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State of Research

Faculties: SW

Under the section “State of research/science,” you establish a connection between your topic and the scientific field by presenting current findings from research.

Info: Here you will find an overview of the overall structure of a Social Science paper.

Place your topic in the Social Science context by presenting findings from research. You can describe related studies that answer the given question in a different way or address similar questions in a similar manner.

If you intend to close research gaps with your academic work – which is rarely the case in term papers – discuss the current topics that are in demand.

Furthermore, you should provide the foundational knowledge that enables readers to understand the present paper.

The current state of research is an optional part of the structure of an academic paper.

Frequently asked questions

How do I relate my topic to the state of research?

This is where your literature review comes in. Present the state of research in detail.

What should I pay attention to regarding the current state of science?

If predecessors have already worked on your question or task, it can be useful to describe the connection to these studies. However, your paper should always differ from these works in some way.

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Describing the Research Method

Info: Here you will find an overview of the overall structure of a Social Science paper. What belongs in the methodology chapter? For empirical studies, you present the methods of data collection resp. data generation and the methods of analysis and interpretation in a separate chapter of your academic paper, and provide justification for these. …

Faculties: BW, SW

Contributors: Carola Gröhlich, Susanne Heidenreich, Maria Noll, Erika von Rautenfeld, Schreibzentrum, Dzifa Vode, Wolfgang Wahl

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Discussing Your Results

Info: Here you can find an overview of the overall structure of a Social Science paper. Present your results clearly. Either summarize them or categorize the most important results logically. In empirical works, results are usually presented in a separate chapter. In qualitative research, however, results and your interpretation (discussion) are often closely linked, so …

Faculties: SW

Contributors: Carola Gröhlich, Susanne Heidenreich, Maria Noll, Erika von Rautenfeld, Schreibzentrum, Dzifa Vode, Wolfgang Wahl

This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in April 2025.

Faculties: SW

Contributors: Carola Gröhlich, Susanne Heidenreich, Maria Noll, Erika von Rautenfeld, Schreibzentrum, Dzifa Vode, Wolfgang Wahl

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