Uni-Day
From school, from training or from your job to university: You have certainly written a lot, but probably less scientific texts.
In the course of your studies, also in mathematics and science courses, you will write various scientific texts, e.g. papers, technical reports, project work and your final thesis. As examination formats, these carry great weight with regard to your academic success and also prepare you for the demands of your profession. In a humanities program, you will complete an average of one to three writing assignments each semester; in STEM programs, you will probably complete slightly fewer.
But don't worry, even if you're expected to do a lot of writing in your studies, or if writing has been rather difficult for you so far: scientific writing is a tool of the trade and can be learned - and even "learned by doing", i.e. while you write.
Table of contents
Never heard of a writing center at a university or can't really imagine, "other than writing there," how a writing center can support you? Then check out this short video:
Accessibility Note: detailed video description to read and have read aloud at https://tud.link/25u4
Learning to write scientifically - step by step
During your studies, you will get to know scientific writing and work better semester after semester, and you will develop your skills semester after semester. Just as in art, no master has fallen from the sky. And to take another look at the proverbial box: Many roads lead to Rome - or to scientific writing and work.
Even if, for example, you already wrote a term paper in school and had no problems with it, your scientific writing style will surely change during your studies and you will find new ways to make your way in science and find your writing and working style. If you are looking for support, you can always contact the Writing Center of the TU Dresden. We offer you support e.g. in a personal writing consultation, in workshops and with different materials like in the Infothek on our website. (Technical note: In order to open the links in a new window or tab, please open them by right-clicking with the mouse button and "Open link in new tab/window").
What type of writer are you?
Many school texts, especially in exam situations, are written ad hoc, "out of the moment," with little revision. In studies it is different: A scientific text needs different revision phases. You can find out what these are in the FAQ on this page.
Even though there is a typical workflow for scientific writing, there are different types or strategies for writing and developing the text content:
- Some do thorough research in advance, think about exactly what they want to write before the first sentences, and then revise the content less;
- Others write first, then do more in-depth research and revise their content thoroughly on the draft text.
Both are perfectly fine, because both ways lead to the goal. If you want to find out which type of writer you are, think about the last text you wrote and answer the questions in the following quizzes:
Writing Type Test I
To open the test in a new window, please right-click and select "Open link in new tab/window". Unfortunately, we can offer this test only in German: Selbsttest: Schreibtypentest "Struktur schaffend oder folgend?" (kurz, online über ONYX ohne Anmeldung)
Writing Type Test II
To open the test in a new window, please right-click and select "Open link in new tab/window": Gold Digger, Squirrel, Adventurer, Decathlete? (unfortunately only in German; works only in Internet Explorer; on the website of the Frankfurt Writing Center)
Note: One person rarely matches exactly one type, and you can try out the different types and their writing styles in the course of your writing and study to find out how you work best.
Our colleagues from the Frankfurt Writing Center explain the different types in this video on YouTube:
FAQ - typical questions and first answers
As said, scientific writing and work can be learned, and that's what your studies are for, too. An overview of different methods you can use to develop and write your scientific texts can be found in "Jump-Start your Writing" (PDF). (Technical note: In order to open the PDF in a new window or tab, please open it by right-clicking your mouse and selecting "Open link in new tab/window").
Answers to questions that many students have at the beginning of their studies can be found in this FAQ:
The writing process on a scientific writing project is very complex, due in part to the variety of tasks that must be accomplished. The actual writing is only part of it. Researching and reading are just as much a part of it as planning beforehand and revising at the end. You can find an overview of the phases of scientific work and writing in our handout on the overview of work phases with the "Writing Dragon".
It is up to you to decide how you want to organize these individual steps. Some work through one phase after the other in a structured way, while others jump back and forth in a ping-pong style, for example because new research has resulted from reading. The important thing is to be aware of each of these steps or phases and schedule time for them accordingly. Not sure yet what type of writer you are? The writing type test can help you with this question.
Literature tips
Esselborn-Krumbiegel, Helga: Von der Idee zum Text. Eine Anleitung zum wissenschaftlichen Schreiben, Paderborn 2008. S. 16 – 23. (Kapitel: Phasen der Textproduktion)
For the daily writing time there is the recommendation: No more than four hours, because normally the effectiveness decreases strongly after that. However, such guidelines underestimate the fact that performance varies from person to person. It is much more important to reflect on one's own way of working than to stick to a given time. Questions that should be addressed in any case are:
- Do I work better in the morning or in the evening?
