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 professional direction you want to take, 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 answer all questions yet.

You will quickly notice:

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

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

To phrase your topic precisely and to work on it thoroughly, you should narrow it down.

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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Why cite at all?

• To prove facts: You state where your information comes from, ideally tracing it back to the original source. This not only respects copyright but also gives your readers the opportunity to examine methods and details for themselves.

Example: 90 percent of Wikipedia authors are male (Bayer 2013).

• To build on existing knowledge: In academia, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You cite to refer to the ideas, theories, and findings of others – allowing you to continue the discourse rather than starting from scratch.

Example: The term “invention” is often equated with the concepts of “discovery” or “creation” (cf. Müller, 1998, p. 13).

• To keep it concise: If something is already written elsewhere, a reference is usually sufficient. In academic writing, it’s common to trust the audience to either accept the claim or check the source themselves.

Example: Outreach services are a traditional methodological approach in social work. For centuries, almoners would visit people experiencing hardship to assess their needs and provide aid. At the same time, they were tasked with monitoring how the poor lived and preventing abuse of the support system (cf. detailed discussion in Sachße/Tennstedt 1980).

Quotes often serve several purposes at once:

Example: With regard to the use of ocean thermal energy for power generation, research on structural pipes between 1970 and 2000 focused on using water as a heat carrier. Heat transfer and resistance coefficients were measured [6–17]. Companies provided additional measurements using water [18, 19]. A few studies also examined gases as heat carriers [11, 20].

What types of quotations are there?

There are two types of quotations: direct and indirect. In both cases, you must always add a reference to show where the quotation comes from.

With direct quotations, you reproduce the original wording exactly. This is marked with quotation marks and a reference.

Example: “One of the main pioneers of this model is Goffman with his concept of stigma or stigmatization” (Metzler, 2011, p. 101).

Use direct quotations sparingly. In the humanities and social sciences, you should cite directly when the wording is particularly striking or original. In the natural and engineering sciences, direct quotations are rarely used.

With indirect quotes, you take ideas, results, etc. from another text but rephrase them in your own words. These also need a reference.

Example: According to Metzler, Goffman – who developed the concept of stigma or stigmatization – is one of the key early figures of symbolic interactionism (2011, p. 101).

How do I cite?

There are many ways to cite in academic writing: footnotes, in-text references with author names and year of publication, numbers, or combinations of numbers and letters in square brackets.

There’s no single “correct” citation style. What matters is that you stay consistent throughout your entire text and don’t mix styles!

How do I know which citation style to use?

• Ask your lecturers – they often have a preferred style you should follow.
• Learn about the conventions in your discipline. See our articles: Citing in the Social Sciences, Citing in Business Studies, Citing in Engineering and Natural Sciences.
• If your lecturers don’t specify a style, you can choose one yourself. It’s best to go with a well-documented style (DIN, Harvard, APA, IEEE etc.).

What is a bibliography?

The bibliography includes all the sources you cited in your text – and only those. As it should allow readers to trace each source, the entries must be detailed enough to locate the exact work if needed.

The bibliography must be complete and consistent.

The format of the bibliography depends on the citation style used. Sources are usually listed alphabetically.

What do I have to cite?

In academic writing, you must mark every idea that is not your own. The only exception is general knowledge within your discipline.

That sounds easier than it is. Especially at the beginning of your studies, it can be difficult to recognize what counts as general knowledge. The good news: it gets easier over time. Until then, these rules of thumb may help:

You don’t necessarily need to cite:

• Things your readers are expected to know.
• What common sense would suggest.
• Content found in general reference works.

You must always cite:

• If an idea or result can be traced back to a specific author or study.
• If the statement is controversial or debatable.
• Any wording you copy exactly.
• If you include data from other research.

Frequently asked questions

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To access the OPAC, you must be connected to the university network or – if accessing from outside – establish a VPN connection.

Frequently asked questions

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In order to access the OPAC, you need to be within the university network or establish a VPN connection from outside.

