Guidelines for the Preparation of Academic Papers
at the Professorship for Corporate Environmental Management and Sustainability
These guidelines contain the specific directives for academic papers at the Department of Business Administration - Corporate Environmental Economics and Sustainability (BUÖN). It serves as a supplement to the established guidelines for the preparation of academic papers within Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at the Faculty of Economics. The study and examination regulations of the respective programs, as currently in force, are decisive for the preparation of an academic paper at the Department of Business Administration - BUÖN.
Please familiarize yourself IN ADVANCE with the respective requirements (including processing time, page count, presentation, etc.). If you have any uncertainties, please do not hesitate to contact the BUÖN team.
i) Aim and Structure of Academic Papers
Aim
- Scientific papers focus on a problem, raise specific questions, address objectives, and demonstrate a solution-oriented approach.
- These aspects are briefly elucidated at the outset of the paper. The aim is to investigate the raised questions thoroughly, comprehensively, and reflectively using appropriate scientific methodology.
- Relevant aspects of the research question should be considered as a guiding principle and presented in meaningful, intersubjectively comprehensible chains of argumentation.
- You are writing the paper at the Professorship for Corporate Environmental Management and Sustainability.
- Please clarify the concept of sustainability/sustainable development/development towards sustainability and establish a clear connection to your research question or topic.
Sustainability addresses a value understanding in dealing with resources, people, animals, plants, and nature, as well as cycles in the present and the future. The evolution towards sustainability encompasses a value stance regarding a balance of ecological, social, and economic principles and goals. The principles of sustainable development involve shaping human systems while considering ecological and social carrying capacities and scientific principles. The Earth's ecosystems must remain intact in their assimilation, buffering, and regenerative capacities to enable life and human economies in the long term. This includes the creation of socially resilient structures and economically more robust systems. Sustainability-oriented value creation must produce quality, be geared towards long life and usage phases, and induce a shift in consumption patterns. This also requires a realignment of economic principles.
Economics should present new visions for a more sustainable world.
Criteria of Scientific Quality
Adhere to the criteria of scientific work (e.g., Flick, 2010):
- Relevance to the Subject Matter: Appropriate selection and adequate representation of data collection, sampling, and selection methods.
- Intersubjective Comprehensibility: Transparency regarding the research project, design, method application - thus, throughout the entire research process.
- Consensual Validation: Researchers should avoid expressing personal opinions in the choice and application of methods as well as in the presentation of results.
- Scope: Specification of the theoretical relevance of the research, the generalizations made, and the extent to which they are free from contradictions.
Structure
Scientific papers are generally structured as follows:
- Introduction
- Main Body (Content, Theory, Methodology, etc.)
- Conclusion
The approach to problem-solving should be mentioned in the introduction and described in the section/subsection Methodology. There should always be at least two subheadings on the sublevel (e.g., 1.1., 1.2., etc.). Each subheading should fill at least ¾ of the page with content.
Sources
- Depending on the topic and level of innovation of the work, sources should be appropriately considered.
- Rule of thumb: two new sources per page.
- Written sources should be listed separately from internet sources in the bibliography.
Length
- The length depends on the type and regulations of the study/examination. Please refer to your respective study and examination regulations. If flexibility is allowed, 13-18 pages of text excluding directories should be submitted for a seminar paper.
ii) Methods: Literature Review and empirical studies
Utilize diverse sources for academic work and read literature on methodology!
Literature review
Systematic literature review connects existing knowledge in a research field with the aim of meaningfully integrating and synthesizing this knowledge and the state of research. Systematic literature review enables:
(a) an overview of the development and current state of research,
(b) linking various research fields and highlighting points of connection and conceptual differences,
(c) identifying inconsistencies or deficiencies in previous studies,
(d) evaluating existing theories, concepts, methods, etc., based on criteria and generating new insights,
(e) developing new models and concepts to connect and expand existing ones,
(f) formulating existing research gaps and the necessity for future research, etc.
