Citable sources

For sources to be considered citable in academic work, they must meet the following criteria:

• They were written by authors who themselves work scientifically.
• They are up to date – this does not mean “new”, but “relevant today”.
• They are relevant to the topic.

In relevant and discipline-specific reference works, the state of research is usually well summarized, and the most important literature is listed. You can use these for further research, e.g., in library catalogs.

Reference works do not include common dictionaries or Stangl’s worksheets, but they do include, e.g., the Handbook of Social Work or the Dictionary of Adult Education.

Follow the library’s tips in the article Effective research: Tips and tools for getting started.

Research on the internet

Sometimes online searches provide the first access to a topic. However, a simple Google search does not replace systematic research for suitable academic literature.

You must research suitable academic literature independently, as the literature you use is, among others, a criterion for evaluating your work.

Wikipedia is not considered a citable source in the Faculty of SW or in other faculties, because the authors’ identity is not transparent and the content is not systematically reviewed.

Newspaper reports are also generally not citable, unless they are the only available source. If you want to, e.g., address public discourse about the “No-Pegida” demonstrations in Nuremberg, or quote from a Spiegel interview with Angela Merkel, use the respective magazine or newspaper as the source.

Other academic papers

Academic papers as well as bachelor’s and master’s theses are usually not citable, because you normally cannot verify whether the authors follow academic standards.

Student papers are rarely the best source – unless they contain original data and results that are not available elsewhere.

If you want to use such a paper in an exceptional case, check whether it is an excellent academic work that is publicly accessible. Of course, some information from student papers can serve as a basis for your further research, such as e.g., references.

Frequently asked questions

Der Beitrag Using the Right Sources erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.

In some papers, you present the results of your own empirical research, while in others you may, for example, develop a concept for a social institution. Your task is always to develop a comprehensible argumentation. More information on the different types of scientific papers can be found in this article: The different types of scientific papers.

In addition to these general features, there are further evaluation criteria for scientific papers, which the supervising lecturers set depending on the nature of your work. So, first ask the lecturers supervising your term paper or final thesis about specific requirements. The OWL can clarify formal aspects, but it does not replace a conversation with your lecturers.

Be proactive and prepare for the meeting! First, read the seminar plan, as it often describes the expectations for the term paper. Some lecturers have also created their own guides, e.g. for supervising the bachelor’s thesis. You should read these guides before a meeting. See also the article: Preparing for the first meeting with your lecturers.

What you should clarify with your supervising lecturer

• Topic and research question of the paper
• Individual or group work
• Form of marking individual contributions (for group work)
• Suitable (research) methodological approach
• Timeline and submission date
• Type and extent of supervision, if applicable support from tutors
• Formal requirements, e.g. word or page count, formatting
• Form of submission, e.g. printed version, Moodle, by email, file format
• The most important evaluation criteria
• The use of gender-neutral language

Lecturers usually use an evaluation grid to assess your scientific paper. We have been provided with the following two examples – depending on the type, purpose, and method of the paper, the evaluation criteria for your work may differ from these examples. Discuss the expectations for your specific paper with your supervising lecturers.

Evaluation grid example 1

We thank Wolfgang Wahl for this example of evaluation criteria for a term paper in module 1.1.

Evaluation grid example 2

Exclusion criteria for a positive assessment:

Structure and organization of the work:

Contents:

Literature base and evaluation:

Language:

Further criteria:

(++ = very good | + = good | 0 = satisfactory | – = sufficient | –– = insufficient)

We thank Susanne Heidenreich for this example of the evaluation criteria for a bachelor’s thesis.

Frequently asked questions

Der Beitrag Writing a Good Paper in Social Science erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.