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How to Write a Thesis in 2 Weeks: A 7-Step Emergency Plan

Need to write your 10,000 word thesis in 2 weeks? Oh dear! Well, let’s quickly figure out a solution.

Since you don’t have much time, the next 15 minutes of reading should be enough.

In this video, you’ll get personal emergency coaching consisting of 7 steps.

If you follow these steps one after the other in the given time, you still have a chance to submit your thesis in 2 weeks without failing.

Disclaimer Before we start, here’s a 10-second disclaimer:

I would never, ever recommend letting it come to this. If you’re only giving yourself 2 weeks for your thesis or final paper, you’ll have your reasons. These reasons are none of my business and are entirely your own.

If your goal is to excel intellectually in your thesis and get a top grade, then this video is not for you—in that case, you should check out my other tutorials.

This article is for you if you just want to get your thesis onto paper as quickly as possible—and pass.

So, let’s get to work.

#1 Lower Expectations and Drastically Increase Priority

The first question that comes to mind in such a situation is this:

Is it even possible to write a 10,000 word thesis in 2 weeks?

Of course, it’s possible.

It is even possible without any dirty tricks, plagiarism, or a Red Bull poisoning.

But only under certain conditions.

Lower Your Expectations to Zero

The first condition is to accept the situation and eliminate your expectations of a good grade or anything else. Approach the situation stoically and do your best to show yourself that you don’t give up.

That you don’t throw in the towel but make the best of the situation.

Visualize that you fail this thesis and accept that too.

This shouldn’t lead you to half-hearted action in the 2 weeks you have left. Rather, these 2 weeks are your chance to take on the challenge.

Now you can intensively train how to write a thesis in 2 weeks.

And if a second attempt comes, you won’t have to start from scratch.

Treat Your Thesis as Priority Number 1

Whether you can write a thesis in 2 weeks doesn’t depend on whether you can write well or are blessed with other talents. What decides now is your time management.

If you don’t make your thesis your top priority, it will be very difficult.

If you really want a chance, then your thesis must be the only thing you focus on now.

(Besides your health, but more on that later)

Make a contract with yourself and signal to your environment that you will be unavailable for a short time as usual. Put your phone in the fridge in the morning and don’t get it out until after work.

(Please don’t actually put it in the fridge, put it in a drawer.)

#2 Your Research Strategy for a Thesis in 2 Weeks

Enough of the admonishing words, now let’s move on to the substantive strategy for your daring venture.

The first strategic decision you must make concerns your research strategy.

What do I mean by that?

Basically, your research question and the method you want to use to address it.

Scientific papers in social sciences, but also beyond, can be divided into empirical and non-empirical works.

Why No Empirical Thesis?

For an empirical research design, you need qualitative or quantitative data that you collect through a survey or interviews and then analyze.

I would advise you, if you can make this decision yourself, to not pursue an empirical research design in this situation.

Not because it’s more difficult or time-consuming than a conceptual or literature-based work.

The reason is that you depend on other people.

You need to get people to fill out your survey or give you an interview.

Any situation in which you rely on others should be avoided if you want to write a thesis in 2 weeks.

Last Resort: A Literature-Based Thesis?

The only scenario in which an empirical research design makes sense is if you have already collected the data or have been provided with it.

Or any other case where you completely control the implementation of your methods, such as a simulation.

Bachelor thesis in 2 weeks

So, ask yourself what dependencies you have in your strategy and eliminate them all.

If you don’t have data available, you’re left with a literature-based thesis.

You can write a review for which you collect your “data” in the form of scientific articles.

The good thing about it is that you can decide for yourself how quickly you get your literature.

What types of reviews there are and what the literature collection looks like, you’ll learn in my tutorial on how to write a literature review.

Not all supervisers would expect you to write a critical review or a systematic review in a 10,000 word thesis.

Your thesis can also address a research question that you answer with an unstructured analysis of literature.

However, I would recommend choosing a recognized review strategy and implementing it step-by-step.

The advantage is that you can refer to one or two methodology articles that explain exactly how to proceed.

All you have to do is follow the instructions.

So you don’t have to waste thoughts on how to structure your thesis or what your research question should look like.

Everything is predetermined, and you save valuable time and energy.

If you choose the research strategy of a standalone literature review, you don’t need to feel bad about writing a thesis that is less valuable than an empirical one.

The synthesis of literature is an important part of scientific practice and can lead to great results!

#3 Set Up a Work Plan to Write Your Thesis in 2 Weeks

The next step in your emergency plan is a strict time allocation. Since every minute counts, you must work with sharp deadlines that you keep for yourself.

To not make it unnecessarily complicated, I suggest dividing the remaining time into three equal thirds.

Bachelor thesis in 2 weeks 2

1. Data Collection (first third)

2. Data Analysis (second third)

3. Text Production (third third)

Assuming you have 2 weeks available, you have 4 days and a few hours per third. Set the deadline for each third in the calendar and stick to it.

This way, you also have a sense of achievement every 4 days that motivates you to keep going.

Now let’s focus on each specific third and what you need to do.

#4 Data Collection (First Third)

For simplicity, let’s assume you’ve chosen a systematic literature review as your research approach.

Literature Search & Screening (Day 1)

On this day, your goal is to gather all the literature you need. Define your search key words and databases and try to land somewhere between 100 and 500 hits.

Once you’ve collected all the hits based on your keywords, the screening follows in the second half of the day. Now read the titles and abstracts and sort out.

If you end up somewhere between 20 and 30 relevant articles, that’s OK.

If you’re below that, keep searching through forward and backward search. You’ll learn what that is in my other tutorial on literature reviews.

Read, Read, Read (Day 2 and Day 3)

Now make yourself comfortable somewhere where you’re undisturbed and read your 20-30 relevant articles.

No one said you can’t have fun with your turbo thesis. So go to your favorite place and start reading. You can’t get around reading. Because without input, no output. The more you read on these days, the easier text production will be later on.

Collect text passages for indirect and direct quotes in an excerpt table.

How to set it up, you’ll learn in my tutorial on how to write an excerpt, where you also get a template for a table to start with right away.

Literature Management (Day 4)

Load all your relevant articles into your literature management tool (e.g., Mendeley or Zotero) and check if all metadata are correctly entered.

If not, supplement them for each article. If you have additional literature that you already know from your studies, add it and check the meta data of those.

If your thesis has about plus or minus 10% as many references as pages required, then you’re in a good range regarding the length of your reference list.

For a literature review, you can rather assume plus 10%.

Don’t skip the steps with literature management, because at the end of text production, you can generate your bibliography with one click and save valuable time.

If you still have time left, continue reading your 20-30 relevant articles.

Bachelor thesis in 2 weeks 3

#5 Data Analysis (Second Third)

The next 4 days you’ll be busy with data analysis. You’re preparing everything for the results and discussion section of your thesis here.

Analysis (Day 5-7)

For a qualitative evaluation of literature, as is the case with a most review types, the analysis mainly consists of coding.

This is nothing more than forming abstract categories based on your material, which consists of your 20-30 relevant articles. You can find plenty of tutorials on coding techniques on my channel.

The goal now is to form categories that summarize the contents of all your relevant articles. That’s now your task.

No matter which method you follow, empirical, literature-based, programming, design science – watch how the pros do it and follow their structure.

Scientific papers always follow the same blueprint. You just need to recognize the blueprint that is right for your thesis, adopt it, and fill it with your own content.

It’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel. On the contrary: Your supervisors want to recognize a blueprint that is common in their research discipline.

Creating Figures and Tables (Day 8)

Create a figure for your methodology section that reflects your data collection.

In the findings section, add tables that summarize your literature analysis.

For the discussion section, add a table or figure that abstracts your results (which are the categories you have built) and provide a small theoretical contribution (e.g., organize the categories in a small framework).

Again, I can only recommend that you take an example from existing research papers.

It is important that you create all your figures yourself and insert them in high resolution into your thesis. No pixels!

Detailed tutorials on writing methodology chapters, a findings and discussion section can be found on my channel or my online course.

Check out the video description for more info.

#6 Text Production (Third Third)

The last third is dedicated to text production. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that you haven’t written anything yet.

In the first and second thirds, you laid the foundation for what you’re writing about. If you start writing on day 1, you write into the blue without knowing where the journey is going.

Normally, I would recommend not starting with the introduction. In this case, however, you have already done all the preliminary work and can “write from the top.”

Open your literature management software and your excerpts from the first third and get started.

  • Introduction and Background Section (Day 9)
  • Methodology and Findings (Day 10)
  • Discussion and Conclusion (Day 11)
  • Revision (Day 12)

On day 12, you start again with the introduction and revise all chapters so that they are linked to each other.

Use the same terms, add references where you need more evidence, and check where you can make grammar improvements.

If you’ve been counting, this emergency plan leaves 2 days left.

At least one day is a buffer for formatting. After all, you still have to create your reference list, maybe an appendix, proofread and print your work, prepare a digital submission, and so on.

The last remaining day is your joker. Save it as long as possible and use it for unforeseen emergencies that are more important than this stupid thesis.

If everything goes well and you still have the joker day after completing the second third, then use it for a break. Which brings us to the last point of the video.

