Writing a Scientific Paper I Studydrive

Outline
Sources
Cover Page
Table of Contents

In many departments, most modules must be completed with an exam. This is primarily due to the ever-increasing number of students and the fact that professors and lecturers cannot devote the time to checking the final papers or term papers of all students. Typically, there are more than 100 students participating. However, in later semesters, electives usually come in, and the number of students gradually decreases. Furthermore, modules are increasingly being added that are limited by the number of participants. If the number of participants isn't as high, term papers or other academic papers are required more frequently.

When the time finally comes, you don't know how to begin because you've never been in this situation before. Below, we want to give you an overview of the most important basics for writing your paper. If your professor or university provides you with a template with requirements for writing academic papers, use it as well when writing.

Preparation

The first step, if you don't have one specified, is to carefully consider the topic. What do I want to write about? What interests me most? Why is there enough literature available? You should plan enough time, especially for the question about literature, because the worst that can happen is that you later fail to find any literature on the topic in question. You should narrow down your topic precisely with your research question. Once you have identified the appropriate topic and a specific question that you want to answer in your paper, you should now consider how you want to answer this question.

Outline

You should first consider an outline. Your academic paper is generally divided into:

Introduction
Main Part
Conclusion

Your paper should always begin with an introduction, but it's best to write it at the very end, as only at the end can you say exactly what you will cover in your paper and use for your analysis.

Methods

After the introduction, there is always a short section in which you briefly explain your research question. What are you looking at, what is your research question, and how exactly do you want to answer it? This is also called the methods section. There are purely literary works, but also those in which you conduct an empirical study yourself, for example in the form of a survey, or even collect measurements yourself, such as soil values or other things, which you then evaluate and use in your work.

Theoretical Section

Depending on how you have structured your work, you will begin with a theoretical section in which you fundamentally explain various mechanisms of action or other theoretical principles. You will then apply these to your research question and begin your scientific analysis. In general, you should explain all technical terms in detail in your work to specifically demonstrate what you mean by each term and what you use it for in your work. In your main section, you will develop answers around your topic, define it, explain the technical terms that arise, as well as theories and models, and examine them in relation to your research question.

Argumentation Section

You should be clear about the goal you are pursuing with your work and, in this regard, the conclusion you ultimately want to reach. To achieve this, you should structure your work according to arguments. You can also include arguments that contradict your statement in your work, which you then address specifically and show as best you can why these counterarguments are not valid in this context, or when they are valid, and what the consequences are. It is always important to clarify, section by section, what the topic is actually supposed to be. This is the biggest challenge for most students. Clear structuring is essential in academic work and also makes it much easier for the reader to understand your work.

Furthermore, you should pay particular attention to the transitions you insert between your sections. These transitions create even more clarity. To ensure this is the case, you should write a short introduction before each new chapter in which you briefly explain your approach.

So:

What question are you answering in this section?
To what extent does this section contribute to answering your research question?
What might you need to explain theoretically first (possible theories or models, but also modes of action are conceivable)?
And then you should also embed this in the overall context.

A structure based on relevant sections is important to present your work in a structured and clear manner. These should also build on each other. You will then apply the theoretical section to your question as you proceed.

Conclusion

In the conclusion of your work, in the "Results" chapter, you briefly address the main points of your work. What is the main statement of your work? What should be considered, and what is your result? Here you should also briefly state all of your theories and models again, but without elaborating on them again.

Sources

It's important to pay attention to sources when writing academic work. You must cite the source after every sentence that isn't your own, even if it doesn't reflect your own thoughts. There are different citation styles. Your professor will usually provide you with the citation style. If you don't have one specified, choose a suitable one that you can use effectively in your work. It's important that you stick to this style throughout your entire work and don't change it! The most common citation style used in most disciplines is the Harvard citation style.

In addition to the actual work, you should also consider the cover page, the table of contents, as well as the bibliography, list of tables, and lists of figures.

Cover Page

The cover page usually contains information about the title of your work and, if applicable, a subheading. It should also include your first and last name, your address, your email address, and your student ID number. Your university, department, faculty, and institute, as well as the names of your reviewers and the submission date, should also be listed here.

If your work spans multiple pages, you should also consider creating a table of contents. Many professors and lecturers even insist on it.

You can easily create the table of contents using Word. To do this, select a Word-defined style for each heading. You can find this under Home > Styles. Here, click on the small arrow at the bottom right of the tab. A new, small dialog window will open, and you can insert your heading.

Heading 1 refers to the main headings, labeled 1, 2, or 3, etc.
Heading 2 is the first subheading—i.e., 1.1, 2.1, or 3.1.

If you use a subheading, it is always important to have at least two subheadings. The headings do not have to be kept in the same format. You can always change the font, font size, color, and everything else.

But how do you get from the headings to the table of contents? To do this, click once with your mouse where you want the table of contents to be placed. This is usually directly after the cover page. Then, in the References tab, go to Table of Contents on the far left. Here, select "Automatic Table of Contents." Word will then use all previously created headings for your table of contents and automatically sort the page numbers.

If you make any changes to your work in the meantime, it's important to know that the table of contents will not be updated automatically. To do this, click "Update Table of Contents" in the top left corner of the table of contents. Here, you can also select whether you only want to change the page numbers or whether you have also added new headings that need to be included in the table of contents. If this is the case, the entire table of contents should be updated.

Appendix

The bibliography, as well as the list of figures and tables, usually go at the end of the work. Word can also generate these lists automatically. To do this, use the "Insert Citation" command under the References and Citations and Bibliography tab for each source you use in your text and identify as such. There is also a command for the list of figures and tables. Because every table, diagram, and other information needs a heading, you create these by selecting the "Insert Caption" command in the Captions section of the References tab. Here you can choose between a table and a figure and then give them a suitable caption. Also make sure to cite all sources if you have taken content from the table or the figure or the idea for it from another script.

Formalities

The table of contents, the bibliography, and the list of tables and figures should be given Roman page numbers, while you should assign Arabic numerals to your body of text and no number to the cover page. You can achieve this by setting paragraphs. The thesis should conclude with the declaration of originality. You can find this on the university website and simply copy it over. It must be signed and certifies that you have cited all required sources and that the work is your own. Good luck.