can download the Checklist accompanying the Doctoral Code of Conduct.

Dr. Martina Bross

 +49 7071 29-76464
m.brossspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

N.N.

Program Coordinator Graduate Academy (Postdocs, Junior research group leaders and Assistant professors)

+49 7071 29-76427