#7 Mental and Physical Health Management

As stressful as it may sound to want to write a thesis in 2 weeks – a 10,000 word thesis is by no means more important than your health.

You can simply write it again and failing is not bad at all. Who cares?

Only go through such a sprint, as I have described it, if you feel physically and mentally fit. If you’re already at your limit, then listen to your body and don’t make it worse.

Your health always has priority number 1, because if it’s out of balance, then you won’t enjoy a passed thesis anyway.

Since this emergency plan requires full days of work, I recommend planning them intelligently.

Work with 90-minute deep work sessions and take breaks in between.

In the middle of the day, I recommend a longer break. Go running or to go to the gym – after that you can continue fresh.

In the evening, set a limit that you don’t exceed. So that you still have enough time to wind down and don’t get less than 8 hours of sleep.

Try not to rely too much on junk food and caffeine, but on food that supplies your brain as best as possible.

Over a period of 2 weeks, it makes a big difference what fuel you give your body.

And now stop procrastinating and get started – time is ticking!

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Scientific Writing

How to Write an Excerpt: Unraveling Complex Texts

Mastering how to write an excerpt can turbocharge your academic writing.

After sifting through all the online databases and looking for papers, you’re often left with a daunting pile of references.

Some of these are dense giants, packed with complex ideas that seem impenetrable at first glance.

Fear not! In this article, I will show you how to efficiently break down those texts, pulling out the golden nuggets of information, arguments, and key passages essential for your own essay or thesis.

At the end of the article, I will provide you with a ready-to-use table template, which will help you navigate through your literature review and make your academic writing so much easier.

#1 What Is an Excerpt?

The term “excerpt” originates from Latin and means “extract.” In a figurative sense, you are pulling all the important information from the text you wish to excerpt.

However, an excerpt is not limited to information alone. Depending on your intention, you can also extract argumentation patterns, specific linguistic features, or other elements you are looking for.

The goal is always the systematic simplification and summary of the original text.

You can write excerpts from factual texts, newspaper articles, and even Donald Trump’s Twitter feed. Typically, however, this technique is applied in the context of academic literature. For this reason, we will stick to this example in this tutorial.

how to write an excerpt shribe

#2 Why Should You Write an Excerpt?

From my perspective, writing an excerpt has three advantages.

#1 Overview

By excerpting the central texts underlying your academic work, you can take an abstract look at these works. You understand the differences between authors, how views and definitions vary. You can juxtapose and contrast the original sources to argue more effectively.

Especially when writing a literature review, a selection of excerpts can provide the necessary depth to make it outstanding. Often, I see literature reviews that only scratch the surface. They simply string together summaries of single studies, which is NOT what you want to do in a good literature review.

But if you have produced rich excerpts, you can interconnect the references and independently argue how this literature forms the basis for your academic work.

#2 Understanding

Another obvious advantage of excerpts is the increased understanding of the text. If you are faced with challenging foundational literature written decades ago by the giants of your research discipline, these are often not easy to digest.

An excerpt breaks down a text and reveals its central statements. What remained hidden to you through passive reading is now visible.

Thus, during the text production of your own work, you will have much less trouble using your own words and, moreover, you can eloquently talk and discuss the texts at any time.

#3 Cataloguing

Writing excerpts also helps to make your selection of literature searchable and readily available. Imagine creating your own little database.

You will likely not write just one academic paper during your studies.

With a catalogue of excerpts that continuously grows, you can access an ever-increasing treasure trove of knowledge with each paper you read.

#3 Excerpting with a Table

The excerpting technique I recommend involves using a table. This table ensures that your excerpts are standardized, which later helps in retrieving them more easily.

Additionally, the table serves as a guide for the steps you need to take to write a complete excerpt.

Digital or Analog?

Before we proceed to the table, you need to make an important decision. Do you want to excerpt using pen and paper, or would you prefer to go digital?

If you’ve been following my channel for a while, you’ll know that I favor the digital approach. Handwritten excerpts cannot be automatically searched, and you cannot easily copy and paste text from the excerpt into your paper.

Moreover, you’ll know that I strongly recommend using literature management software. If you use software like Zotero, for example, you can also manage your excerpts with it, keeping everything in one place.

Furthermore, if you want the ability to work on your academic papers from anywhere in the world, then the digital option is superior to the handwritten one.

But this decision is entirely up to you.

The Excerpt Table

For the actual technique, it doesn’t matter whether you proceed digitally or analog. The table I recommend works for both approaches.

And this is what it looks like:

how to write an excerpt

If you’d like to save yourself a few seconds of work, you can download the excerpting table in Word format here:

Excerpt-tableDownload

#4 In 4 Steps to a Complete Excerpt

Now we start with the actual excerpting process, which I have divided into 4 steps.

#1 Understand the Context

Read the text in its entirety first.

If you read a research paper, you can skim through the parts that are not relevant to you right now.

The goal is to get a complete picture of the without being interrupted too often. Here, you can roughly estimate into how many and what kind of thought sections the text is divided. Often, paragraphs and subheadings can also be of help.

#2 Set Goals

Before you can write your excerpt, you need to be clear about what you are looking for. It may be that your text is only relevant in a few places for you and your academic work. This could be because you are investigating a highly focused research question that only requires certain parts of the source as a basis.

Here are a few example questions an excerpt can answer for you:

  • How is term X defined?
  • What is the author’s stance on topic Y?
  • What is the current state of research on topic Z?

Questions, direct quotes, information – what are you looking for? Sometimes you pick up a text because you are looking for a definition of a term. In other cases, it’s because you want to understand a complicated scientific theory.

Therefore, always create your excerpts with your intention in mind and not aimlessly.

#3 Write the Excerpt

Now you fill out the table. Let’s do this with a simple example. For your academic work, you are looking for a definition of the term “Fake News.”

On the far left, you enter the scientific source you are consulting.

Then, enter the topic in the second column. In the third column, you now collect text passages. This approach is best suited here, since you would most likely incorporate a definition as a direct quote into your work.

In the rightmost column, you have space for notes that are important for you and your work. Here, I often write down ideas and problems that come to mind while reading.

This is how your excerpting table could look:

how to write an excerpt 2

#4 Summarize

If you had another goal, for example, regarding understanding, then you could also summarize important passages from your source in your own words in the third column.

Feel free to extract both from the texts, i.e., text passages suitable for direct quotes and summaries in your own words.

Both will assist you later in paraphrasing when you are in the process of text production. Here you can find more on the topic of paraphrasing.

As you work your way down in your table, you can stay with the same text and define a new goal. Instead of “Fake News Definition,” you could now open a new topic like “Fake News on Facebook.”

If the text has served its purpose and was only helpful for the definition, then start the next line in your table with a new paper or book.

Here, it could be about “Fake News Definition” again or something entirely different.

However, in the grand scheme, it might make sense for you to create individual excerpt tables for different topics. If you want to go through 20, 30, or more references, then a single table can quickly become cluttered.

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Study Hacks

Studying with ChatGPT: How to Ace Your Exam Preparation with AI

Studying with ChatGPT could be the game-changer for your next exam preparation.

Are you sitting at your desk wondering how to cram all this knowledge into your head for the upcoming exam?

You could go to the library and pore over some books. Or you could start a study group, hoping to find someone who can explain the concepts to you in an understandable way.

But as you know, we’ve arrived in 2024, and it’s time to rethink exam preparation.

With the help of artificial intelligence, you can prepare for your exams in a way that has never been possible before.

In this video, I’ll show you 7 ways to make ChatGPT your personal tutor and outshine everyone else in your next exam.

#1 Achieving Your Goals with the Right Study Plan

Use ChatGPT as your personal assistant to help you organize your study material effectively. With a well-thought-out study plan, you’ll navigate your exam preparation with ChatGPT confidently.

Just tell ChatGPT what exams are coming up and what your weekly schedule looks like. Whether you’re a night owl or a morning person, ChatGPT can suggest a plan that fits your most productive hours and includes enough breaks.

Example prompt: “I have a microeconomics exam in 4 weeks and I learn best in the morning. Assign a learning topic for each week and specify which topics I should study. I have 2 hours a day to study. Include study breaks. What would my study plan look like?”

ChatGPT will then create a personalized plan for you. If you have access to ChatGPT’s Pro version, you can also send a topic overview of the subject along with it.

If you’re using the free version of ChatGPT, you could attach this overview to your prompt via copy-and-paste.

Extra tip: Once you’ve created the study plan, you can also ask ChatGPT for ideas about how to collect additional resources on the exam contents. Never settle for the study material that your professor hasn’t updated in 10 years.

ChatGPT Exam Preparation 1

#2 Mind Maps as a Study Booster

Mind maps are incredibly helpful for keeping track of complex topics. ChatGPT can assist you in creating a visual map of your study material.

Here’s how it works: Ask ChatGPT to organize the key topics of your exam into a mind map. You’ll receive a clear, visual representation of the material, showing how everything is connected. Perfect for grasping the big picture!

Example prompt: “Can you create a mind map for the main topics of microeconomics, including the connections between supply, demand, and market prices?”

The more information you provide to the AI, the better the outcome. The best result comes from using a GPT specifically adapted for creating mind maps. Look for a “Mind Map Generator” in the GPT database.

If you’re using the free version of ChatGPT, get creative and have the AI describe what the mind map should look like, then draw it using a free tool or by hand.

