Examinations

One of the learning objectives is for you to come up with a question and topic formulation yourself. This first step is often the most difficult. Here are a few tips to help you:

• Let go of the idea that you first have to have a topic, then draft an outline, execute it, and you're done! The usual way of working is actually the exact opposite: First, you write partial drafts, which can then be combined into an argumentative outline during the writing process. Only then, at the very end, do you write the title and introduction.

• The starting point for finding a topic is that you have noticed a problem, i.e., something that is unlikely from some point of view; e.g., something you have wondered about, something that is still unclear to you, or a point that you feel was not satisfactorily resolved in the seminar discussion, where you disagreed with the lecturer, or which you believe is not correctly presented in the research, etc. To find such a problem, it is best to work through the seminar script carefully once again, reread individual passages, and follow up on this or that reference. (If you still haven't found a problem, you should ask yourself whether you are really studying the subject that interests you.)

• Focus on the sections that caught your attention, that you ‘got stuck’ on, and try to figure out why they caught your attention, what problem lies in these passages. Then try to organize your findings at a higher level of abstraction, formulate them as theses, and systematically compile them in an argumentation outline (= preliminary stage of the structure). The argumentative focal point of this outline will form the working title of your paper. Then start writing your paper.

• Don't be irritated if you have to rearrange the outline several times and reformulate the title in the course of writing. This is a sign that you have actually developed something and discovered something new (and not just formulated a superficial finding).

• Academic learning is research-based learning! Don't turn to secondary literature too early. You first need to have your own questions and theses in mind before you can decide which essays you need and which of the theses presented there should be discussed and included in your work.

The title page should provide information on the following points in a cohesive layout:

• First and last name of the author
• Degree program
• Course title
• Instructor name
• Topic
• Submission date

Don't spend more energy on designing a great cover page than on your text!

The layout should already reveal the structure of a text and make it easier for the reader to read. Please pay careful attention to the following points:

• Line spacing: 1.3 to 1.5
• Font size: 12 pt
• Margins: 3 to 3.5 cm on the left, 2.0 cm on the right, 2.5 cm at the top and bottom
• Justified text (and automatic hyphenation if necessary)
• Use page numbering and refer to these, where relevant, in the Table of Contents
• Headings from the Table of Contents should be included in the text and clearly highlighted
• For further thoughts that are not directly related to the text or would disrupt the flow of the text, as well as for references to further texts or cross-references within your own text, it is recommended to use footnotes.
• Longer quotations can be set apart from the body text and indented. However, please do not try to use this to save space

• Written in German or, preferably, English
• Should not exceed 5 lines
• Provides information about the content, argumentation, and results of your work

• Reflects the content and logical structure of the topic
• Should be clear and concise
• Presents content from the same level of argumentation at the same level of subsection

• Introduces the topic
• Defines and delimits the topic and formulates specific research questions
• Clarifies the sociological relevance of the topic
• Presents reasons for focusing on certain aspects of the topic
• Provides an overview of the structure of the paper and justifies the chosen approach

• Contains a systematic treatment of the topic
• Presents arguments that follow a clear line of reasoning and are consistent
• Contains individual sections that correspond to the structure and content of the intended sequence of arguments
• Contains transitions at the end of each section that establish connections between the individual sections (retrospective summary)

An internal structure should be followed within each section.

• Contains a summary of the results
• Answers the research question posed in the introduction
• Provides an outlook on further, related questions

The bibliography must list all literature used in detail. Conversely, however, no literature should be listed that is not referred to in the text.

Be sure to avoid nonsense such as: Reader for seminar XY; notes from lecture XY. Texts taken from your seminar reader must be cited from the respective publication (i.e., book or journal).

Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias are interesting and popular sources of information. However, they are only suitable for obtaining background information and should not be cited!

Google and other search engines are not suitable for literature research. Use the subject-specific databases provided by the University Library (UB) and Stabi, where you can view the abstracts of most texts!.

Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly common—and in some cases quite obviously random—to cite documents found on the internet. Apart from sociological journals available online, very few texts on the internet can be cited!