Guidelines for academic assessments: For BA & MA Students at CeMIS
These guidelines are designed to make your work easier and clearer, and to ensure that a common style is used. All submitted written course work at CeMIS should follow these guidelines, unless your lecturer specifies otherwise. Before starting an assignment, it is a good idea to check through these guidelines, especially to ensure you complete the three key steps.
NOTE: B.A. & M.A. theses follow special guidelines. Please discuss these with your supervisor and/or with Study Coordinator Dr. Michael Dickhardt (Email).
Three key steps
1.Before you start the course:
Check that you are eligible to complete that module (make sure you have not already completed it).
2.Before the end of the semester:
Register for the exam/assessment on FlexNow before the deadline (we recommend registering as early as possible). For details: BA students, see Prüfungen; MA students, see “Exam Regulations”.
3. When handing in your completed work:
+ Generate the Compulsory declaration (Selbststädigkeitserklärung) from FlexNow. Insert and sign it on your work.
+ Ensure that your assignment meets all the formal requirements. See the Final Checklist at the bottom of this page .
Length of an assignment
Your lecturer will tell you the exact expected length of an assignment. As a rough guide, however:
+ Essays are typically up to six pages
+ Papers (Hausarbeiten) are typically 10-15 for BA students, and up to 20 pages for MA students
+ Portfolios are typically 15-20 pages.
Remember, these lengths are based on the strict formatting guidelines set out below.
Tip: From the outset, set your writing software to the formatting guidelines so you can track how much you have written, and as even minor changes to spacing, font size, and margins can have a major impact on length.
Composition of an essay, paper or portfolio
1. Cover sheet
2. Table of contents
3. Text
4. References
5. Compulsory declaration: To be generated in FlexNow during the registration process
6. Anything else specified by the lecturer
We recommend going through the final checklist below before handing in your assignment.
Cover sheet
The title sheet can be completed in German (B.A) or English (B.A. and M.A.), and must follow this format:
English (BA or MA)
University of Göttingen
Centre for Modern Indian Studies
Faculty (e.g. Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Economic Sciences)
Semester
Module (what are you completing it for), name of the seminar/lecture programme
Name of lecturer
Title of the paper
Date you handed it in
Your name, matriculation number (number of your student ID card)
Email address (and contact telephone number if you wish)
BA or MA programme majors (e.g. BA in Moderne Indienstudien & Ethnologie), which semester you are in (e.g. 6th Semester)
Deutsch (BA)
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Centre for Modern Indian Studies
Fakultät (z.B. Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Philosophische Fakultät)
Semester
Modulbezeichnung/Teilmodul, Titel des Seminars
SeminarleiterIn
Titel der Arbeit
Name des Verfassers/der Verfasserin, Matrikelnummer
Datum der Abgabe
E-Mail (und Tel. Nr., wenn du möchtest)
Fächerkombination, Anzahl der Fachsemester
Table of contents / Inhaltsverzeichnis
Papers should have a table of contents. The table of contents provides the reader with a good structural overview of your paper.
The table of contents should follow a format like this:
English
1. Introduction
2. Section
- 2.1 Sub-section
- 2.2 Sub-section
- 2.3 Sub-section
3. Section
- 3.1 Sub-section
- 3.2 Sub-section
- 3.3 Sub-section
4. Section
- 4.1 Sub-section
- 4.2 Sub-section
- 4.3 Sub-section
5. Conclusion
Deutsch
1. Einleitung
2. Punkt
- 2.1 Unterpunkt
- 2.2 Unterpunkt
- 2.3 Unterpunkt
3. Punkt
- 3.1 Unterpunkt
- 3.2 Unterpunkt
- 3.3 Unterpunkt
4. Punkt
- 4.1 Unterpunkt
- 4.2 Unterpunkt
- 4.3 Unterpunkt
5. Schluss/Fazit
Tip: Most writing programmes (e.g. Word, Open Office) can be set to automatically create a table of contents.
Formatting
+ (Body) Font: Times New Roman
+ Size: 12 point
+ Line spacing: 1.5
+ Block text (with hyphens)
+ Margins right/left, 2.5cm; above and below, 2 cm.
+ Page numbers (bottom right-hand-corner)
+ Footnotes: Times New Roman; 10 point
References / Literaturverzeichnis
It is likely your lecturer will expect you to use a specific style of referencing. Please check that with them.
If not, The Chicago Manual of Style is usually a good choice. The full manual is available for reference in several university libraries, including the SUB.
A guide to different referencing styles can be found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab or on the University of Wisconsin's writing website.
Most importantly, whatever style you do use, you must use it consistently throughout.
To make referencing easier, to save time, and to ensure it is correct and consistent, we strongly recommend using a software like Citavi (German only, campus license) or Zotero (freeware). The SUB offers regular training courses (in German) in both Citavi and Zotero. CeMIS also organizes English language courses for new students. To find out more, contact Dr Michael Dickhardt.
Compulsory declaration / Eigenständigkeitserklärung
This compulsory declaration must be included, signed and dated as the final page of written assignments, either in German or English. It is generated and to be copied when you register for the exam/assessment on FlexNow.
Final checklist
Before submitting your paper, it is worth checking the following.
Have I done a complete final proof for
+ grammar
+ spelling
+ typos
+ references
+ style consistency
+ formatting
References
Are they:
+ complete?
+ correct?
+ Consistent (style)?
Style consistency
Please follow the guidelines determined by each lecturer:
+ spelling (American or British)
+ spelling of people’s names or foreign-language words
+ numbers (tip: most guides write zero to ten as words, 11 and above as numbers)
+ dates and days
+ common inconsistencies like percent, per cent or %, kilometres or kms or km or kilometers
In terms of style, the main thing is normally to be consistent.
Is all the formatting correct & consistent?
+ is my paper the correct length when formatted correctly?!
+ headings, subheadings
+ quotations
+ footnotes
+ font size and style
+ line spacing
+ margin settings
+ pages numbered
Have I included all of the following, and are they in the correct order:
1. Cover sheet
2. Table of contents
3. Text
4. References
5. Compulsory declaration
6. Anything else specified by the lecturer
Submitting your written course work
All written course work is to be submitted electronically. If a lecturer requests, as a print copy also. If you are unsure, double-check. Lecturers may request the electronic version via email, or over Stud.IP.
Download checklist as Word document