ChatGPT Exam Preparation 2

#3 Turning Long into Short

Your professor’s slide deck is over 100 pages long and written like in 1995.

Unfortunately, not every professor is a pedagogical genius.

However, these contents are often crucial for exams. What do you do to understand this jumble of words and formulas?

Don’t worry, if there’s one thing ChatGPT excels at, it’s summarizing large amounts of text and data.

The summaries created by the AI can be key for you to manage all the study material. Provide ChatGPT with a text or your notes and ask for a summary. The AI filters out the most important points, saving you hours of compiling.

Example prompt: “Here’s a lecture slide deck about Adam Smith’s market theories. Can you summarize the main points for me?”

The concise versions you have now are invaluable when you want to focus on the essentials and quickly get up to speed. They’re also great for quickly revisiting topics before an exam. Just save ChatGPT’s response in Notion or whatever you use as a second brain, and you can access it anytime.

Note: If you’re using ChatGPT 3.5, you’ll need to paste the content via copy and paste. Unfortunately, you can only process a limited number of words per prompt. With ChatGPT 4, it’s more convenient as ChatGPT can access entire PDF files via plugins. Alternatively, try other LLM’s such as Microsoft’s Bing AI to summarize PDF files for you.

#4 Your 24/7 Study Buddy

There are days when your study group just doesn’t cut it – whether it’s because everyone has different schedules, or because your meetings turn more into coffee chats than effective study sessions.

Then, there are those nights when you, being a night owl, learn best.

In such moments, you can turn ChatGPT into your tutor. The best part: AI can always adapt precisely to your needs.

With ChatGPT, you can dive deep into topics that give you a headache. Ask the AI for precise questions, request clear, detailed explanations, or seek support for the trickiest tasks.

You can ask ChatGPT to explain things as simply as if you were a 6-year-old – ideal for getting to the heart of complex topics.

Imagine having someone by your side who explains everything at your pace, without the pressure of a group or the constraints of a fixed schedule.

Example prompt: “I don’t understand how cross-price elasticity works. Pretend you’re a microeconomics expert. Can you explain it in a way that a third-grader would understand?”

ChatGPT provides quick feedback and helps you close gaps in your understanding. And don’t worry if you still don’t get it after the fifth follow-up question. ChatGPT is cool with you asking a ton of questions – so go for it!

ChatGPT Exam Preparation 3

#5 Mastering Past Exams

In my studies, I preferred studying with mock exams. It gives you a feel for the questions you can expect in the exam.

ChatGPT can help you understand and answer mock exam questions.

Simply give ChatGPT questions from previous or mock exams and ask the AI for sample answers. This way, you get a sense of what’s expected and how you can structure your answers.

Furthermore, ChatGPT can provide explanations and tips on how to best structure your answers. This helps you understand the mindset behind the questions and adjust your answers accordingly.

Additionally, you can ask ChatGPT to review your answers and provide feedback, helping you identify and specifically improve weaknesses in your knowledge.

Example prompt: “Here’s a question from an old microeconomics exam: ‘Describe the effects of subsidies on the market.’ Can you give me a sample answer and explain how I should structure my answer?”

#6 Question Generator for Deeper Understanding

Solving questions from previous exams is a good idea, but what if there are no mock exams available? No problem, because ChatGPT can also help you generate your own exam questions.

This method is not only a good substitute for past exams but also allows you to view topics from different perspectives and dive deeper into the material.

Extra tip: Use ChatGPT to create various scenarios or case studies. This way, you can prepare for different types of questions and ensure that you’re comprehensively equipped for the exam. Additionally, you can use ChatGPT to check your answers and get feedback, helping you identify weaknesses in your knowledge and improve them specifically.

Example prompt: “Can you give me some exam questions on price elasticity in microeconomics?”

Save the questions and answers so you can review them later, following the principles of the Spaced Repetition learning method.

#7 Creating Flashcards

Flashcards are a classic.

With ChatGPT, you can quickly and efficiently create them, perfect for reviewing the lecture contents before an exam.

Simply provide the AI with the desired content and ask it to create corresponding flashcards.

ChatGPT analyzes the main concepts of the content and develops suitable questions and answers. You can also ask it to provide the result in a specific format, such as for flashcard apps like Anki.

You can create a table with two columns: one for the questions on the front side and one for the answers on the back.

Example prompt: “Create a list of flashcard questions on market power in microeconomics with corresponding answers. Use two columns, one for the question and the other for the answer.”

Alternatively, you can copy and paste your own notes or scripts, and ChatGPT will create flashcards from them. When studying with your flashcards, remember to apply the principles of Active Recall. You can find a corresponding tutorial linked here.

Categories
Scientific Writing

How to Write the Perfect Essay for University (3 Secret Tricks)

Do you want to know how to write the perfect essay for university this semester and achieve a top 1% grade?

Then you’re in the right place.

On YouTube, you’ll find plenty of video tutorials and guides on writing essays and term papers. There, you’ll get tips like:

Start with the relevance of your topic and structure your arguments from weak to strong. Well, thanks, I didn’t really need a tutorial for that.

This article is different.

Here you’ll get 3 secret tricks that will make your term paper so good, your professor will hardly believe you wrote it yourself.

To achieve this, I’ll skip the generic tips and instead give you solid text examples that I, as a university lecturer, would mark as outstanding.

#1 Position your essay in a controversial debate

How to Write the Perfect Essay for University is a question many students grapple with. Your essay or term paper is always good when it’s interesting. It is even better, if it can teach the person who is marking it something new or change their thinking.

Imagine you’re a professor and at the end of the semester, you get a basket full of term papers. In this basket are 30 submissions.

10 term papers are graded with a C or worse. 10 term papers with B or so, and 10 term papers with an A, or whatever equivalent you have in your country.

This results in a nice bell curve in the grade distribution, as with all academic assignments.

To land among the top 10, you need to fulfill all the basics, like correctly and citing relevant sources, achieving a high density in writing, and dealing with a topic that is related to the topic of your subject or class.

With the following trick, however, you will manage to stand out even more among the top 10 and enter the top 1%.

And that is by making your term paper MAXIMALLY interesting.

You can do this by…

  • Choosing your topic so that it is positioned in a scientifically and socially relevant (and even better: controversial) debate.
  • Teaching your professor something they don’t already know.
  • Developing a counterintuitive argument on a subtopic within this debate.

Okay, let’s go through these 3 things with an example. To make the learnings from this example relevant to you, simply apply the principles to your own field of study. Understanding how to write the perfect essay for university is essential for academic success.

How to Write the Perfect Essay for University

Position your essay in a controversial debate

A highly controversial debate in my discipline is the topic of the Metaverse.

This is because the concept of the Metaverse so far is purely fictional.

The technology is not yet advanced enough for the characteristics of the Metaverse to be met in the foreseeable future.

Moreover, the Metaverse is hardly used in practice yet, and managers make jokes about others who are involved with the Metaverse.

On the other hand, there are voices that are very enthusiastic about the Metaverse and would like to set the course for its development now.

Try to describe this debate in your essay or term paper and the problems that arise from it. Be sure to use the most current and high-quality references possible, if this is requirement for your submission.

Like this:

“The term Metaverse refers to an environment that connects physical reality with a digital world (Mystakidis, 2022). Individuals can use digital avatars to enter Metaverse applications to facilitate social or business interactions (Duan et al., 2021; Park & Catrambone, 2007; Peukert et al., 2019; Yang & Xiong, 2019). In addition, Metaverse applications are characterized by four main features: (1) realism, (2) ubiquity, (3) interoperability, (4) scalability (Dionisio et al. , 2013; Mostajeran et al., 2022). Due to an ongoing discrepancy between technological feasibility and the conceptual requirements of these features, the term Metaverse is controversial. Dolata and Schwabe (2023) refer to this as a ‘constantly evolving socio-technical phenomenon that still needs to be defined’ (p.754).“

  • Definition
  • Social relevance
  • Detailed description (as a basis for the controversy)
  • Controversy
  • Evidence for the controversy (as current as possible)

This way or similarly, you can build your argument in the introduction and deepen the same argument in the chapters of the main body of your essay or term paper.

How to Write the Perfect Essay for University 3

Teach your professor something they don’t already know

Your professor has probably already heard of this controversy. If you now treat this topic on this general level in your essay, you will only be able to scratch the surface. Setting clear goals can help streamline your approach to how to write the perfect essay for university.

A much better strategy is to narrow the focus of your work so that you can teach your professor something new. He or she will perhaps have read a handful of articles on the topic of the Metaverse and have a superficial understanding of the subject.

Now choose a specific aspect within the controversy and deepen it in your manuscript. For our example, let’s take the topic of work.

Sure, the Metaverse is there for playing, trading, consuming, and so on, but also for working. A small subtopic of the whole debate is whether the Metaverse can represent a better technology that can make work easier for us, for example, compared to currently used tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Your professor has most likely not thought through all the use cases of the Metaverse. With your term paper, you now address exactly this one.

With a clever Google search into the research interests of this person, you can also make an assumption about which use case or subtopic might be particularly interesting for them.

All you have to do is narrow down the debate. This makes the topic of your essay extremely specific and thus interesting, as it is new to your professor.

