A plagiarism hunter of VroniPlag Wiki has expressed incomprehension about the decision of the Free University not to deprive Federal Family Minister Franziska Giffey (SPD), the doctor title, but only to reprimand. He has experienced the Berlin University in dealing with plagiarism so far stricter, says VroniPlag-Mitstreiter Gerhard Dannemann.
The scientist pointed to the high political pressure. Giffey had announced that she would give up her position as family minister if she had lost her academic degree. For the stumbling SPD she is an important personality. The 41-year-old is valued in the right and in the left wing and is a bearer of hope in the party.
According to Dannemann's assessment, there is no legal basis for the allegation. "The case law allows such a complaint, if this is noted in the doctoral degree regulations," criticized the lawyer. This is not the case at the Free University (FU).
Giffey wrote "directly and indirectly about himself"
From 2005 to 2009, Giffey completed his doctorate in political science at the Otto Suhr Institute of the Freie Universität Berlin. Her dissertation is titled "Europe's Path to Citizens - The European Commission's Civil Society Involvement Policy".
Emeritus professor and social scientist Peter Grottian criticized Giffey's work not only for possible counterfeiting, but because of a lack of scientific distance: In dealing with her dissertation, the participation of civil society in EU politics on the example of Berlin-Neukölln, Giffey As the then European Commissioner of Neukölln written "directly and indirectly about himself", Grottian had publicly complained in April. (Read a comment here.)
"Standards not consistently observed"
The FU came to the conclusion during the examination of the thesis that, although there were shortcomings in the dissertation, the overall picture of the deficiencies found did not justify the withdrawal of the doctoral degree. For reasons of proportionality, the Bureau of the University considered that a complaint was necessary. This disapproves that Giffeys "did not consistently observe the standards of scientific work". The FU will mark the complaint in the published version of the dissertation.
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