Prof. Dr. Thorsten Jungmann (last updated 2026-11-03)
Relates to FTS-02 The Sustainable Development Goals and the criteria of scientific work
Task
In FTS-02, chapter 4, you have got to know the 13 criteria of scientific work. They apply to every piece of scientific work – to a doctoral thesis as well as to your poster. In each of the following eight cases, one or more criteria are at stake. Name them and explain in one or two sentences what they require in the case. Work through the cases one after the other; the solution is below each case.
1 A question about an icon
For a poster, a student chooses the question ‘Which colour does the icon of Sustainable Development Goal 7 have?’
Which criterion does this question not meet, and what does the criterion require?
Solution
Relevance: A scientific question deals with a subject of theoretical, empirical or practical interest and contributes to knowledge in its field (Jungmann 2025, p. 12). The colour of the icon is a fact that anybody can look up; the answer adds nothing to what is known.
2 The range of an e-bike
A team wants to state the range of a new e-bike in its datasheet. The team makes a single test ride on a windy day and enters the distance it covered as the range.
Which criterion is at stake, and what does it require?
Solution
Reliability: A reliable study leads to comparable results when it is repeated under the same conditions, and random factors must not influence the results (ibid., p. 19). A single test ride depends on random factors such as the wind; repeating the ride several times under the same conditions makes the stated range dependable.
3 An elevator talk
In an elevator talk, a student uses several technical terms from the sources without explaining them and reads out long, nested sentences from the poster. Many listeners cannot follow.
Which criterion is at stake, and what does it require?
Solution
Comprehensibility: You use clear, precise language and present your work in an accessible way, with a logical structure and unambiguous definitions of terms (ibid., p. 22). The student should explain the technical terms that the listeners do not know and speak in short, clear sentences.
4 Three sentences from a report
On a poster, three sentences from a report of the United Nations stand word for word – without quotation marks and without a short reference.
Which criteria are at stake, and what do they require?
Solution
Honesty: You distinguish clearly between your own ideas and the thoughts of others and acknowledge their intellectual property by citing correctly (ibid., p. 15). Sentences copied word for word need quotation marks and a short reference.
Verifiability and traceability: Others can verify or refute your results, because you document your materials; the two criteria are closely linked (ibid., p. 20). Traceability asks you to identify quotations in the text with short references (ibid., p. 16). Without a short reference with the page, nobody can look up the three sentences in the report.
5 Nuclear energy
For a poster on the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, a student who is convinced of nuclear energy cites only its supporters and calls its critics ‘enemies of progress’.
Which two criteria are at stake, and what do they require?
Solution
Objectivity: You set your personal convictions aside and take all relevant points of view into account, instead of citing only the sources that support your own position (ibid., p. 14). In a study on the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy, both supporters and critics have their say (ibid., p. 14).
Fairness: You appreciate competing points of view appropriately, do not present them in a distorted way and treat the work of other researchers with respect, even if you criticize it (ibid., p. 24). Calling the critics ‘enemies of progress’ is not respectful criticism.
6 What the AI says
In the middle section of a poster, the column of the artificial intelligence (AI) answer reads: ‘The AI says that hydrogen makes steel production climate-neutral.’ The poster does not say which AI service was asked, or when. In the footer, the student concludes: ‘So hydrogen makes steel production climate-neutral.’
Which two criteria are at stake, and what do they require?
Solution
Traceability: Others can understand your entire work process (ibid., p. 16). The reader of the poster must see which AI service you asked and when.
Logical argumentation: Claims are supported by evidence, and conclusions follow compellingly from the data presented (ibid., p. 17). A single AI answer is not a source of facts and cannot carry the conclusion in the footer.
7 Robots and health
For a bachelor’s thesis, a student is the first to examine whether the collaborative robots of a local manufacturer make work healthier. To find out, the student counts the days of sick leave in the year before and in the year after the robots arrived.
Which criterion does the study meet, and which one does it not meet? Explain what they require.
Solution
Originality (met): Your work makes an independent contribution to the current state of knowledge, for example with new data (ibid., p. 13). Nobody has examined this case before, and the student collects data of their own.
Validity (not met): A method captures what it claims to capture (ibid., p. 18). Days of sick leave show absence from work, not health: strain that does not lead to sick leave stays invisible. To capture whether work has become healthier, the student should also ask the employees, for example with a validated questionnaire.
8 E-scooters in the city
For a bachelor’s thesis, a student who works part-time for a provider of e-scooters examines whether e-scooters make urban transport more sustainable. The student interviews passers-by about their trips and publishes their answers with their names, without asking for their consent.
Which two criteria are at stake, and what do they require?
Solution
Reflexivity: You question your assumptions, your personal convictions and possible biases and reflect on how your background could influence your research (ibid., p. 21). A part-time job with a provider of e-scooters is such a background.
Responsibility: You handle research participants and their data ethically: they are informed before the start and consent voluntarily to take part (ibid., p. 23). The passers-by were not asked for their consent, and their names are published.
Bibliography
- JUNGMANN, Thorsten, 2025. Abschlussarbeiten aus Prüfersicht: Bachelor-, Master- oder Doktorarbeit schreiben und selbst bewerten – Leitfaden zur Bestnote [Final theses from an examiner’s perspective]. Herne: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Jungmann. ISBN 978-3-911872-02-7.