“The commute to the workplace and office hours from 9 to 5 have given way in recent years to telework enabled by information technology (Baptista et al., 2020). Despite ad-hoc implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic, telework and collaboration over long distances have proven to be sustainable work arrangements (Hafermalz & Riemer, 2021). However, full-time telework has certain disadvantages. For example, social relationships, office gossip, but also interpersonal collaboration can suffer under remote work (Hafermalz & Riemer, 2020). To overcome the physical limitations of remote work, companies are using Metaverse applications for virtual collaboration (Dwivedi et al., 2022; Purdy, 2022).“

  • Status quo on the topic of work
  • Problem with the topic of work
  • Argumentative link between work and the Metaverse

Develop a Counter-Intuitive Argument within the Subtopic

If you look at 5 random scientific articles on the topic of the Metaverse or Virtual Reality and work, you’ll quickly recognize a pattern.

It’s mainly about one thing: How can people collaborate better in these immersive worlds.

Okay, that’s an interesting question, but we said that we want to develop a counter-intuitive argument. The intuitive argument is that we will probably collaborate in the Metaverse. To get closer to the counter-intuitive argument, let’s turn the tables.

What if you don’t collaborate all day, but work alone? Knowledge work isn’t just about collaboration, but mostly about concentrated, uninterrupted solo work.

Couldn’t an immersive work environment also help in this case? How often does knowledge work suffer exactly because of constant distraction through forced collaboration in meetings, emails, notifications, and the temptation of the smartphone?

Here, I have tried to write down this counter-intuitive argument and support it with references:

“The existing literature underscores the potential of Metaverse applications to create innovative workspaces that increase social presence and promote effective collaboration (Bhagwatwar et al., 2018; Brünker et al., 2022). However, this paper aims to nuance the discussion on how Metaverse applications can compensate for the shortcomings of telework and video conferencing. In the current debate, the actual nature of knowledge work, namely undisturbed and concentrated solo work, is largely overlooked. If Metaverse applications are designed as an immersive twin of a traditional office workplace (Lee et al., 2022; Xi et al., 2023), companies will most likely forfeit the productivity gains achieved through the introduction of telework. Unfortunately, there is a tendency in the current literature to focus on virtually reintroducing elements of the traditional workplace, which we thought we had overcome with the widespread adoption of telework.”

  • Status Quo (orange)
  • Counter-Intuitive Argument (pink)
  • Problematization (green)
How to Write the Perfect Essay for University 2

#2 Analyze More, Describe Less

After you’ve implemented this first secret trick in your introduction in brief, the following chapters are about elaborating the counter-intuitive argument in detail. Striving for clarity and coherence is vital when learning how to write the perfect essay for university.

While you might conduct a small empirical study in a thesis, in an essay or term paper you primarily work with literature.

The mistake too many students make is to just describe this literature.

Authors X, Y, Z investigated in their study how… Author X calls this term such and such…

For an average essay or term paper, you’ll get by with that. But for a top 1% grade, you need more than that. You have to start thinking analytically, not descriptively.

What does it mean to be analytical? Here are some activities that are analytical:

ordering, breaking down, categorizing, classifying, comparing, connecting, contrasting, deconstructing, recognizing, representing, differentiating, distinguishing, dividing, explaining, identifying, integrating, inventorying, ordering, organizing, relating, separating, structuring. (Anderson et al. 2001)

You don’t have to do everything in an essay. Which of these activities could you perform to make your reflection of the literature more analytical?

  • Could you break down different positions in the literature on working in the Metaverse?
  • Could you categorize the potentials of the Metaverse for work?
  • Or maybe identify the key prerequisites for implementation in companies?

Tables as a Secret Ingredient

Look at your specific aim in analyzing the literature and implement at least one of these activities in your chapters.

To present the result of your analysis activity as well as possible, use this simple tool:

A table (or several).

The great thing about a table is that, unlike running text, it already has the analytical activity built-in. To create a table, you automatically have to order, compare, identify, and so on.

An excellent example is Table 1 in the already mentioned study by Dolata and Straub (2023), where the authors juxtapose various interest groups of the Metaverse.

#3 Give Yourself an Editorial Review (x10)

I often wondered what the difference is between my abilities in academic writing now and those I had during my studies.

As a student, you don’t know what you don’t know and simply haven’t had much practice.

That’s also what still distinguishes me from a professor who has 20 years more practice.

Nevertheless, I have noticed a few things that I do differently now than I did as a student.

I was slow in writing and took my time with every sentence. This led to me sometimes only managing to put down a page or even less per day.

Yet, I then left that supposedly perfect sentence as it was and didn’t revise it further.

How I would write a perfect essay today

That’s no longer the case today.

When I write a scientific paper, each chapter goes through several, sometimes even dozens of revisions.

Take the introduction, for example.

I write it once from beginning to end. As well as I can. Then I work on the current state of research and the theory part.

What I have read in the meantime or have developed argumentatively has implications for the introduction. I go back and work on the introduction again.

The same happens after I have finished my analysis, and so on.

With each revision, I make the introduction a little bit sharper, each sentence a little bit denser. I add a new reference here and delete an unnecessary sentence there.

Round for round, the introduction gets better.

It helps just to let the text rest for a weekend.

When I sit down to it again, I have a new thought, and the “old text” doesn’t seem as perfect as it did 3 days ago.

Be Your Own Editor

In these revisions, you are your own editor.

Of course, you can enhance this effect by getting feedback. A fresh and foreign pair of eyes brings you an additional perspective.

The more feedback and input you can get for these revisions, the better. And if the feedback doesn’t come from others, then from yourself.

How often do you revise each part of your term paper?

Once?

Then you’ve found something where there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Academic writing is revising.

Again and again.

Remember, mastering how to write the perfect essay for university is a journey, not a destination.

Understanding the requirements is crucial for knowing How to Write the Perfect Essay for University.

Categories
Study Hacks

Learning how to Learn: 8 Practices to become a TOP 1% Student

Are you already feeling the stress of the exam period at the start of the semester? Has your semester break not been enough to recover from the rigors of the last term?

And do you find it frustrating that despite hours of memorizing and studying, you only managed a mediocre grade?

What do those top students know about study techniques that you don’t?

If this resonates with you, then this article is just what you need. In this article, we will go through the 8 most common mistakes that prevent you from learning any subject and achieving top grades in your studies.

#1 You Start Studying Too Late

We all know that feeling, as the exam approaches, our motivation to study really kicks in – after all, you don’t want to fail.

The pressure is a real motivator to stop procrastinating.

If you’re someone who crams right before the exam and enjoys your free time during the semester instead of sitting in the university library, you’re not alone.

This is how most students study.

However, this method of exam preparation is not really smart and is extremely stressful – this learning strategy is probably the main cause for long nights of cramming and all-nighters.

What if you spread your study hours more evenly throughout the semester?

You don’t need to study more, just more evenly distributed.

Instead of handling the entire study load at the last minute, distribute your sessions evenly over the time you have available.

This means starting early in the semester and regularly reserving time for studying. This way, you won’t panic as exams approach, because you have already laid a solid foundation.

One of the main advantages of this approach is that the number of study hours you invest throughout the semester remains consistent.

You don’t have to catch up last minute on what you typically would have missed until then. This not only leads to a deeper understanding of the material but also makes it easier to remember it.

This is also why the Spaced Repetition technique is so effective.

Determine at the beginning of the semester how many hours per day or per week you want to study and then stick to your spaced repetition schedule until the end.

Instead of fear and panic, you’ll walk into the exam with confidence.

So set yourself a goal. For some, it may be 2 hours of study a day, for others, 5. Everyone learns at a different pace. Don’t compare yourself to others. Stay true to yourself.

If you can’t imagine this strategy paying off for you, challenge yourself.

Maybe start this type of exam preparation with just one exam. After that, you’ll see whether you ever want to prepare differently again. 😉

By the way, the Spaced Repetition technique has been around for a while.

It was described as early as 1932 in the book “The Psychology of Study” by C.A. Mace and has since been found to be maximally effective in countless scientific studies.

This approach is a fundamental part of learning how to learn, as it allows for better distribution of study time and long-term memory.

learning how to learn shribe 2

#2 You Study Non-Stop

If you want to takt the learning how to learn thing serious, it’s vital to incorporate regular breaks.

To understand how important this is, think of studying similar to muscle training in the gym.

When you activate neurons and absorb new information while studying, it’s akin to your muscles being exerted during exercise.

Just as your muscles need rest periods after intense exercise to grow and recover, your brain cells also need breaks to consolidate what you’ve learned.

Studies in neuroscience and psychology have confirmed a relationship between learning and breaks and even naps.

Groups of learners who incorporated regular breaks into their study routine achieved better learning outcomes than control groups that did not take breaks.

This means that the brain has the opportunity to process and organize the absorbed information during these breaks.

If you only start studying a week before the exam, you probably have little time to take breaks.

After all, you have to cram all the material into your brain. So this gives you another reason to start right at the beginning of the semester.

Okay, but how exactly should you study now? To find the ideal learning strategy, it’s important to take a look at Bloom’s Taxonomy.

#3 You’re Not Familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy

This framework elevates your learning how to learn strategy from simple memorization to higher-order thinking skills.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a classification system for learning objectives, developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom.

