FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg Department Geschichte Professur für Alte Geschichte Academic Writing.

FAU Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment GeschichteProfessur für Alte Geschichte

Academic Writing


1.) Academic Writing and Scientific Work

1.1 What is scientific work? 1.2 The Humanities

2.) Academic Writing

2.1 What is an academic paper?2.2 Functions of an academic paper

2.3 What makes a good academic paper? 2.4 The structure of an academic paper


1. Academic Writing and Scientific Work1.1 What is scientific work?

Science…… is searching for knowledge… builds up theories and tries to prove them… needs to produce testable and comprehensible results… consists of different operations: description,

explanation, structuring, justification, evaluation, hypothesis-testing, connecting


Scientific work…

…follows a certain methodology…is impartial, unbiased and free of all

stereotypes…allows criticism


1.2 The Humanities

- analysis and interpretation of different types of media (texts, images, films, audio-recordings)

- considering aspects such as context, historical background, author, genre, …

- different interests in knowledge


2. Academic Writing2.1 What is an academic paper?

an academic text that follows specific conventions

follows the traditional structure of a book assumed readership: academic peer

group analytic and reflective writing style


2.2 Functions of an academic paper

working on a restricted topicworking on a specific problemIt shows that the writer can handle and reflect

scientific problems It is NOT just a summary of what you have

read but includes critical consideration, review, evaluation and assessment


2.3 What makes a good academic paper?

verifiable resultscomprehensiblemeaningful overall topicindependent achievement (giving your own analysis

and interpretation of sources and media)works with current research literature

Uses grammatically correct and stylistically appropriate languageIs clear in terminology, structure and argumentationEvidence and sources support the main argumentEvidence and sources are verifiable



2.4 The structure of an academic paper a) The title page


b) Table of contents

- Headings and subheadings

- Page Numbers

- Use the automatic table of contents in (e.g.) word

- The title page is counted as page 1, table of contents as page 2, but they are not numbered!


c) The introduction

- Defines the interest of the paper

- Makes clear why your topic is important

- States your main thesis

- Gives an overview of your methods and main sources

- Outlines the overall structure of your paper


d) The main body

- Not actually called “main body” in the table of contents

- Consists of all the chapters except introduction and conclusion

- Follows a clear structure- Contains:An overview over recent research literature and

scientific findingsA theoretical framework for the topic you work withChapters where you actually work with texts,

theories, statistics,…and apply them to your topic


d) The main body

What you should do:

•As far as possible, include primary sources (statistics, letters, diaries,…)• Work with the latest research literature (magazine articles, research articles, monographs)• Use your own words as far as possible•Avoid stringing together quotes•Avoid too long quotes•Avoid generalizations, platitudes, stereotypes•Only include information that you can prove•Distinguish clearly between your ideas and the ideas of others


e) The conclusion

•Should relate to your thesis•Summarizes the results/ main points of your work•No new information must be added•What was the main insight of your work?•What problems did you encounter?•Are there any unresolved questions?•Which further work could your topic require?


f) The bibliography

•Distinguish between primary and secondary sources•Include all primary and secondary sources used in your work•Do not include any sources that you haven’t used at least once in your work•Stick to formal conventions for each of the different publication types•Be consistent•Alphabetical order


g) The appendix

images, graphs, statistics,…


Formal components

-Times New Roman 12 pt or Arial 11 pt

-Footnotes: 10 pt.