Literature recommendations

Questions

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Zotero offers numerous advantages for managing literature and knowledge:

A detailed guide to managing literature with Zotero can be found in the training materials from the library.

For Ohm staff, the texts are available in full text via VPN.

To access the OPAC, you need to be on the university network or – if you are off-campus – establish a VPN connection.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What does research actually mean in this context?

In this context, research aims to gather existing knowledge on a specific topic and integrate it into your own research process. A thorough search allows you to close your own knowledge gaps, identify research gaps, and place your work within the context of existing studies.

To navigate the landscape of information with confidence, it is important to identify and define your own information needs. These are shaped by the aspects of the question you aim to answer.

The definition of your research question in the context of searching literature involves:

• a structured collection of search terms
• and their meaningful combination into search queries.

Next, the goal is to find and gain access to the required information in the form of scientific literature.

A central starting point for this is the library: It provides access to over 200,000 printed books, more than 400,000 e-media resources, and several million academic articles.

What is the OPAC?

The first point of contact in any research process is the library catalogue (OPAC). It contains the library’s entire collection at the title level. This means it provides information about which books, e-books, journals, and newspapers are available through the library.

The OPAC is therefore suitable for searching for foundational literature and for checking whether a specific journal or issue is available.

Why use academic databases?

In the next step, academic databases come into play. They enable targeted searches for individual articles from scientific journals.

An overview of the most relevant databases for each faculty is available on the library website.

The databases differ in topic – ranging from highly specialised subject databases to interdisciplinary databases covering a wide range of topics.

In addition, they differ in terms of availability of the literature they index: Full-text databases provide the entire text for each entry, whereas bibliographic databases only refer to the existence of the article.

Thanks to the internet, it is usually possible to check availability with just a few clicks and, if necessary, place an interlibrary loan request.

You can find a detailed script about searching for literature for your specific degree program in the library’s training materials.

Frequently asked questions

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Citation suggestions for figures

For each variant, it is important that you cite the image source consistently, transparently and as precisely as possible. In some academic disciplines and cultures, it is not customary to mark your own illustrations, but only altered and fully reproduced ones.

For deeper insight and subject-specific use of figures and tables (available via VPN connection):

• Ebster, Claus; Stalzer, Lieselotte (2017): Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftler. Stuttgart, Vienna: UTB GmbH; Facultas (UTB, 2471). See Chapter 7.
• Hirsch-Weber, Andreas et al. (2016): Wissenschaftliches Schreiben und Abschlussarbeit in Natur- und Ingenieurwissenschaften. Stuttgart: Verlag Eugen Ulmer. See Chapter 5.

Use as image quote

If you use the figure as evidence, explain it and integrate it into your work, then you do not need to ask for permission.

In the following box the decisive sentence is quoted, taken from the article: Copyright and academic research: what are the key issues that affect you as an author?

“[…] quotations are only permissible if they are intended to support an argument. Use of quotations without any commentary, e.g. for illustrative or decorative purposes, is not permitted under the right of quotation and therefore may only be carried out with the consent of the author or copyright owner and payment of remuneration.”

– Source: publisso.de

The function of figures

In academic work, unnecessary illustrations and graphic decoration are out of place.

Use figures – your own and others with source reference – as substantive additions, and refer to your figure in the running text.

The use of figures is also formulated in the so-called Copyright Act. You can find more information in the Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Copyright Act) § 51 Quotations.

Create or reconstruct figures yourself

Lucidchart and Visio are examples of tools you can use to create figures yourself. We compared both and created an evaluation table so that you can choose the right tool for you.

These two articles form the basis of our preliminary evaluation:

Comparison 1: Visio vs Lucidchart Flowchart

Comparison 2: Lucidchart vs Visio: Key Differences

Frequently asked questions

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What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism means the adoption of texts, ideas or research results without proper citation.

Whether intentional or unintentional: in academia, plagiarism contradicts the principles of scholarly work. Consequences include failed exams, in severe cases even expulsion and failed careers in science and politics.

