Guidelines for Writing Seminar Papers1
1 Preparation, expression, length
1.1 Preparation
For all seminar papers it is important that
1. the topic has been understood and seen in the right context;
2. the argumentation is clear and coherent, and does not contradict itself;
3. secondary literature has been correctly understood and is correctly reproduced or
summarized. All sources, primary and secondary, must be properly identified.
In general students are further expected to
4. give a critical assessment of the literature in question;
5. give, or at least attempt, analyses of their own. The overall voice should be your own. Do
not “cut and paste” (Plagiarism) or provide a patchwork of quotations.
1.2 Expression
The paper should be written in clear and logical English, avoiding redundancy and
unnecessary repetition. It is advisable to use suitable dictionaries and/or a thesaurus, perhaps
also a grammar or usage manual. Before the paper is handed in, it should be thoroughly
checked and, if possible, proofread by someone else. We suggest that you google expressions
(“language chunks”) you are not sure of (use inverted commas, check carefully who uses
these expressions).
1.3 Length
Papers should be typed using a normal-sized type (12pt recommended) and “1½” spacing,
leaving a generous margin2 for corrections and comments. Junior Seminar papers
(Proseminararbeiten) should generally be about 10 — 15 pages, Senior Seminar papers
(Hauptseminararbeiten) about 15 — 20 pages long. For BA and MA, as well Magisterarbeit
and Staatsexamensarbeit the respective format and length is stipulated in the exam
regulations. The pages should be numbered. Papers should as a rule be submitted in print.
Some teaching staff require them to be submitted in electronic form as well.3
2 Structure
2.1 Title page
The title page should give the following information:
about you: your name, matriculation number, address & e-mail address, the subjects you are
studying...