It differentiates various levels of learning. In the lower levels, it’s about the learner being able to remember and understand basic course concepts.

However, the tasks of an exam or assignment are often on the higher levels of the taxonomy, where you are asked to apply, analyze, evaluate, or create new concepts.

To achieve this, you must really process information, not just memorize it. Always check during your study whether you have understood the material on a deep level.

For example, you can summarize concepts in your own words and then apply this knowledge by actively solving practice problems of varying difficulty.

These tasks should test your ability to analyze and evaluate information. When studying, ask yourself at which level you are.

  • Can you solve problems?
  • Are you able to critically evaluate information, compare concepts, and derive recommendations for action?

For instance, if you’re studying medicine and learn new things about the workings of the heart, you shouldn’t just limit yourself to memorizing medical facts like the function of heart valves.

Instead, you should go a step further and ask yourself how heart valve defects manifest and why they occur.

To reach the top of the pyramid and truly master a subject, teaching others and creating your own teaching materials is one of the best methods.

In doing so, you force yourself to go through the entire taxonomy, develop your own opinions, and teach others based on your own understanding.

#4 Learning How to Learn: You Don’t Enjoy the Process

Learning is supposed to be fun? Yeah, great phrase, but not really possible in reality.

Wrong!

Try to see it differently. For me, learning used to automatically mean memorizing, which I found terribly monotonous and boring.

So, one day I decided, I didn’t just want to learn economics, I wanted to really understand it.

Instead of plowing through textbooks and lecture scripts, I approached it differently.

I first familiarized myself with the subject. And that’s super easy with entertaining content on YouTube, documentaries, or podcasts.

I could hardly believe it myself, but documentaries like Inside Job, Money Never Sleeps, or the books by Ray Dalio for example not only made the subject more accessible but genuinely sparked my interest.

This new approach turned learning into an exciting adventure rather than a tedious obligation.

So, learning can indeed be fun if you find the right ways to make it engaging. And who knows, maybe you too will find an entertaining way to delve into your study topics.

#5 You Only Focus on Your Favourite Topics

Naturally, we prefer to engage with things we are already good at. It’s easier to learn new things in these areas, as it requires less effort. And of course, we prefer the easy path over climbing the mountain.

And besides, learning should be fun, as I just told you.

But unfortunately, you also have to pass subjects that are not your strong suit. To finish with good grades, you have to invest time. So challenge yourself and turn your weakness into your strength.

Believe me, economics was not my favorite subject.

I even disliked it, so I tried to make it easier for myself to access the subject. Try it out, and you might find that the topic isn’t as terribly boring as you thought – sometimes it’s really the boring professor. 😉

Challenging yourself to study less-preferred subjects is crucial for learning to learn.

learning to learn

#6 You Study with Flashcards

My beloved flashcards, that’s how I always used to study!

Nearly all of my fellow students also had a stack of 268 flashcards on the table in the library. Why should that be a mistake?

Let me explain.

On one side of a flashcard is the question, and on the other is the answer.

And what is the goal of flashcards?

Memorization.

And if we recall Bloom’s Taxonomy, memorization is at the lowest level. So, you are most likely not going to get an A+ in the exam using them.

Flashcards are not optimal because they focus on isolated facts and not on the overall context. Yet, it is this context that is important for comparing information, showing contrasts, and applying learned material to new situations.

These tasks are higher up on Bloom’s Taxonomy and secure you the top grade.

Move beyond flashcards and embrace Active Recall as a powerful tool in your learning how to learn arsenal.

  1. You read a part of the material and then put it away.
  2. Then write down everything you remember and phrase it in your own words.
  3. Then read the text again and check which information you missed.

Repeat this process until you know everything.

#7 Focusing on Memorization

I’ve already hinted at it, but this point is so important that I can’t stress about it enough.

In most cases, you can actually completely save yourself from memorization techniques, apart from a few exceptions like the first semesters of a medical degree, for example.

If you start solving problems and achieve a deep understanding of the material, you’ll not only understand connections better but will also automatically remember the facts over time.

Even though it seems counterintuitive at first, if you focus on memorization, you will forget information faster than if you build relationships between facts. This way, the learned material goes not only into your short-term but also your long-term memory.

So, in exam preparation, focus on tasks that are at the application, analysis, and evaluation levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

This means you shouldn’t just passively read your notes and books. Engage with the material and don’t just highlight text in color.

Really think about what you read. Answer questions that arise while reading and research information that goes beyond the script.

learning to learn 2

#8 You Study Without Using Mock Exams

Incorporate previous or mock exams into your learning how to learn journey. Right at the beginning of the semester, you should download past exams.

Old exams provide insight into the format and style of the exams. This can help you better prepare for the specific requirements of the test.

Also, you see which topics or types of questions were more common in previous exams. This allows you to focus your preparation on the areas that are likely to be tested.

By solving old exams, you can improve your time management for the test. You can find out how much time you need for different tasks and how to divide them most efficiently.

Furthermore, by going through the old exams, you can identify your knowledge gaps and weaknesses and focus your revision on exactly these areas.

But here’s another important reminder. Don’t just memorize the answers to the old exams. It is very unlikely that the same questions will be asked again. Therefore, focus on a deep understanding and application of your knowledge.

Categories
Research Methods

Empirical Research Methods (Quantitative vs. Qualitative)

empirical research methods

Finding the right empirical research methods for your academic project can be challenging, whether it’s a term paper, thesis, or dissertation.

On my channel, you’ll find extensive information and tutorials about specific methods and techniques, such as grounded theory, experimental design, or survey research.

But before you dive headfirst into applying a particular method, it’s essential to take a step back.

First, it’s crucial to understand which empirical research methods are out there, and which ones are suitable for your current situation.

Based on a 5-step process, this article will guide you on how to select the best method for your research design.

What are empirical methods in research?

The starting point for questions like this article is always the field of philosophy of science. I will attempt to simplify the basic assumptions here, but still provide helpful insights for your practical application.

Philosophy of science deals with the question of how we, as researchers, can gain knowledge or understanding. Despite centuries of philosophical deliberations and different schools of thought, it has become clear that science operates quite well with the dichotomy of theory and empiricism.

Theory preserves knowledge at an abstract level and provides frameworks for specific phenomena. It waits to be challenged, strengthened, refuted, or refined by new insights.

Empirical investigations are situated one level below theory, closer to the real-world subject. Methods are the tools and practices used to acquire new knowledge based on real-world phenomena. This process can inform theory and vice versa.

empirical research methods 2

#1 Position Yourself in a Discipline

Then there’s the administrative side of science. A few centuries ago, it was much looser, and scientists like Isaac Newton, for example, were simultaneously physicists, philosophers, and theologians.

Today, science is sharply divided into distinct disciplines and communities. Each discipline has its own theories and methods, but fortunately, the dogmatism of these individual disciplines is being slowly dismantled, and researchers often draw from the knowledge of so-called “reference disciplines” and engage in interdisciplinary research from time to time.

This trend is also reflected in the study programs that are offered by universities. For example, today, there are fields like Business Informatics or Social Work, where students work at the intersection of two or more disciplines.

No matter what you’re studying, you should first understand which scientific discipline(s) your field of study is related to. If you’re studying in a highly specialized field like mathematics, philosophy, or psychology, the situation is very clear.

If you’re studying at an intersection, be aware of which disciplines are relevant to you. This may also change over the course of your studies or from one project to another. For example, a Business Informatics student may be methodologically and theoretically focused on computer science in one assignment but may rely on insights from business literature in another.

#2 Identify the Methodological Toolbox of Your Discipline

To decide which methods you should use in your next project, you need to find out which methods are common in the disciplines that inform your studies. It makes little sense to develop new methods or question the entire discipline as a student.

You just need to discover what is already in the toolbox.

The quickest way to do this is actually through textbooks. I’m not typically a big fan of books because the publication process is slow, and the knowledge can become outdated shortly after publication.

However, methods books and other textbooks can be useful for gaining an overview as a newbie. Often, they are authored by selfless professors who compile the basics of a particular field in a single book!

In such textbooks, you’ll usually find an overview of common methods. Additionally, you can search databases for journal and conference articles to see which methods are used in current research in your field.

Ideally, your study program offers methods courses to choose from. However, this is not always the case. If they are available, attend them, even if they are not mandatory.

empirical research methods 3

#3 Distinguish Between Empirical and Non-Empirical

In most disciplines, there is some sort of split between empirical and non-empirical work. Sometimes, the empirical part is more dominant, for example in Psychology. Other disciplines are more inclined to non-empirical research but sometimes use empirical methods, for example Media studies.

Non-Empirical

When a discipline mostly follows a non-empirical approach, it doesn’t mean it is less valuable or less scientific. It simply means that the nature of the discipline leans toward understanding socially constructed or abstract phenomena and relies on (inter-)subjective argumentation.

Examples of disciplines primarily using non-empirical methods include philosophy, theology, other humanities, and the unique discipline of mathematics.

Empirical

Empirical research seeks to gain knowledge through “experience,” which is achieved by systematically collecting and analyzing data from the “real world.”

Originally, the role model for empirical research were the “hard” sciences, meaning the natural sciences such as physics, or chemistry.

