The medical dissertation in Germany. A quantitative analysis of promotion regulations in medical faculties

The medical dissertation represents an independently processed scientific project. In the field of medicine this has for many years displayed the basis for controversial discussions. The aim of the study presented here was to evaluate the prerequisites of all current promotion regulations in German medical faculties in order to develop a comparability on the basis of a scoring system. An independent analysis of all promotion regulations from German medical faculties for the year 2014 was carried out according to 12 primary outcome measures and a scoring system. The average total score of promotion regulations at 37 German medical faculties was 57.2 points (SD +/- 9.5) out of a possible 100 scoring points. The highest scores with 72-85 points were achieved by 3 faculties and 5 achieved scores of only 42-45 points. The range of the different criteria tested was broad. While the written thesis, the review process, the examination requirements as well as the grading of the thesis were defined in all regulations, the introduction into good clinical practice, knowledge of methodology as well as a check for plagiarism only seem to play minor roles. The promotion regulations at German medical faculties show a great variation using the scoring system presented here for the first time. Standardized federal promotion regulations might help to establish a structured transparency as well as a national equality of opportunity.