Finding a topic

If you are still at the very beginning of finding a topic for your academic paper, think about which subjects from your studies you would like to explore further, which career you would like to pursue, or which issues you care about. You can also use techniques such as Freewriting or Clustering. As soon as topics emerge that genuinely interest you, you should proceed more systematically to be able to decide on one of them.

To do so, you can use the following questions. Try to answer the questions in the table below for each topic that interests you. At this stage of your academic work, it is normal that you cannot yet answer all questions.

You will quickly notice:

• What genuinely interests you
• What is feasible
• What you need to narrow down further
• Where you need to investigate further

Even if you have already made your choice, you should still use these questions.

Your answers will form an exposé – essentially the travel route for your paper. You can change the route along the way, but those who set off without any plan rarely arrive on time or at the right destination.

Registering your paper

When registering your paper, you must also provide the title. The title of your paper appears on your degree certificate and will therefore accompany you for the rest of your life. It should be easy to understand and not too awkward or too long.

Avoid company or product names as well as abbreviations that are not widely known in the title.

After registration, only editorial changes are still possible. The changes must not be so substantial that they appear to be a change of topic. Further changes are only approved by examination boards in exceptional cases.

Narrowing down your topic

Narrowing down your topic ensures that you can word it concisely and treat the topic in sufficient depth.

Elevator pitch: Imagine you meet an important person in the elevator. You have three minutes to present your current project as convincingly as possible.

Formulating your topic

When narrowing down and formulating your topic, you should repeatedly ask yourself the following questions:

• What belongs to my topic, and what does not?
• Which considerations go too far when working on the topic?
• Which details can I leave out?

Frequently asked questions

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Elements of a cover page

• Authors with student ID and email address
• Title, if applicable with subtitle – this does not necessarily have to be the research question
• Semester and year of submission
• Submission date
• Title of the course for which the paper is submitted
• Module to which the course belongs
• Lecturers of the course
• Degree program
• Faculty and university
• Type of paper, e.g. term paper, project report, bachelor’s thesis, etc.

A cover page does not have a page number.

Example of a cover page

The cover page is a mandatory part of the structure of an academic paper.

Frequently asked questions

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Formatting

The table of contents carries the title “Table of Contents.” It lists all sections of the paper, including the bibliography, any other lists, and appendices. However, the table of contents itself is typically not listed as an item.

In the digital age of PDFs, it can be useful to include the page number of the table of contents itself in the listing so that readers can navigate more easily.

Only the content sections receive numbering – Arabic numerals are preferred. Page numbers are aligned to the right.

The logical flow

The table of contents must be complete and logically consistent: It reflects the structure of the paper, which should present the topic in a meaningful, systematic, and logically coherent order. In a good outline, subpoints relate to each other instead of following one another without connection. The table of contents should make this “common thread” clearly visible.

The quality of your paper’s structure is an essential criterion in its evaluation.

Goals and headings

YThis structure, reflected in the table of contents, should be understandable without further explanation. The goal is for readers to gain an initial impression of what the chapters and subchapters are about from the heading alone.

For this reason, clear chapter headings usually do not consist of just a single word.

Formulate headings briefly but as precisely and meaningfully as possible.

Nominal style is often used, but you may deviate from it. However, avoid mixing styles if possible.

In nominal style, actions are expressed using nouns: “The Analysis of …”; in verbal style, they are expressed using verbs: “Analyzing ….”

An academic paper is aimed at specialists with general knowledge and an overview of the issue. Accordingly, only terms and concepts that deal with the topic in depth need to be explained. However, avoid these in the table of contents if possible.

Division into subpoints

Depending on the scope and topic of the paper, dividing it into a maximum of three to four subpoints can make it clearer. Often, two levels are sufficient. However, you should never list just one subpoint.

Too many subpoints fragment the paper and show that related topics have not been combined meaningfully.

The length of the individual sections depends on the content, and they should be proportionate to each other.

Avoid these mistakes

• The table of contents reflects a faulty or unfavorable structure of the paper
• The division principle is not followed, i.e., main points do not form a content bracket for the subpoints, or subpoints do not exclude each other
• The table of contents contains leftover categories such as e.g. “Further Categories” – check whether and where these contents can be meaningfully integrated
• Page numbers are missing

This is how it’s done

• The heading states the division principle for the following subpoints, i.e., one outline level forms a logical bracket around the subpoints below it
• The subpoints are mutually exclusive in content
• If a chapter has subpoints, there must be at least two
• The content weighting of the subpoints is balanced

The table of contents is a required part of The Structure of a Thesis in Engineering and Natural Sciences.

Examples of Tables of Contents for the degrees Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science:

Example A

Example B

Frequently asked questions

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