However, many social sciences adopted the same approach and since then try to objectively measure all things related to social phenomena.

But since the last 50 years or so, many social sciences are also influenced by the humanities, which bring in non-empirical or subjective ways of collecting data.

#4 Consider the Research Paradigm (Qualitative vs. Quantitative)

Especially within empirical social research, there has been an ongoing battle between qualitative and quantitative researchers.

An explanation and differences between these two paradigms are summarized in my article “Qualitative vs. Quantitative.”

For these basics, please refer to that article, and I will now introduce you to the most common methods in both areas.

Quantitative:

Surveys, experiments, simulations, trace data analyses, etc.

Quantitative methods emphasize standardization. Collected data must have a format in which it can be easily translated into numerical values and statistically analyzed.

This allows you to examine large samples.

The foundation for quantitative research often includes a research question and specific hypotheses that you define upfront.

This is also referred to as a hypothetico-deductive approach, and simply means that your goal is to test the relationships between a number of theoretical constructs.

Qualitative:

For qualitative methods, it makes sense to distinguish between data collection methods and data analysis methods.

In terms of data collection, interviews (e.g., with experts, focus groups, individuals) and observations are the most prominent ones. But you could also collect data from online sources such as social media or a City archive, for example.

To analyze qualitative data, you can use grounded theory techniques, content analyses, or more computational methods such as topic modelling.

For most qualitative methods, interpretation and depth of the investigation play a significant role. Hence, you tend to examine smaller samples.

This often follows an inductive approach, which means that you develop new theory rather than testing existing theory in new combinations.

#5 Make your choice in line with your research question

The research question plays a crucial role in selecting the right method for you.

You must first know what you want to investigate before making a decision about the method.

This means that a method must be suitable to help you answer your research question.

I provide detailed guidance on how to formulate a research question in another article.

Here are five questions that can help you make a choice:

  1. What foundational skills have you already acquired? (e.g., statistics, qualitative coding)
  2. Does your department or supervisor lean more towards qualitative or quantitative research?
  3. How extensive is the existing theoretical basis of the phenomenon you are studying?
  4. Which method aligns with your personal strengths? (e.g., are you good with numbers or a creative writer?)
  5. Which method would be the most enjoyable for you?

Summary

In academia, theories and methods aid in the acquisition of knowledge. Academia is organized into disciplines, each with its own methods and theories.

Your research can be empirical or non-empirical. Empirical research distinguishes between natural science and social science methodologies.

In empirical social research, two paradigms, quantitative and qualitative, are prevalent.

Your choice of method depends on your research question, your existing skills, and your preferences.

Categories
Uncategorized

Active Recall: The #1 Study Technique Behind Every A+ Exam

Why doesn’t anyone teach us how to study properly for exams?

I know students from my time at university who studied for 10 hours every day and still failed the exam. How is that possible?

What do people do differently to achieve better results in less time?

One thing I can clarify upfront: they’re not necessarily smarter.

They simply have a better study method at their disposal.

In this article, I’ll explain the Active Recall study method, which has been found to be the key to peak academic performance in numerous scientific studies.

Passive vs. Active Learning

When it comes to excelling in exams, it’s not just about the number of hours you spend studying, but rather the effectiveness of your study methods.

In a comprehensive 58-page meta-analysis conducted by Dunlosky et al. in 2013*, examining various learning approaches, the authors revealed that commonly used techniques such as re-reading, highlighting, or summarizing notes often do not yield the desired results.

But why do these methods remain so popular?

The answer is quite simple: they are straightforward and have been the traditional way of studying for a long time.

Reading and highlighting notes are very convenient.

And who hasn’t experienced this: after reading something multiple times, you might even feel well-prepared.

However, a word of caution!

When suddenly asked for specific details, many find themselves at a loss. There’s a difference between merely recognizing information and actually recalling it.

Active Recall Learning Method

The Study Secret: How Our Brain Functions

To understand the best way to study, let’s take a brief journey into the realm of neuroscience. To make this more relatable, I’ll illustrate it using the example of Belinda.

Picture Belinda as she prepares for her upcoming exam, diligently reviewing her lecture slides repeatedly. At this very moment, various regions of her brain are operating at full capacity.

The occipital lobe is busy creating mental images of what she’s currently perusing, while the angular gyrus and the fusiform cortex are hard at work, deciphering the meanings of the words she’s reading.

Once the information has been processed, the brain dispatches it to the hippocampus – essentially the brain’s memory hub.

But here’s the twist: if you merely read through notes, only a fraction of the information tends to stick. Think of it as you would strengthening your muscles: it requires targeted exercises.

Similarly, your memory – especially the hippocampus – needs the right ‘workout regimen.’

This is where the Active Recall study method comes into play.

While straightforward reading primarily activates the visual aspects of your brain, the hippocampus often gets sidelined.

Hence, passive study techniques like reading scripts or highlighting notes pale in comparison to Active Recall.

What Is the Active Recall Study Method?

Active Recall operates by compelling our brains to actively engage in the study process. Instead of passively absorbing information through reading or listening, Active Recall encourages us – as the name implies – to actively retrieve information from our memory.

The act of actively recalling information trains the hippocampus and increases the likelihood that you’ll remember the information when you need to recall it later (e.g., during an exam).

When employing the Active Recall study method, you can retain what you’ve learned for a significantly extended period and apply it in various contexts.

Let’s explore five ways to incorporate the Active Recall learning method into your exam preparation.

#1 Stop and Recite

Following your reading of a section, momentarily set aside your study materials. Attempt to express the content in your own words.

Afterwards, retrieve the script and compare: What did you manage to remember, and where are the gaps? Fill in those information gaps using the script, and repeat the process until you’ve confidently internalized the content.

Active Recall Learning Method 2

#2 Flashcards

Flashcards have been a tried-and-true study method for many students for quite some time. Even the act of creating the cards, where you must articulate information precisely, serves as an effective part of the exam prep.

In today’s digital age, you can leverage tools like Anki to craft flashcards. Anki incorporates another study method that works particularly well for memorization, known as “spaced repetition.” This means that flashcards are revisited at specific intervals.

These intervals are carefully calibrated to enhance your ability to remember the content effectively.

However, a word of caution is in order: when using flashcards for studying, it’s crucial not to overlook active recall.

What do I mean by that? As soon as you can’t explain a term or concept, flipping the flashcard to reveal the answer right away won’t be enough.

This approach does not align with active recall because it doesn’t provide your brain with the opportunity to recall the information from memory. Instead, take a moment to challenge yourself to explain as much of the answer in your own words as possible before checking the back of the flashcard.

Additionally, a small tip regarding flashcards:

They often require you to condense information significantly. This can lead to a situation where you may remember numerous isolated facts but struggle to grasp the broader context or how these facts interconnect.

#3 Create Questions: Your Path to Profound Understanding

Instead of relying solely on your study materials and flashcards, try crafting your own questions related to the content you’re studying.

This strategy encourages you to critically evaluate what you’ve learned and ensures you maintain a firm grasp of the overall context.

Creating questions actively engages your learning process, allowing you to forge stronger connections between the new information and your existing knowledge.

Following each chapter or section, make a note of important questions, and later, challenge yourself to answer them without consulting your notes.

Active Recall Learning Method 3

#4 Engage an Audience

A highly effective way to master the material is by teaching it to others.

This process activates various cognitive pathways in your brain. Try explaining the subject of your exam to your classmates, friends, or family members.

Doing so compels you to think deeply about the topic and structure your explanation logically. Furthermore, if you encounter difficulties during your explanation, it serves as an immediate indicator of areas where you need improvement.

Pro tip: In the absence of a live audience, you can even imagine one or engage in a chat with ChatGPT. You can prepare the AI with a prompt to ask you specific questions.

If you’re interested in a dedicated tutorial on using ChatGPT for exam preparation, feel free to leave a comment under this video.

#5 Utilize Past Exams as a Recipe for Success

Reviewing past exams is like a trial run for the real test. You become familiar with the question formats and develop an understanding of what to anticipate in the exam.

When you tackle previous exams under timed conditions, you’ll also hone your time management skills and gauge your level of readiness.

An additional benefit: The more you engage in this practice, the more at ease you’ll feel during the actual exam because you’ll possess insights into what lies ahead.

The Drawbacks of Active Recall

Certainly, Active Recall boasts numerous advantages, but are there any downsides? Undoubtedly!

This method can be rather demanding. It necessitates true engagement and cognitive effort, which is substantially more challenging than simply skimming through your notes or reading the script.

Particularly with complex subjects, it can be frustrating when answers don’t readily come to mind. This study approach requires stepping out of your comfort zone and demonstrating substantial initiative.

Yes, the allure of quickly consulting your notes may be strong, but trust me, the additional effort required by Active Recall is well worth it!

*https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1529100612453266

Categories
Uncategorized

Finding Articles for your Literature Review: The 5 Biggest Mistakes

You can’t figure out the process of finding articles for your literature review?

I hear this a lot.

The most common question I get from students is this: The topic I’m writing about is so new, there’s just no literature on it. What should I do?

In this article, we’ll get to the bottom of this. To do this, we’ll discuss the 5 biggest mistakes in searching literature for your research.