-1.5 line spacing

-Blocksatz

-Margins: right: 2,5-3 cm; left: 2-2,5 cm; top: 2,5 cm, bottom: 2 cm

- Truthful declaration (not a part of the paper itself, therefore not included in the table of contents)


Contents

I.How to find literature and sources

II.How to use citations correctly

III.How to build your bibliography

IV.Exercises on compiling bibliographical entries


I. How to find literature and sources


Contents

1. Library for English (07EN) and American (07AM) Studies

2. OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue)

3. Jstore

4. MLA International Bibliography

5. Google Books/ Google Scholar

6. Wikipedia?


1. Library for English (07EN) and American (07AM) Studies

•Search literature in OPAC

•Look around


2. OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue)

•Finding books

•Interlibrary loan

•FAUdok

Find detailed instructions here: http://www.studon.uni-erlangen.de/studon/goto.php?target=pg_20335_370


3. Jstore

• Search for essays

• Only accessible with a university IP address

• Use a VPN tunnel to get access from your home

computers


4. MLA International Bibliography

• Most important bibliography for Literature,

Linguistics & Folkloristics

• Access via Uni Erlangen OPAC Databases

• Search for essays and books


5. Google Books/ Google Scholar

• Good for finding out whether a book or an essay is

useful to you


6. Wikipedia?

• What you can use it for:• To get a quick overview• German and English articles are usually pretty

good • Look at the literature cited


6. Wikipedia?

• Why you cannot use it as a reliable source:

• Author of the article is not mentioned

• Author of the article can be anyone

• Articles usually show just one point of view

• Literature cited in articles not sufficient

• Articles may contain wrong or controversial information, but

cite it as “truth”


6. Wikipedia?

• conclusion:

• Use it for general overview and check the literature cited

• Do not include information from Wikipedia in your papers

• Do not cite Wikipedia as a source

• If you find something interesting in Wikipedia, check the literature and cite that as

your source instead


II. How to use citations correctly


1. Essentials• If you copy another author’s passage or use an another author’s idea, you have to

name your source

• All citations must be relevant to your argument

• Do not include random citations

• Footnotes are used for explanatory notes and translations (not for reference)

• The full bibliographical entry is in your bibliography, in the text shortened

references are used


2. Direct citation• Correspond exactly to the original text

• Use quotation marks: “”

• Omissions marked as: […]

• Errors are not corrected, but followed by [sic]

• Foreign language citations must be reproduced in the original (translation in footnote)

• Citations longer than 3 lines:

• must be set apart from the rest of the text (without quotation marks)

• slightly indented

• single spaced

• smaller font size


2. Direct citation

o Author named in text: In his latest statements, J.R. Killjoy regretted “the never-ending Festschrift craze“ (120).

o Author named in reference: In his latest statements, he regretted “the never-ending Festschrift craze” (Killjoy 120).

o Author cited from indirect source: (Killjoy in Smartalleck 25)


2. Direct citation

o Citing two or more texts by the same author:

o(Killjoy 1995, 13).

o Citing two or more texts by the same author and with

the same year:

o(Iser 1988a, 123).


2. Direct citation

o Texts by two or three authors:All must be named named

o Texts by more than three authors:Name the first author and use the

abbreviation et al.


2. Direct citation longer than 3 lines


3. Paraphrase of an author’s ideas

• Do not use quotation marks

• Clearly indicate where paraphrase begins and ends


3. Paraphrase of an author’s ideas

• Do not use quotation marks

• Clearly indicate where paraphrase begins and ends


III. How to build your bibliography


Contents

1.Monographs2.Article in anthology3.Article in Journal4.Internet sources5.Films from DVD6.Online Videos


1. Monographs

SURNAME, Name. Title. Subtitle. Edition. Place(s): Publisher, Year.

EAGLETON, Mary. Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 1996.


2. Article in Anthology

SURNAME OF AUTHOR, Name of author. “Title of essay.” Title of anthology. Ed(s). Name and SURNAME of editor(s). Place(s): Publisher, Year. Pages.

FRAILE MURLANCH, Isabel. “The Silent Woman: Silence as Subversion in Angela Carter’s The Magic Toyshop.” Gender, I-Deology. Essays on Theory, Fiction and Film. Eds. Chantal Cornut Gentille D’ARCY and Landa Jose Angel GARCIA. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1996. 239-52.


