On this page we have provided answers to the most frequently asked questions concerning seminar papers. We also recommend considering the Guidelines for Writing Seminar Papers, Bachelor’s Theses and Master’s Theses.

How is a seminar at the Chair in Banking and Finance organized?

After the application deadline has elapsed will send out a confirmation to all accredited students. Important dates will be announced via E-Mail or will be published on our homepage. During the first meeting students will receive general information concerning the seminar and topics will be allocated. Depending on the seminar structure, there will be several meetings in which students will be able to show the status of their seminar paper. In the last meeting, students should hold a final presentation. Depending on the seminar structure, the seminar paper has to be submitted before or after the final presentation has taken place.

How is a seminar grade composed?

As a general rule, the overall grade is made up of separate grades for the written part and the presentation. Presentation captures 20% to 30% of the final grade and the seminar paper captures 70% to 80%.

How many pages should a seminar paper include?

The textual part should consist of 15 pages. All pages should be numbered. Pages ahead of the textual part must be numbered with (small or tall) Roman numerals (e.g. I, II, III, …). The cover page is to be counted as page number one but it is not to be numbered.

How long should a presentation be?

Final presentations should take 15 to 30 minutes.

How to design a presentation?

Presentations should be prepared electronically (e.g. with PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress) and should not exceed seven to ten pages. Please use headwords which are smaller than 20 pt. Additionally, a double sided handout is to be distributed to all participants in the seminar.

When do the presentations have to be submitted?

Generally, presentations in electronically form should be brought along at the date of the final presentation.

How to structure the presentation?

In all cases students should use a cover page which can be downloaded here. We recommend the following structure:

• Structure (avoid subitems)
• Main part
• • Introduction (incl. literature classification)
  • …
• Conclusion

How to structure a paper/thesis?

It is essential to use a cover sheet. An example can be found here. We recommend the following structure:

• Indices (List of contents, figures, tables, abbreviations and symbols)
• Introduction
• Main part
• • Subitems using Arabic numbers (e.g. 2.1)

• Conclusion
• Annex
• List of references

The introduction should contain motivation for a specific topic, structure of the thesis and if applicable a literature classification. The main part is to be structured clearly and logically: At the beginning, the topic has to be illuminated from different perspectives for a consequent derivation of the paper’s main statements. Unnecessary explanations should be avoided. The conclusion should contain the main results of the thesis, without getting into too much detail. Annexes should be avoided in seminar papers as far as possible.

The thesis should be written in a way understandable for a prudent layman. It should not be written in first person.

What to do in case of illness?

If you cannot attend a mandatory meeting due to illness, please contact your advisor ahead of the meeting and hand in a medical certificate afterwards. A possible extension of the deadline should be discussed with your advisor and it should be requested in the examination office.

How to quote correctly?

Only sources which are publicly accessible can be quoted (i.e. lecture notes are not allowed). Statements that have been taken verbally or analogously from another text have to be marked using footnotes. Footnotes have to be numbered continuously and to end with a full stop. They should contain author, year of publication and page of the cited source, e.g.: “See Black/Scholes (1973), p. 637.”. Special attention has to be paid to correct citing to prevent plagiarism. In this context, please consider the Guidelines for Writing Seminar Papers, bachelor’s theses and master’s theses offered by the chair.

What has to be considered when creating the list of references?

All references quoted within the thesis (list of references should contain only quoted references) need to be listed in an alphabetical order by the authors' surname. An author may be an institution as well. Depending on source type, following form should  be applied:

Textbooks: Ross, S. A.; Westerfield, R. W.; Jaffe, J. F. (2005): Corporate Finance, 7^th ed., Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Essays in collected editions: Sharpe, W. F. (1977): The Capital Asset Pricing Model: A “Multi-Beta” Interpretation, in: Levy, H.; Sarnat, M. (Eds.): Financial Decision Making Under Uncertainty, New York: Academic Press, pp. 127-136.

Papers in scientific journals: Black, F.; Scholes, M. (1973): The Pricing of Options and Corporate Liabilities, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 81, pp. 637-654.

Working papers: Branger, N.; Schlag, C.; Schneider, E. (2005): Optimal Portfolios When Volatility Can Jump, working paper, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main.

Websites: Eurex (2005): About Eurex - Company Information - Overview,

http://www.eurexchange.com/about/company info/overview.html, 28.10.2005.

Wordings of laws: German Commercial Code (GCC) as valid for November 23rd, 2002.

What has to be considered with respect to figures, tables, formulas, and symbols?

Figures and tables should be numbered continuously, titled and should be centered. Figures should be framed. Please pay attention to a consistent appearance of all figures and tables. The usage of figures from other works should be avoided (as far as possible). Instead it is recommended to remake and modulate figures to adjust them to the prevailing appearance. Figures and tables need to be explained in the text. Formulas need to be written by means of a suitable editor and numbered continuously. Formulas should be distinguished from the text by a line break before and after the formula. Symbols are to be explained when used for the first time.

What has to be considered when submitting the final version?

Seminar papers have to be submitted in due time at the chair as unbounded copies. The chair announces the required number of copies as well as the deadline in the preliminary discussion of the seminar.