1. Conduct some basic research on your topic of choice.
2. Identify 2-3 suitable focal points or research questions.
3. Also consider your methodological approach.
4. Jot down questions related to your ideas.
5. Check whether there are any formal requirements for your paper (from your supervisors or your department). If not: Prepare questions on that as well.

To make sure you don’t miss any critical details during the meeting, you can use our template for guidance.

Please refer to our university’s guidelines.

Please note: some supervisors may set requirements that differ from these guidelines. In such cases, the supervisor’s instructions take precedence! Please
ask, either in person or by email, whether there are any specific requirements you need to follow. 

If you have not been given any specific instructions, you are free to choose any layout or citation style.

Your title names the subject matter you will be exploring – the research question explains what you will focus on within that field. It shows the aim of your work or the problem you address. Let’s look at an example:

Title

Acquiring New Customers Through Social Media Marketing: Use Cases from the Green Energy Sector

Research Question

•    Why is Company X so successful at acquiring customers through social media?

or

•    Which social media marketing strategies lead to the best results in the green energy sector?

or

•    How can social media posts be optimized to leverage the trend toward renewable energy for customer acquisition?

A specific research question can provide a common thread throughout all the aspects that you look at – for some professors, it might even be the core of an academic paper.

When registering a thesis, however, only the title and subtitle need to be provided.

To research basic facts and contexts, you can consult books from our library or from  Springer. You’ll find more specific content in articles (also available from Springer). Explore different websites for your search, such as EBSCO or Wiso.

Try and browse our collection of links, which is adapted to your field of study.

The quality of online source material varies considerably. Content from academic or institutional websites is generally reliable. For other sites, you need to thoroughly check the authors’ expertise. Also consider whether the source is suitable for the purpose it shall serve in your paper.

If you’d like advice on whether to use a particular souce, feel free to contact us!

Do not use AI to perform any substantial work on your paper. However, you can certainly use such tools to get suggestions for articles related to your topic. We recommend using an AI tool specialized in academic research (e.g. Consensus). 

Note: To use Consensus, you need to create a free account.

Your paper needs to include certain standard elements. 

In terms of content, your paper should be structured in a way that lets you first examine the topic within its broader context and then, step by step, delve deeper into increasingly specific aspects.

For your thesis, make sure to discuss the outline with your supervisors.

Learn the basics of citation with us.

Perfectionism can have a paralyzing effect on the writing process and sometimes even lead to writer’s block. If you recognize signs of this, you’re by no means powerless in front of these circumstances! Small changes in behavior can provide significant relief in many cases.

Feel free to schedule a consultation so we can discuss this topic!

It’s best to clarify this question with your supervisors by explaining how you intend to use a specific tool. In most cases, AI is accepted when used for technical support (e.g., text optimization). However, AI must not perform any substantial academic work. 

If you have used AI in your paper, you should disclose this transparently. List the tools you used as aids (for example, in the declaration) and specify how you applied them.

You can use a citation generator to automatically insert references and citations. BibGuru, for example, offers a beginner-friendly tool; for more extensive papers, we recommend using the Citavi software.

Citation generators do not contain AI. The use of these tools does not need to be indicated.

There are various online providers that offer plagiarism scans for a fee, (e.g. Scribbr). However, such a scan is not necessarily required and it ultimately does not provide the 100% certainty you might be looking for. The best protection against plagiarism is consistent compliance with the citation rules.

You are welcome to contact us regarding specific citations that you don’t know how to handle!