3. Article in Journal

SURNAME OF AUTHOR, Name of Author. “Title of essay.” Name of Journal Volume (Year): Pages.

WOLF, Werner. “Literaturtheorie in der Literatur: David Lodges Small World als kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Dekonstruktivismus.” Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik 14 (1989): 19-37.


4. Internet sources

SURNAME OF EDITOR, Name of Editor, ed. “Title of Online Article.” Name of Anthology. Web. Date of Access.<URL>.

BREEBAART, Leo, ed. “The Colour of Magic: Annotations.” The Annotated Pratchett File, v. 9.0. Web. 27 March 2014.

<http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/the-colour-of-magic.html >.


5. Films from DVD

Title of Movie. Dir. Name of Director SURNAME OF DIRECTOR. Perfs. Names and SURNAMES of Main Cast, Distributor, Year of Release. DVD.

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher NOLAN. Perfs. Christian BALE, Heath LEDGER, Aaron ECKHART, Maggie GYLLENHAAL, and Gary OLDMAN. Warner Home Video, 2008. DVD.


6. Online Videos

SURNAME OF AUTHOR, Name of Author. “Title of Video.” Name of Website. Name of Website’s Publisher. Date of Posting. Web. Date of Access.

<URL>.

WESCH, Mike. “Information R/evolution.” YouTube. YouTube. 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM>.

If the author is unknown, do not use the poster’s username. Just begin with the title instead:

Information R/evolution. YouTube. YouTube. 12 Oct. 2007. Web. 27 Aug. 2014.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM>.


IV. Exercises on compiling bibliographical entries


Group I – Solutions:

KLOSS, Heinz. Research Possibilities in the German-American Field. Hamburg: Buske, 1980.

HANSEN, Christine. “Die deutsche Auswanderung im 19. Jahrhundert – ein Mittel zur Lösung sozialer und sozialpolitischer Probleme?“ Deutsche Amerikaauswanderung im 19. Jahrhundert. Sozialgeschichtliche Beiträge. Ed. Günter MOLTMANN. Stuttgart: Metzler, 1976. 8-61.


Group II – Solutions:

JORDAN, Terry. German Seed in Texas Soil. Immigrant Farmers in Nineteenth-Century Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1966.

LUEBKE, Frederick C. “The German-American Alliance in Nebraska, 1910-17.” Essays in the History of Immigration. Ed. Frederick C. LUEBKE. Urbana – Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1990. 14-30.


Group III – Solutions:

RIPPLEY, La Vern J. The German-Americans. Boston: Twayne, 1976.

DOERRIES, Reinhard R. “The Politics of Irresponsibility: Imperial Germany’s Defiance of United States Neutrality during World War I.” Germany and America: Essays on Problems of International Relations and Immigration. Ed. Hans L. TREFOUSSE. New York: Brooklyn College Press, 1980. 3-20.


Group IV – Solutions:

GRUBB, Farley. German Immigration and Servitude in America, 1709-1920. London – New York: Routledge, 2011.

HOERIG, Karl A. “The Relationship between German Immigrants and the Native Peoples in Western Texas.” The Southwestern Historical Quaterly 97, 3 (1994): 422-451.


Group V – Solutions:

ETTE, Andreas/ SAUER, Lenore. Auswanderung aus Deutschland. Daten und Analysen zur internationalen Migration deutscher Staatsbürger. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 2010.

HEIDT, Erhard U. “‘The Krauts’ und ‘Die Amis’: Gegenseitige Stereotypen im Spiegel der Zeit.“ Die Deutsche Präsenz in den USA. The German Presence in the U.S.A. Eds. Josef RAAB and Jan WIRRER. Berlin: Lit Verlag, 2008. 315-330.

FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg Department Geschichte Professur für Alte Geschichte Academic Writing.

Documents

academic paper folie

topic folie

knowledge folie

assessment folie

criticism folie

good academic paper

title page folie

main sources