It is recommended to present the literature search in a tabular format according to databases, years/time periods, media, topics, hits, etc. Clear transparency regarding the inclusion and exclusion of literature (including language) is necessary. Only then will the framework of your analysis become clear. See also here and here.
Empircal studies
Clearly outline your scientific approach and transparently present all steps (location, time, participants, case selection, etc.). Describe your chosen research design, data collection techniques, and analysis methods clearly and based on the scientific quality criteria outlined above. Utilize tables – as illustrated below – for this purpose.
| Qualitative | as well as | Quantitativ |
|---|---|---|
| Research designs | ||
| Individual case analysis | Document analysis |
Experiment |
| Field research | Action research | Survey |
| Grounded Theory | Evaluation research | Correlation study |
| Survey techniques | ||
| Narrative interviews | Observation | Counting |
| Group discussion | Questionnaire | Measurements |
| Guidelined interviews | ||
| Evaluation procedures | ||
| Objective hermeneutics | Coding | Univariate und multivariate Deskriptivstatistik |
| Grounded Theory | Qualitative content analysis | Interference statistics |
Please always coordinate your cover letter, questionnaire, and empirical approach with your supervisor before commencing the empirical survey.
iii) Formatting and Layout
Font
- Font style: Times New Roman, Arial (or a similar proportional font)
- Please choose a font style for body text, figures, headers and footers, as well as for footnotes and footnote marks, etc.
- Font size in body text 11 or 12 pt; in footnotes always two points smaller.
Spacing
- Line spacing in body text 1.5 lines; single spacing in footnotes
- Left page margin 2.5 cm
Verb Tenses
- Usual verb tenses include present, past, perfect, and future.
Citation
- Citation style must be consistent (either American or German citation, but consistently uniform).
- Footnotes are numbered sequentially.
Principles of Good Scientific Practice
- The principles of good scientific practice apply.
- Correct citation and the indication of intellectual property of others, as well as correct scientific work, are the main features of scientific work.
- Identify text elements generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence, e.g., Chat GPT, etc.) and verify these statements. Protect yourself and your work from misinformation.
- All works are checked for plagiarism. If plagiarism is detected, neither independent scientific work nor the criteria for good scientific work are fulfilled, and the work will be evaluated as not passed (the presence of plagiarism or false and non-citations are a knock-out criterion).
Figures and Tables
- All figures and tables must be captioned.
- External figures must always be provided with source references.
- Separate lists must be created for figures and tables.
- The contents of the figures and tables should be addressed in the body text.
Gender & Diversity
- Explicitly consider gender and diversity in your work (avoid reductionist formulations!).
- We recommend using the gender asterisk based on the Federal Conference of Women's and Equal Opportunities Officers at Universities e.V. (source).
- Additionally, utilize the following information: Gender- and Diversity-Sensitive Communication in Language and Image
Data Protection/Cover Page
Please only provide your student ID number on the cover page regarding your personal data. Please specify the second examiner on the cover page of the theses.
Submission
- Seminar papers are submitted as PDF.
- The number of printed copies to be submitted for theses depends on the respective examination regulations.
- Theses (Bachelor/Master/Diploma) must be submitted in bound form as well as in digital form (PDF or Word format via email).
- Print on both sides (this saves paper).
- Each written copy of the scientific work must be accompanied by a sworn declaration (form for all courses of study at the Faculty of Economics).
Literature
Flick, U. (2010). Gütekriterien qualitativer Forschung. In: Mey, G. & Mruck, K. (Hrsg.). Handbuch Qualitative Forschung in der Psychologie. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, S. 391-403.
Müller, M. & Haeger, K. S. (2010). Qualitative Sozialforschung. Studienbrief für den weiterbildenden internetgestützten Studiengang Business Administration in kleineren und mittleren Unternehmen. Oldenburg: o.V.
E-Learnings der Bib: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/ub/kurse-und-e-learning/elearning/studierende/ikonline.html & https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/ub/kurse-und-e-learning/elearning/schueler/lena/