- What does my personal performance curve look like? (Tip: For most people, the low point is sometime between 12 and 4 p.m.
- At what time of the day do I have the least or no disruptions?
A very decisive and fundamental question that tends to fall by the wayside is: When do I write and when do I not? This already hints at something that is also very important: scheduling breaks! Working according to the Pomodoro technique helps you to take regular breaks. In this handout from our Infothek, we show you how the Pomodoro technique works.
Literature tips
Esselborn-Krumbiegel, Helga: Von der Idee zum Text. Eine Anleitung zum wissenschaftlichen Schreiben, Paderborn 2008. S. 24 – 29. (Kapitel: Die Zeitschiene)
Rost, Friedrich: Lern- und Arbeitstechniken für das Studium, Wiesbaden 2004. S. 101 – 113. (Kapitel: (Zeit-)Planung und effizientes Arbeiten)
First of all: Yes, there is. Many scientific texts may give the impression that their information content is packed into a strict linguistic corset, so that there is no place for a linguistic style of one's own in science. However, the linguistic norms are not that strict. This is simply due to the different ways of working in different disciplines and cultural circles. It is important to realize that as an author you are entering into a dialogue with the research community. The text is therefore intended to convey knowledge to others, which creates a communication process. This follows some principles, namely that of exactness, unambiguity, and neutrality or objectivity. If you adhere to these principles, which provide the framework, you can give your own text your own touch and develop your own personal scientific style. Be sure to discuss this with your lecturer.
Literature tips
Auer, Peter und Baßler, Hager (Hrsg.): Reden und schreiben in der Wissenschaft, Frankfurt am Main 2007. S. 9 – 29. (Kapitel: Der Stil der Wissenschaft)
Esselborn-Krumbiegel, Helga: Richtig wissenschaftlich schreiben, Paderborn 2010. S. 11 – 22 . (Kapitel: Grundlagen wissenschaftlicher Sprache)
A good research question summarizes the goal of a scientific paper in a concise and comprehensible way. In it, the author formulates his or her interest in knowledge and delimits the topic under discussion. In this way, it offers both the reader and the writer a tangible point of orientation and guides the reader through the usually very extensive subject matter with which the paper deals.
One method that can help you develop a good research question is the three-step approach.
An essential principle of scientific work is that of comprehensibility. Foreign thoughts are desired and also necessary for one's own argumentation. However, they must also be marked as such and thus clearly distinguishable from one's own. Text passages that are not marked as a quotation are attributed to oneself. If you take over the thoughts of other authors without making this clear, you are claiming other people's property as your own and thus committing intellectual theft.
further information (in German):
Göttert, Karl-Heinz: Kleine Schreibschule für Studierende, München 2002. S. 35 – 39. (Kapitel: Zitate und Fußnoten)
Überblick über gängige Begriffe und Abkürzungen auf dem Citavi-Blog
Link zu YouTube: Warum zitieren wir? Ein Erklärfilm des Bibliothekertags 2017.
Auer, Peter und Baßler, Hager (Hrsg.): Reden und schreiben in der Wissenschaft, Frankfurt am Main 2007.
Esselborn-Krumbiegel, Helga: Von der Idee zum Text. Eine Anleitung zum wissenschaftlichen Schreiben, Paderborn 2008.
Esselborn-Krumbiegel, Helga: Richtig wissenschaftlich schreiben, Paderborn 2010.
Göttert, Karl-Heinz: Kleine Schreibschule für Studierende, München 2002.
Rost, Friedrich: Lern- und Arbeitstechniken für das Studium, Wiesbaden 2004.
The Writing Center of the TU Dresden (SZD) is the central contact point around academic writing. The SZD supports students and lecturers, among other things, with offers for planning and writing various texts in studies such as vouchers, protocols, seminar papers and theses, and for teaching academic writing in teaching and supervision.
All information about further offers and possibilities of support, also especially for the online semester, can be found on the website of the Writing Center.
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