tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post6067341270772777045..comments2024-03-07T15:19:55.343+01:00Comments on Copy, Shake, and Paste: German Medical DissertationsDebora Weber-Wulffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01602911135725939409noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post-87674695449943084872014-01-23T04:30:17.762+01:002014-01-23T04:30:17.762+01:00It is my opinion, as a chemist who worked several ...It is my opinion, as a chemist who worked several years, and very intensely, on my own dissertation, that three pages do not qualify for anything! Not even a second Einstein should get a PhD for three pages. It is simply ridiculous.<br /><br />Some high-level theorems in mathematics, a discipline which can be quite abstract and concise, need several hundred pages proof.<br /><br />In my opinion one should drastically restrict PhDs to people really doing research, producing novel results, on their own. Most of the disciplines at german universities do not even qualify as science. It is really annoying, what nonsense can be used to get a title, which in most cases is directly resulting in better paid jobs with better perspective also.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post-44412837219341786892013-07-10T00:39:10.745+02:002013-07-10T00:39:10.745+02:00Here's another one from 2007/8: http://eurhear...Here's another one from 2007/8: http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/29/6/718.full.pdf+html?sid=c74389b5-b221-43ef-a2c3-2e5f8172c8d2: 15 authors, 8 pages. Now go to the Swiss national library (http://opac.admin.ch/) and search for “sirolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting" (I can't find a direct link). Author #2 submitted the paper 2008 as his dissertation for the University of Berne. The entry only lists Author #2 and Author #3 as authors for the paper. Debora Weber-Wulffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036864220530629908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post-37232047612618647752013-07-09T23:05:11.601+02:002013-07-09T23:05:11.601+02:00At least they didn't have to castrate those po...At least they didn't have to castrate those poor rats all over again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post-10624077179088299122013-07-04T07:51:41.360+02:002013-07-04T07:51:41.360+02:00With regard to the Bologna process: why not simply...With regard to the Bologna process: why not simply move to an adequate Bachelor/Master degree instead? And those, who really want to contribute to the gain of scientific knowledge, afterwards can be given the chance to achieve an appropriate PhD/Dr. med. though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post-55555541557232575382013-06-30T19:17:10.766+02:002013-06-30T19:17:10.766+02:00Actually, there seems to be a third aspect, perhap...Actually, there seems to be a third aspect, perhaps I didn't make that clear enough: A) Thin (although if it is a radical breakthrough, I suppose thin is okay. But three pages?) B) Plagiarism C) "Honorary authorship". This last point troubles me quite a bit, as the advisors collect publications that are not actually theirs - or else the doctoral students are submitting other's work as their own. I'm afraid that it is more often than not the former. I've heard many stories over beer that I can't publicly document. Authorship is an area that really needs transparency, in my opinion.Debora Weber-Wulffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16036864220530629908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9091218950079982154.post-34540770014047794342013-06-30T18:28:28.332+02:002013-06-30T18:28:28.332+02:00I find it important to clearly distinguish two thi...I find it important to clearly distinguish two things:<br /><br />A) The sometimes embarrassingly thin content of German medical dissertations<br /><br />B) The cases where those dissertations are in addition plagiarised.<br /><br />There might be a slight overlap with respect to those two aspects in that the academic standards as to what counts as plagiarism in a medical dissertation might also be low in Germany, but in general the author of a thesis can only be made responsible for B) not for A).<br /><br />Also: the length of a doctoral thesis not necessarily speaks about its quality.<br /><br />Having said all this: yes, the Dr. med should go.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com