210012 PS BAK3: Introduction to Scientific Work (2023W)

Do you find information quickly on Google? Before visiting a new place, do you usually read reviews? Do you enjoy reading social media threads that contain exciting information? Have you found ChatGPT to be your Oracle when exploring novel topics or ideas? How well can you distinguish fact-checked information on Twitter from fake news? Are you into journaling? In a few words, do you have a curious mind?

All of these are signs of useful skills that could be transferred to academic research and writing, a.k.a. “scientific work” (Wissenschaftliche Arbeit). In this introductory seminar, we will refine those skills and combine them with new ones. These will be of central importance not only for your entire course of study but also for your future professional and academic life. Main scientific research and techniques principles will be introduced and discussed, and diverse scientific texts addressed. The goal of the course is to help you to acquire basic skills for comprehending and processing scientific material. You will also work with and organize sources, and become familiar with scientific research steps and writing processes. Additionally, you will learn how to formulate research questions in order to develop a research proposal and, most importantly at this stage, a literature review on the topic of your choice.

Students are encouraged to regularly check the Moodle platform and official e-mails of the University of Vienna for up-to-date adjustments to this course (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic).