German physicist is stripped of his PhD

Science : Physicist Jan Hendrik Schön had his PhD revoked by Germany’s University of Konstanz because of the 2002 scandal in which he was found to have faked data in at least 17 research papers. Although an investigation turned up no evidence that Schön had committed misconduct while working on his PhD, university officials asked Schön to return his doctoral certificate based on a state law that allows degrees to be revoked when the recipient proves “unworthy.” Schön successfully sued the university, and the university appealed. Last week the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim ruled in favor of the university. According to the judge, a doctorate degree indicates the recipient is capable of independent scientific research and understands the principles of good scientific practice. When a recipient has violated those basic principles, the title is no longer applicable.