Named person

The Academic Council has appointed Professor Mette Ejrnæs, Department of Economics, and Professor Søren Kyllingsbæk, Department of Psychology, as Named Persons for the Faculty of Social Sciences for the period 1 September 2025 to 1 September 2028.

Named Persons have several different tasks:

  • Advising on responsible research practices
  • Advising on suspected breaches of responsible research practices
  • Handling allegations of breaches of the rules of good scientific practice
  • Participating in the faculty's work to inform, guide, and develop standards for responsible research practices in consultation with the dean's office

Named Persons follow the University of Copenhagen's guidelines for Named Persons as of January 2021.

To support academic diversity, the faculty has chosen to appoint two Named Persons. You may choose which of them you wish to contact.

Why Named Persons

The Named Person scheme is intended to strengthen efforts to ensure good scientific practice. Named Persons supplement the existing bodies that handle suspicions and allegations of breaches of good scientific practice, but do not replace them. These bodies include, for example, the management, the Practice Committee at the University of Copenhagen, and the Committee on Scientific Dishonesty.

The role of the Named Person

Named Persons handle enquiries and provide guidance on how to prevent breaches of good scientific practice in specific cases. Named Persons provide good advice and are not to make decisions; instead, they help resolve any misunderstandings or refer the case to the appropriate existing body for further processing.

Who can contact Named Persons and about what

Named Persons may be contacted by all faculty employees and students, as well as individuals who are not affiliated with the faculty.

Inquiries must include the identity of the person making them, as anonymous inquiries will not be processed.

Named Persons do not initiate cases; they act only in response to inquiries. Inquiries may concern current or former employees of the faculty but must relate to research conducted while employed at the faculty.

Inquiries may concern breaches of good scientific practice and disagreements based on such breaches that cannot be resolved between the researchers.

Examples of topics in the inquiries:

  • Disagreements regarding co-authorship
  • Plagiarism
  • Advice on data management
  • Research ethics
  • Data rights
  • Collaboration with external parties.

If there are signs of conflict between several researchers, Named Persons can provide a neutral perspective on the matter.

The best time to contact them is therefore early in the process, before any breach of good scientific practice occurs researchers are encouraged to reflect not only on how they perceive the practices of others, but also on how their own practices may be perceived.

How to contact Named Persons, and about what

As a general rule, complaints about any aspect of research conducted at the faculty should first be addressed directly to the researcher responsible.

If this is not possible or desirable, or if dialogue does not resolve the problem, anyone who suspects a breach of good scientific practice must contact the Named Persons. Contact must be made by telephone or letter; email may only be used to arrange a meeting. 

At first, the Named Persons are contacted for conficential advice regarding a specific suspicion. It is discussed in complete confidentiality whether there may be a breach of good scientific practice or whether there may be other explanations. One outcome may be that, after consulting the Named Persons, the suspicion is dropped. In many cases, the Named Persons may suggest a way forward that involves an agreement between several researchers, for example on joint authorship.

Another outcome may be that, after the initial dialogue with the Named Persons, a researcher maintains that there is a specific suspicion of a breach of good scientific practice and wishes to take the matter up with the management and/or the Practice Committee. 

Named Persons are obliged to inform the faculty management if there is reasonable suspicion of scientific misconduct in a specific case.