The last page of every bachelor’s thesis carries a short text that most students sign without much thought — the declaration of academic honesty (eidesstattliche Erklärung). It sounds like a formality, but it is the most consequential page of the entire thesis in terms of academic law. Here is what happens when it is breached, and how to protect yourself before submission.
What is a declaration of academic honesty?
The name varies between institutions — you will also encounter it as Eigenständigkeitserklärung or Selbstständigkeitserklärung (both German synonyms for “independent authorship declaration”). In substance, all three terms mean the same thing: a written statement that you wrote the thesis yourself and documented your sources correctly.
The declaration is typically bound in as the last or second-to-last page of the bachelor’s thesis (after the bibliography, before any appendices), usually with date, place, and a handwritten signature. Some institutions prescribe the exact wording — in that case you must reproduce it verbatim, not paraphrase it.
What does it typically contain?
Although the exact wording varies, five building blocks appear in almost every declaration:
- You wrote the thesis independently.
- You used no sources other than those cited.
- Verbatim and paraphrased borrowings are marked as such.
- The thesis has not been submitted elsewhere as coursework or an examination.
- Increasingly standard since 2024: the use of generative AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) is disclosed — either as a prohibition or as a mandatory documentation requirement. More on this in Citing ChatGPT as a source.
Sample wording
A neutral example — not a substitute for legal advice and not a replacement for any wording your institution may prescribe verbatim:
“I hereby declare that I wrote this thesis independently, used only the sources cited, and identified verbatim and paraphrased quotations as such. The thesis has not been submitted in the same or a similar form to any other examination authority. The use of generative AI is documented in Appendix X.”
Place, Date — Signature
Important: if your institution’s examination guidelines specify their own wording, use exactly that.
Legal classification: a simple declaration or a statutory declaration?
This is the key distinction most students overlook.
- A plain declaration of independent authorship. A purely academic-law statement to the institution. A breach is a matter for the examination office.
- A statutory declaration (Versicherung an Eides statt). A formal declaration within the meaning of § 156 of the German Criminal Code (StGB). A wilfully false statutory declaration is a criminal offence — punishable by a fine or up to three years’ imprisonment.
Which variant your institution requires is stated in the examination regulations. And regardless: even without the criminal-law angle, a breach is always relevant under academic law.
Consequences of a breach — in order of severity
The consequences range from the annoying to the career-ending, and can arise years after graduation. In practice, they escalate in the following order.
1. Failing the thesis
By far the most common outcome. The bachelor’s thesis is graded “fail”, often with the notation “attempt to deceive.” Whether a retake is allowed depends on the examination regulations — sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.
2. Rustication or exclusion from the programme
For deliberate deception on a significant scale, the institution can exclude you from the programme or from the university entirely. This typically applies to repeat offenders or systematic plagiarism.
3. Revocation of a degree already conferred
Still possible years after graduation. This is the scenario you know from the headlines: a bachelor’s or master’s thesis is audited years later and the degree is revoked. The limitation period in many university statutes is long — in some cases unlimited for deliberate deception.
4. Criminal consequences
For a statutory declaration (§ 156 StGB): a fine or a custodial sentence of up to three years. Rarely prosecuted in academic practice, but it does happen in high-profile or particularly egregious cases.
5. Professional consequences
Anyone with public exposure — in academia, politics — risks career and position if a breach becomes known. The past few years have produced several prominent cases in Germany.
Which mistakes count as a breach — and which do not automatically?
Not every error in a thesis automatically violates the declaration. Three cases that are cleanly distinguishable in practice:
- Plagiarism. A clear breach — you declared that all borrowings were attributed, but they weren’t.
- Misquotation. Not a breach of the declaration in the strict sense, but a scholarly error that can cost you heavily on your grade. For the distinction, see Plagiarism vs. misquotation.
- An inadvertently omitted reference. A grey area. The defence is: duty of care violated, but no intent to deceive. Whether that holds is decided case by case by the examination office.
Error, assessment, consequence — the overview
| Error | Assessment | Typical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Verbatim plagiarism | Deliberate deception | Fail, possible rustication |
| Paraphrase without citation | Deception (intent debatable) | Fail, grade reduction |
| Misquotation (distorted claim) | Scholarly error | Significant grade reduction |
| Undisclosed AI use | Deception (depending on regulations) | Possible fail |
| Self-plagiarism | Deception | Fail |
| Double submission | Clear breach | Fail, formal proceedings |
How to protect yourself before signing
A short checklist for the final 48 hours before submission:
- Clean reference management. Every in-text citation has an entry in the bibliography and vice versa. For a practical workflow, see Zotero workflow tips.
- Run a plagiarism check yourself. Before the examination office does. Tools like Turnitin or PlagScan will surface the obvious matches.
- Check citation content. Does the claim you attribute to a source actually match what the original says? Plagiarism checkers cannot see this — Acurio can: every citation checked against the uploaded source PDF, claim by claim.
- Document AI use. If your examination regulations require disclosure: err on the side of too much transparency, not too little. A short table in the appendix is sufficient.
- Copy the declaration verbatim from your institution’s examination guidelines — do not rephrase it yourself.
Conclusion
The declaration of academic honesty is not bureaucratic paperwork — it is the legal frame around your bachelor’s thesis, and it continues to have effect long after the degree is conferred. A breach is first pursued under academic law: failing the thesis, rustication, and in serious cases revocation of the degree. Criminal consequences are rare, but possible when a genuine statutory declaration is involved.
You sign that declaration yourself. So check before you sign that every citation holds up — plagiarism checkers cover only one half; the substantive verification is what Acurio is there for.
Note: This post provides general orientation only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific cases, contact your examination office or a lawyer specialising in higher-education law.