When must I cite what?

It is not necessary to cite everything that is general knowledge.

Whether you give sources when adopting a structure or an idea depends on what is known as the level of originality:

If you present generally known, undisputed knowledge in your field, usually no citation is required. Sometimes it is hard to determine whether something belongs to this basic knowledge in the field. When in doubt, cite too much rather than too little.

However, if it is an original idea, a specific number, a model or a theory that can be traced back to a person, you must clearly indicate its origin by a citation.

The same applies to adopting a structure. If you take over an innovative outline from academic literature, you can, for example, mention in the introduction that you based your structure on source XY.

If you are unsure: Better to cite too much than too little.

Risks when using AI writing tools

You may have read that generative AI does not produce plagiarism, but unique texts. And that is true – these large language models do not simply copy sentences from their vast training data but generate a new, independent text for each prompt according to statistical principles.

As a rule, AI writing tools therefore do not create literal plagiarism. Nevertheless, AI writing tools generate texts that are partially or entirely based on existing content.

Avoiding plagiarism

To avoid plagiarism when using AI writing tools, you should observe the following strategies:

1. Research carefully:
Science is always based on the prior work of others. It is your academic duty to research thoroughly and take into account what has already been studied on the subject. This also allows you to identify the ideas of others in AI-generated texts.

2. Work independently:
Use AI tools as an aid, not as a substitute for your own thinking and writing. Especially in academic texts, it is often advisable to draft your work yourself and use AI only for revision or supplementation.

3. Provide sources:
Make sure that all information not coming from your own knowledge is correctly cited. Verify content you take from an AI tool like ChatGPT and back it up with sources. To support your literature research, you can also use literature-search AI tools like ConnectedPapers, Consensus, or ResearchRabbit.

4. Reflect on your writing process:
Regularly analyze your writing process and reflect on how and why you use AI tools. This promotes awareness of your own working methods and helps avoid unethical behavior.

5. Use consultations and trainings:
Many universities offer workshops and consultations on avoiding plagiarism. Take advantage of these offers to further develop your skills.

Frequently asked questions

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What can a digital writing buddy do?

When writing, we collect ideas, develop them further, put them into a good order, and discard them again. We write, rewrite, write anew. That is normal, because: writing is a thinking process.

By formulating ideas so that another person understands them, the thought develops further. As long as this thought remains only in our head, it cannot unfold in this way.

That is why, when writing, it can be helpful to share our – perhaps still unfinished – ideas with another person, whether orally in conversation or a talk, or in writing through drafts and text feedback.

Instead of a real person, you can also use generative AI for this. You can ask the AI

• to ask you questions you might not have thought of yourself,
• to critically evaluate your ideas,
• to look at your ideas from another perspective,
• to find gaps in your argumentation.

Formulating a feedback request

A good prompt you can use to get targeted feedback from an AI writing tool could look like this:

Example: Please analyze the following academic text passage with regard to style, clarity, and logic. Give me concrete feedback on possible improvements concerning the structure of the argument and comprehensibility. Also pay attention to recurring grammatical mistakes or unclear formulations.

Through this prompt, you can receive comprehensive feedback that improves both the content quality and the language quality of your text. Adapt the prompt to your needs.

AI as a writing buddy – The advantages

1. AI is available around the clock.
2. AI gives unbiased feedback, since an AI has no personal preferences or emotions. The tool evaluates your ideas objectively and gives you clear feedback.
3. AI can take on different perspectives and thus help you to consider your arguments from different angles. This promotes a deeper understanding of your topic.
4. Through quick responses and targeted questions, AI can accelerate the writing process and help you work more efficiently.

AI as a writing buddy – The disadvantages

1. An AI cannot understand emotional nuances or respond to your personal needs. It does not provide the emotional support that can sometimes be crucial.
2. AI lacks the deeper understanding and intuition that a human counterpart might have. Sometimes it can treat complex topics only superficially.
3. An AI is based on existing data and algorithms, and is therefore often less creative than a human. It has difficulties developing truly innovative or original ideas.
4. There are data protection concerns. That’s why it is important to think about data protection and the security of your data. Sensitive information could potentially be at risk. Consider carefully what you enter into an AI tool.
5. AI hallucinates, i.e., its information can be false and imprecise.

