The primary aim of this course is to familiarize students with the processes and procedures involved in academic research and effective writing. The coursework will cover various topics, including organizing the research process, adhering to ethical standards in sourcing and citation, identifying potential research subjects, and crafting academic papers.

The course consists of 3 main topics:

• Reflecting on academic work: This includes differentiating between everyday language and the language of science and developing a research question.
   
• Organizing academic work: This includes the following.
  • Developing a (bachelor’s) thesis or academic paper by understanding the typology of theses and taking the steps from a research idea (topic), to the research question, to the composition and scope.
  • Organizing a (bachelor’s) thesis or academic paper by understanding topics related to literature research, literature utilization and preparation, citation, formal requirements, and time management.
     
• Writing scientific text: This includes topics such as visualizing complex content, writing special texts, navigating writer's block, and drafting text from the rough to the final version.

After taking this course, students should have the foundations for planning their bachelor's thesis or academic/seminar paper from the rough draft to the final version, while understanding expectations and acquiring discipline-independent knowledge. In particular, they should be able to:

• Distinguish between different types of scientific papers and practice-oriented project work
• Understand the research and development process of academic work for the fields of economics, management and other social sciences
• Learn to identify topics and design a research question
• Know the structure of a research proposal and carry out the steps for developing a research proposal
• Carry out literature research, evaluate sources, and cite them correctly
• Know the formal and linguistic requirements of a text and implement them in a seminar paper and/or bachelor’s theses
• Maintain appropriate ethical standards in scientific writing and research
• Know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it

Attendance is generally mandatory, allowed (unexcused) absences are 20%.

The course aims to equip students with relevant knowledge and skills. It will combine interactive lecture elements with group and individual tasks and/or assignments involving concrete examples. Attendance and participation are expected throughout the course.

Grading:

• 37.5% for Quiz 1 (in class)
• 37.5% for Quiz 2 (in class)
• 25% individual paper (homework)

Use of AI tools: The use of AI tools is only permitted to a limited extent. The following functions of AI tools may be used within the scope of the course:

• Linguistic correction of texts (orthography, grammar, punctuation)
• Literature research discovery tools (e.g. Research Rabbit)

The use of AI-based tools must be indicated in written work (tool used, type of use, affected sections/chapters).

No discipline-specific/technical requirements. The course is best suited for those who plan to write their bachelor thesis / seminar paper in English.

If you have a valid registration for the lecture, but will not participate, please deregister during the registration period of LPIS. Your place will be available for other students.

During the registration period, free places are filled according to the “first-come, first-served” principle.

After the end of the registration period, the number of places is increased and students on the waiting list will be registered for the lecture based on their progress in their studies.

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