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Felor Badenberg faces plagiarism allegations in doctoral thesis
Berlin Justice Senator Felor Badenberg (CDU) is facing serious allegations of plagiarism regarding her 2005 doctoral thesis from the University of Cologne. Austrian researcher and ‘plagiarism hunter’ Stefan Weber has published an expert report claiming to have identified 83 plagiarism fragments within the work. Weber describes these findings as ‘serious and defining for the work,’ noting that the alleged uncredited text spans from the acknowledgments and introduction to the conclusion and even the book blurb.
Weber asserts that the dissertation contains uncredited text blocks from several older academic works, specifically citing authors Schmidt-Didczuhn (1989), Sethe (1995), and Helms (1999). He has characterized the case as the most significant plagiarism in German legal science since the 2011 Guttenberg affair.
Badenberg has responded by stating that her dissertation was ‘prepared with the best knowledge and conscience.’ She has formally requested the University of Cologne to conduct an independent and comprehensive review of the academic work to evaluate the contested passages. The controversy arises at a sensitive political moment, as Badenberg is a top candidate for the upcoming Berlin House of Representatives elections scheduled for September 20.
Entities
Berlin · CDU · Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution · Felor Badenberg · Stefan Weber · University of Cologne
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Weber claims the dissertation may have been largely copied from three older works by Schmidt-Didczuhn, Sethe, and Helms. apollo-news.net · de.rt.com
- [● 8 SOURCES] Stefan Weber identified 83 plagiarism fragments in Felor Badenberg's doctoral thesis. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · newsflash24.de · courage-lounge.de · www.halternerzeitung.de · www.kurierverlag.de · +3 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The allegations include the uncredited use of text blocks or fragments from other scientific works. de.rt.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Weber characterizes the case as the most significant plagiarism in German legal science since the Guttenberg affair. newsflash24.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Weber describes the alleged plagiarism fragments as serious and defining for the work. newsflash24.de · apollo-news.net · de.rt.com
- [● 11 SOURCES] Felor Badenberg stated her dissertation was prepared with the best knowledge and conscience. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · newsflash24.de · courage-lounge.de · www.halternerzeitung.de · www.kurierverlag.de · +6 more
- [● 2 SOURCES] The alleged plagiarism extends from the acknowledgments and introduction to the conclusion and even the blurb. apollo-news.net · de.rt.com
- [● 11 SOURCES] Badenberg requested the University of Cologne to conduct an independent and comprehensive review of her dissertation. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · newsflash24.de · courage-lounge.de · www.halternerzeitung.de · www.kurierverlag.de · +6 more