Conclusion: Combine human and machine

Although generative AI can be a practical support in the writing process, it does not replace the valuable feedback of a real human being.

The best strategy is a combination of both: Use AI to develop first drafts quickly and efficiently and to identify gaps, and complement this with human feedback to refine and perfect your texts.

Your text, your responsibility. Even if AI supports you, you are still the one who decides which changes you implement and how.

Frequently asked questions

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Using AI tools

AI tools can be meaningfully used at various points in the academic writing process, for example to support …

• the formulation of the research question and narrowing of the topic
• the literature search
• summarizing and understanding academic literature
• structuring content
• generating text
• content-related and linguistic revision
• proofreading

AI tools will not take away the time-consuming and sometimes exhausting thinking work that is an important part of academic work. But they can complement your work and sometimes also ease the burden. The better you know your topic, the requirements of academic work, and the tools themselves, the more they can support you.

Always clarify with your supervisors whether you are allowed to use AI tools for your current academic work and how you should make this use transparent.

Elicit

Elicit is an AI research tool that supports you in finding and analyzing academic articles. The tool can summarize articles briefly or compile a research overview from several articles.

Searching in Elicit does not replace systematic literature research. The program only has access to part of the available literature on a topic. Older and print literature is not available.

For all Ohm students, there is the possibility to attend the workshop Literature Research with AI as well as to access the associated training materials here.

ChatGPT & Copilot

AI chatbots like ChatGPT or Copilot can support you with many tasks in the writing process. For example, get support in idea generation by asking a question or entering a topic. Let ChatGPT also suggest research questions and outline drafts and use them as a basis for your own research question, outline, or topic narrowing.

ChatGPT can also generate entire text passages based on your inputs. Often, keywords and sentence fragments are sufficient as input. This function is especially useful if you are experiencing writer’s block and want to get into writing.

You can also use ChatGPT effectively to make the language style of your work more formal and academic – in German or English.

ChatGPT – like all other AIs – can hallucinate. More precisely: the answers of the AI are sometimes wrong, fabricated, or imprecisely worded. This is often difficult to recognize, especially if you are not yet very familiar with a topic. Academic work still requires you to build expertise yourself – in the original texts. You are responsible for the content of your academic work.

For all Ohm students, there is the possibility to attend the writing workshop Microsoft Copilot: Limits and Opportunities in the Writing Process as well as to access the related Workshop materials.

The Language Tool / Grammarly

In times of AI-based language checking, your work in terms of comma placement, grammar, and spelling should be perfect. Tools like the LanguageTool or Grammarly correct your text for you and rewrite it. This also benefits the style of your texts.

There is no single academic style that is correct for all disciplines. Whether the AI-revised text matches the linguistic style of your field, you must decide for yourself.

DALL-E

If you need graphic representations, image generators like DALL-E are practical. They generate simple as well as complex images and can serve as visual inspiration. In academia, DALL-E can be used to create visual representations of complex data or concepts that support and illustrate your work.

The images from image-generating AI tools are often subject to strong bias. This means: The images often show little diversity and many clichés. Take responsibility for the outcome of your images!

What does the use of AI tools cost me?

The use of AI tools can involve financial and other costs: many tools offer basic functions free of charge, but fees are often charged for advanced features. Members of Ohm can use Microsoft Copilot free of charge for 30 requests per day.

Checking the AI-generated results can also cost you time, since AI tools do not always deliver error-free or suitable content. And last but not least, excessive use can impair your own writing skills – therefore, use AI consciously and purposefully.

If a website or an app is free, you usually pay with your data! Get used to replacing names, personal data, internal matters, and details of research projects in your requests with placeholders.

Frequently asked questions

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