If you stick with it until the end, I even have an example for you on how you can craft an amazing literature review section, even if at first glance there seems to be no literature about the topic.

https://youtu.be/an5eqrgdd7U

#1 Too narrowly defined search terms

The first mistake students make when trying to figure out how to search for literature effectively is using too narrowly defined search terms.

The results of a literature search can only be as good as the filtering mechanisms you use.

Let’s use a simple example. For this, we need a topic that is so new that there is little or no literature to be found on it.

The example is: Universal Wallets

Universal Wallets are storage places for digital valuables. Maybe you have your own digital wallet to store cryptocurrencies or NFTs in.

In a Universal Wallet, however, you can store not only NFTs and coins but also other things like digital identity documents or other proofs of your identity.

Boolean Operators

For searching in literature databases, finding literature can be as simple as entering search terms. Using Boolean operators can help you to be more effective in your search.

If you are doing a systematic search process that you want to document in your methods section, this is an absolute must, because it ensures replicability.

But even if you keep your search terms for yourself and write a “regular” literature review section, Boolean operators can help you big time.

Especially the “OR” operator. For example, with “Universal Wallets,” you would get a low number of hits for the search term “Universal Wallet” in most databases.

In Google Scholar, however, an algorithm automatically combines your search term with synonyms and also gives you the next best results.

But if you’re searching on another database, that’s of no help to you.

Through the Google Scholar search results, though, I came across synonyms that I would never have searched for.

Wireless Wallets, Cloud Wallets, Electronic Wallets, Hardware Wallets, Wallet System, and Mobile Wallet seem to be related terms.

From this, you could make the search string “wireless” OR “cloud” OR “electronic” OR “hardware” OR “mobile” AND “wallet” for your database search on Scopus, Web of Science and so on.

You’d have to search for Wallet System separately or use brackets to include the term “wallet system.” It’s just a bit cumbersome because here “wallet” is the first word and not the second.

finding literature

Forward and Backward Search

If a refined database search yields no results, then you need to delve into some other tricks.

With a forward and backward search, you can find the sources upon which the few hits you did find are based, or sources that have cited them afterwards.

The best hit for the term “Universal Wallet” was the paper “Universal Wallets” by Jorgensen and Beck (2021). For the backward search, we simply look at the bibliography and see what we can find there.

Ha!

One paper cited there uses the term “Digital Wallet.” That’s something I could have thought of by myself.

But most often, when finding literature, I do not.

Now, searching for “Digital Wallet” yields endless results. A digital wallet is, of course, not what is meant by “Universal Wallet,” but it is still a related technology.

Thus, it’s perfectly feasible to build on the term “Digital Wallet” to describe what exactly is new about a “Universal Wallet” and why we cannot simply transfer the research on digital wallets to this more nuanced version of the technology.

#2 Inappropriate Databases for Finding Literature

The search terms are one thing. But if the database you are searching on simply does not cover enough sources, then even the best search terms and operators won’t help.

When you use databases, primarily use those in which the research of your own discipline is indexed.

A medical researcher searches on PubMed, a computer scientist on IEEE, and a psychologist on PsycNet. However, sometimes it pays to look beyond the confines of a discipline.

So make sure you also check out interdisciplinary databases. This could be something like Google Scholar, Scopus, or Web of Science.

Or you could look directly into another discipline if you already have an idea of who else might be interested in your topic outside your research field.

The more you can cover with your databases, the better. In the worst case, you find nothing there. But at least you’ve tried.

#3 Old Wine in New Bottles

Regarding “Universal Wallets,” there is certainly a difference compared to “Digital Wallets” or the good old-fashioned wallet.

However, this may not always be the case with other terms.

Take, for example, the topic of Digital Transformation.

The term has only been a trend topic for a few years, and since then, there has been a lot of research on it.

But what’s actually new about it?

Haven’t companies been introducing technology to improve their processes for 50 years?

Yes, they have. And there’s plenty of research literature on that. It’s just not found under the label “Digital Transformation.”

But if you search for “IT-enabled Organizational Transformation,” you get some hits from the last millennium!

And these hits might be relevant for someone wanting to study Digital Transformation.

So, when it comes to your topic, ask yourself: Is the topic really as new as the term describing it?

#4 Too Much Description

This mistake deals with the goal of your literature search. You want to write a literature review section on your topic and diligently cite relevant literature.

This approach isn’t necessarily wrong.

But you write a truly excellent literature section when you change your goal.

A poor literature review section merely recounts research on a topic but fails to gather enough relevant literature.

A mediocre literature review section manages to do so, but only describes what has been researched on the topic.

A fantastic literature review section gathers relevant literature, explains what has been done so far, and critiques or interprets what this means.

So, especially with a new topic, don’t focus too much on finding literature and citing every single source that somewhat fits the topic.

Instead, try to develop your own argument using a handful of relevant findings. For example, you could explain the difference between the new term and existing ones.

Or you could further develop the argument you used for motivation in your introduction.

We’ll look at an example of this at the end of the video.

finding literature 2

#5 Your Doughnut Has No Hole

If you’re writing a non-systematic literature review section, completeness is not a criterion. So your “cheese” of literature can have holes, as long as you develop an exciting argument.

But if you have a sweet tooth, try imagining the metaphor of a doughnut.

Let’s say you’ve convinced me, and your topic is indeed so new that there’s little research on it. And Finding literature isn’t always straightforward.

What you can do then is not look for the hole in the middle, but for the surrounding dough. What are the terms and phenomena that are closely related to your topic?

Work your way through the databases, gathering literature on somewhat broader topics and terms, and approach the doughnut’s hole argumentatively.

For “Universal Wallets,” you could start with the topic of Digital Wallets, explain what Crypto-Wallets are, and from there move on to Universal Wallets.

An Example for a Literature Chapter on a “Brand New” Topic

As luck would have it, I found an excellent example for you. In their paper on “Universal Wallets,” Jörgensen and Beck (2021) did almost exactly that.

They start not with the topic of Digital Wallets but directly with Crypto-Wallets. That’s how they begin their literature review section.

When it comes to “Universal Wallets,” they continue to cite literature.

But if we take a closer look, we realize that this literature has nothing directly to do with the term.

The chapter is a perfect doughnut!

The first source they cite is titled “Digital Lifestyle.” This source is somewhat more broadly related to the topic.

Then, the authors cite sources on “The Token Economy” and “Identity Ecosystems.” These two sources are closer to “Universal Wallets,” but neither directly refers to it.

Further sources revolve around “Blockchain Identity Management Systems” and “The potential of blockchain in education and health care.”

The last source is a report from the World Wide Web Consortium on “Universal Wallets.” When the academic literature is not yet extensive, reports from industry can also be helpful.

From this example, you can see how to write a literature review section on a topic without using a single academic source on that topic!

Avoiding the 5 mistakes I mentioned have taught you how to search literature effectively.

So from now on, “My topic is too new” is no longer an excuse. And if you meet someone who uses this excuse in your presence, send them this article! 🙂

Categories
Philosophy of Science

Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology (simply explained)

The strange sounding words ‘Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology‘ often appear in social science texts or lectures.

Have you ever asked yourself what these terms mean, and how they relate to each other?

In this article, I’ll explain the individual meanings and the connection between Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology. This will equip you well for discussions in any academic field and help you better understand these basic philosophy of science concepts.

In my opinion, understanding these three terms is the key to taking your academic journey to the next level.

Why are Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology Such Important Concepts

As you’ve likely noticed, we are delving into the realm of philosophy of science. This field, which is part of philosophy, serves as a meta-discipline with implications for all other scientific fields.

The terms Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology are inherently philosophical and concern how we understand science.

This is crucial because without philosophical underpinnings, scientific work as you know it wouldn’t be possible.

For instance, when you’re developing a survey questionnaire for your master’s thesis, which 150 individuals will fill out, and then you conduct statistical tests in SPSS, this scientific endeavor adheres to specific ontological and epistemological assumptions.

These assumptions shape the research approach you are following, regardless of whether you are aware of them or not.

If you’re conducting interviews for your research, for example, your work will be rooted in a different ontology, a different epistemology, and, of course, a different methodology.

Without an understanding of the philosophical foundations underpinning your research, you might find yourself caught off guard when someone knowledgeable in this area poses a targeted question.

A fitting metaphor for the relationship between Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology is an iceberg.

Your methodology and methods are on the surface and visible. For example, you describe them in your methods section.

Ontology and Epistemology, on the other hand, lie beneath the surface, intricately connected to the visible part of the iceberg.

In a PhD thesis, students are sometimes asked to make a statement about their ontology and epistemology. But in a regular academic paper, you would not do so, because they shine through implicitly.

But if you are aware of them, you can fully understand what you are doing and know what others are talking about when they mention these things.

So, let’s take a look behind the curtain.

Ontology Epistemology Methodology

Ontology

Ontology resides at the deepest point underwater. This concept pertains to the philosophical exploration of ‘being’ itself or ‘how things exist.’

In other words, it addresses how we understand reality.

This might initially sound quite confusing. Why would there be differences in this regard?

Well, there are plenty of differences!

Ontology in the Natural Sciences

Let’s say you’re an atomic physicist working at CERN with a particle accelerator. Your scientific understanding of reality likely follows the belief that 1+1=2, and that the atoms observable in the particle accelerator are objectively real.

