Supervision of academic projects

 

I supervise academic projects of students enrolled in Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes.

 

The topics in which I offer supervision include 

 

- Applied Linguistics

- Language attitudes

- Psychology of Language Learner

- Second language acquisition

- Sociolingustics

- World Englishes

 

Plagiarisms: what is is and how to avoid them?

 

Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas, words, or work without giving proper credit.
It can be:

  • Direct copying (copy–paste from websites, books, or AI tools)

  • Poor paraphrasing (changing only a few words)

  • Using ideas without citing

  • Re-using your own previous work without permission (self-plagiarism)

  • Submitting work you didn’t write

Plagiarism can be intentional or unintentional, but the consequences are the same — so it’s important to learn how to avoid it.

 

How to Avoid Plagiarism

1. Keep track of your sources

  • Write down where every idea, quote, or statistic came from.

2. Paraphrase properly

  • Good paraphrasing means rewriting ideas fully in your own words and structure, not just swapping words.

3. Use quotation marks

  • If you use someone’s exact words → put them in quotation marks and cite the source.

4. Cite everything that is not common knowledge

  • If you had to look it up, you should probably cite it.

5. Use a reference style consistently

  • Common styles: APA, MLA, Chicago.
    Pick one and use it the same way throughout the text.

6. Plan your writing early

  • Most plagiarism happens when students feel rushed.

7. Use plagiarism-detection tools responsibly

  • They help you check your work — they do not replace proper writing and citation.

 

For Learning How to Avoid Plagiarism

 

  • Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
    Excellent tutorials on paraphrasing, quoting, and citation.

  • Scribbr – Academic Writing Guides
    Clear examples, quizzes, and step-by-step explanations.

  • Copyleaks – Plagiarism Resources
    Tips for correct referencing and avoiding accidental plagiarism.

  • University of Siegen – Plagiate vermeiden
    German-language explanations of plagiarism & good academic practice

 

Useful resources

 

1. Free software for statistical analysis of data: 

JASP: https://jasp-stats.org/

  • Free and open-source, runs on Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Intuitive GUI, similar to what you might know from commercial packages like SPSS

 

2. Introductions into statistical analysis of data: 

Statistics with LAERD: https://statistics.laerd.com/

  • This site offers very clear introductions into the whats and hows of many statistical procedures
  • It is not a free source but the prices are very moderate
  • From my personal experience, you can learn very fast with this resource within a short period of time