So, if a colleague or an alien were to look into the particle accelerator, the atoms would still be just as real, independent of you as the subject.

This ontology, following the tenets of objectivism, is accepted by the majority of researchers in the natural sciences. Admittedly, it would be quite challenging to make progress otherwise.

Ontology in the Social Sciences

However, when we delve into the realm of social sciences, things become a bit more difficult. Here, we don’t observe atoms or other natural scientific phenomena; rather, we study social phenomena.

These aren’t influenced by the laws of physics but are shaped by human interactions.

Can we then assume the same ontology here?

Some say yes, we can. In psychology, for instance, a natural scientific ontology has also prevailed. It is widely believed that psychological phenomena can be generalized and are objectively real, similar to the natural sciences. This, in turn, affects which methods for acquiring knowledge are accepted – but we’ll get to that shortly.

Other social scientists are dismayed by this ontology. For them, it’s evident that social phenomena are in the eye of the beholder and socially constructed.

How we, as humans, perceive reality is closely tied to how we interpret it. So, there’s no objective reality, but rather a subjective one. This ontology falls under the philosophical stream of constructivism.

Since the 1970s, a third prominent position has emerged in the social sciences, which somewhat mediates between the two, also known as ‘Critical Realism.’

You can ask yourself:

Is a chair a chair because it has four legs and a backrest? Or is a chair a chair because we use it for sitting?

The answer to this question can tell you more about the ontology through which you see the world.

Epistemology

Now, let’s move a bit closer to the surface to explore epistemology.

Here, the question is: How is it even possible to acquire knowledge about the world?

What methods of gaining knowledge are accepted in a scientific discipline?

When our CERN scientist conducts measurements in the particle accelerator, she is convinced that new knowledge can be generated through this process. Additionally, she is aware of the ‘nature’ of this knowledge – that it is concrete, tangible, and objective. This epistemology is also known as positivism.

In the realm of the social sciences, things again become more difficult. Here, knowledge could just as easily be characterized as personal, subjective, and unique.

This, in turn, has significant implications for how we, as researchers, can acquire new knowledge and which methods we can or cannot accept. This epistemological position is also called interpretivism.

The Relationship between Ontology and Epistemology

As you may have noticed, there is always a specific epistemology that aligns with an underlying ontology.

A positivist epistemology corresponds to an objectivist ontology.

An interpretivist epistemology aligns with a constructivist ontology.

There are, of course, other positions like critical realism, but that would be the subject of another video.

Ontology Epistemology Methodology 2

Methodology

The philosophical assumptions you make, specifically the ontology and epistemology that shape your understanding of reality and knowledge, determine the methodology you employ in your research.

Broadly speaking, there are once again two opposing positions in this area that dominate the social sciences. These methodological approaches are the quantitative and qualitative research paradigms.

Traditionally, a quantitative approach aligns with the objectivist-positivist position, while a qualitative approach corresponds better to the constructivist-interpretivist position.

At this level of the iceberg, however, the possibilities are much more flexible, at least in most social sciences. There are methods that combine both approaches or cross over, creating methodological pluralism.

Throughout the history of science, there have been (relatively) intense debates and disputes about which philosophical assumptions are the right ones for each discipline.

Fortunately, today, it is possible to be successful with less dogmatic positions and contribute to the diversity of a discipline by acknowledging the value of each position.

Categories
Research Methods

Operationalization of Variables in Quantitative Research

Have you encountered the term Operationalization in the realm of empirical social research during a lecture or while reading a methods book?

Maybe you’ve been assigned the task of operationalizing one or more variables for an assignment or research project?

But you just don’t know what on earth all these people are talking about?

The issue lies in the fact that many university instructors are so well-acquainted with this term that they often struggle to empathize with beginners.

They use terms like variables, concepts, constructs, and operationalization without offering the fundamental knowledge that someone new to this type of work requires to understand how these things are interconnected.

In this article, my goal is to clarify these terms and elucidate, in the most straightforward language, how they are related. We will also explore what operationalization entails and how you can put it into practice with regard to variables in your own study.

Operationalization

The World of Quantitative Research

In the realm of empirical social research, one of the fundamental distinctions lies between the qualitative and quantitative research paradigms.

This division finds its origins in the philosophical underpinnings of the social science, which I’ve explored in-depth in my article on Ontology, Epistemology, and Methodology.

Operationalization is an important task within the realm of quantitative social research.

The quantiative paradigm is characterized by its goal of testing theoretical assumptions, mostly through the use of statistical methods.

The bedrock of these statistical methods is grounded in quantitative empirical data, such as survey responses or the outcomes of experiments, or digital trace data.


Theoretical Building Blocks (Concepts and Constructs)

The currency of the social sciences is theory. Social science theory relies on linguistic elements, even within the quantitative paradigm. In contrast, mathematicians and physicists build their theories with numbers and equations, reflecting the philosophical assumptions and nature of these disciplines.

Social science theories require the use of ‘concepts’ as foundational elements. These concepts serve as the vocabulary employed by researchers when describing existing theories or building new ones.

Qualitative researchers tend to be more at ease with this aspect, as they enjoy crafting new concepts to enrich the theoretical landscape and to describe emerging social phenomena.

On the other hand, quantitative researchers find the conceptual level less satisfying, often considering it too ambiguous. For instance, the concept of ‘intelligence’ can have diverse interpretations. Not everybody agrees on what ‘intelligence’ means.

In the context of quantitative research, however, concepts are transformed into ‘constructs.’ Constructs are concepts made measurable. And this is what a quantitative researcher aims to do. (Döring & Bortz, 2016).

Operationalization

The process of making concepts measurable is referred to as ‘operationalization,’ and it introduces a new component – variables.

A completed construct can encompass one or multiple variables, resulting in constructs that are then called unidimensional or multidimensional.

Unidimensional Constructs

An instance of a construct that can be determined by measuring a single variable is ‘weight.’ If we can measure weight in kilograms using a scale, then assessing the construct ‘weight’ is relatively straightforward.

Multidimensional Constructs

However, many other constructs that researchers aim to measure are more complex.

For instance, the construct ‘intelligence’ cannot be assessed through a single variable. To make assertions about intelligence, researchers may consider variables such as ‘abstract thinking,’ ‘communication skills,’ ‘learning,’ ‘problem-solving,’ and more.

During the operationalization of a multidimensional construct, researchers must decide which variables are relevant to the concept and which ones should be included in their study.

Conversely, it is important to note that a single construct can be operationalized in various ways. For example, a study that solely employs the IQ variable to measure intelligence might face criticism, because intelligence involves more than just the result of an IQ test.

At the same time, even if a researcher picks a handful of variables to measure ‘intelligence,’ another researcher might pick 5 other variables, for example.

Measurement Instruments

In the realm of quantitative research within the social sciences, researchers often rely on a method called ‘items’ or ‘item batteries’ for data collection.

These item batteries consist of pre-designed sets of questions that can be incorporated into a questionnaire.

Researchers can either create their own item batteries or utilize existing ones from the literature.

If you are new to all of this, I would suggest the latter option. Many experienced researchers have already put in the effort to test and evaluate these item batteries.

This also means that you can measure a single variable in various ways.

For instance, if you intend to measure ‘abstract thinking,’ there might be multiple item batteries or scoring systems provided by different authors to consider.

In the process of operationalization, it is crucial to make well-informed selections and provide strong justifications for your choices.

You must consider what different batteries cover and which measurement instruments are widely accepted within the research community.

One indicator of this is the number of citations for the publication where the measurement instrument is made available.

Additionally, the quality of operationalization can be assessed by examining the reliability and validity of the measurement instruments.

If you’d like to delve deeper into this topic, take a look at my tutorial on Reliability, Validity, and Objectivity.

Beyond item batteries for surveys, there are various other methods of operationalization. The core principle remains the same, even if your method involves other types of data collection.

In any case, it is essential to engage with the existing literature and determine how you can gain meaningful insights about the variables you are interested in.

Theoretical Assumptions (Propositions and Hypotheses) for Operationalization

To complete this tutorial, we must address the following question:

After identifying your measurement instruments and conducting your analysis, what comes next?

In addition to the theoretical building blocks, which are your constructs, there are the connections or relationships that hold them together.

In quantitative research, the goal is not necessarily to discover new building blocks, but to provide insides about the relationships between them.

Theoretical relationships are tested by identifying causal relationships (primarily based on experiments) or correlational relationships (e.g., through surveys). These relationships are typically assessed for statistical significance.

Theoretical assumptions guide what should be tested. These assumptions are derived from the existing literature.

In this context, propositions are assumptions about how concepts are related, while hypotheses are assumptions about how measurable variables or constructs are related.

When formulating hypotheses at the start of your study, you are not only selecting the theoretical building blocks (e.g., Variable A and Variable B are relevant) but can also make predictions about their relationship (e.g., Variable A positively affects Variable B).

For more information on hypotheses, you can refer to my other tutorials on hypothesis development.

Conclusion on Operationalization

If you now have a basic understanding of what operationalization entails, this video has fulfilled its purpose. However, it’s crucial to delve further into this topic. As the next step, I recommend reading a methods book. A good starting point is Discovering Statistics by Andy Field.