Scientific Research - Infos and Tips

The guidelines for citation and structure of your work (BA/MA thesis) are specific to your study program and are provided by the program (Teams/moodle/etc.)

The library has many different books regarding scientific writing style and much more. Ask us or check out the library search engine!

How to use the library services effectively.

An overview of our licenced databases.

Use the Inter Library Loan (for books) and document delivery (for articles) if you need media that is not available at FH Upper Austria libraries.
Start here: Search engine of the Austrian library network
More search engines: KVK Catalog a world-wide library catalog, WorldCat (Focus on US libraries)

Use the library research classes to learn more. Ask for individual dates/small group dates any time!

AI tools can usefully complement literature research in PRIMO (Katalog Plus) as well as in databases.

Please always note that these tools are merely aids: independently verifying facts, checking sources, and adhering to academic standards remain indispensable. 
Use AI consciously and purposefully, also to minimize the high energy and resource consumption of these systems.

Getting Started & Finding Sources

Perplexity AI 
Works like an AI search engine that delivers answers directly with verifiable source citations.

• Ideal for: Getting started quickly and searching for definitions.
• Tip: Use the "Academic" focus in the search field to specifically search only scientific databases.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed (student discounts are often available).

Litmaps
(With LibKey Full-Text Access!) 
Visualizes citation networks as interactive maps and timelines to understand the historical development of a research field.

• Ideal for: Visually tracking down related literature and following scientific debates across a timeline.
• Tip: The LibKey browser extension can be activated via the profile settings. After selecting our university, Litmaps displays the button to the licensed full-text article directly next to the found articles.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed.

Targeted Search & Quality Check

Consensus
(With LibKey Full-Text Access!) 
An AI search engine that extracts scientific insights directly from peer-reviewed studies and quantifies the research consensus (e.g., for yes/no questions).

• Ideal for: Quickly answering specific research questions and capturing the current consensus/sentiment in science.
• Tip: The LibKey browser extension can also be activated via the profile settings in Consensus. After selecting our university, the tool displays the button to the licensed full-text article directly next to the found articles.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed.

Semantic Scholar
A purely scientific search engine that uses AI to highlight the most important key findings from abstracts.

• Ideal for: Quickly filtering relevant articles.
• Cost: Completely free of charge for academic and private use (without artificial limits or paywalls).

Understanding & Processing Texts

SciSpace 
(With LibKey Full-Text Access!) 
Combines literature search with an interactive reading assistant for scientific texts.

• Ideal for: Deciphering complicated papers, technical terms, and tables directly while reading.
• Top Feature: The integrated "Copilot" explains difficult text passages or mathematical formulas directly within the PDF document. Thanks to the LibKey connection active in the background, SciSpace can retrieve PDFs directly via our library.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed.

Keenious
(With LibKey Full-Text Access!)
This tool analyzes existing texts (e.g., an initial PDF draft or directly via a Microsoft Word add-in) and suggests relevant scientific literature based on the content.

• Ideal for: Automatically finding suitable sources based on the paragraphs you are currently actively writing in Word.
• Tip: Via the "Check Access" feature, Keenious directly accesses LibKey, allowing you to see instantly from within Word whether the recommended paper is available through the library.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed.

NotebookLM 
Your personal AI research partner by Google. You upload your own sources (PDFs, scripts), and the AI answers, summarizes, or generates study material exclusively based on your documents.

• Ideal for: Structured processing, summarizing, and targeted questioning of your own, already collected text and PDF repository.
• Security: According to the provider, your uploaded documents are not used to train the general AI model.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed.

All-rounders

ChatGPT & Gemini 
These Large Language Models are not literature search engines (risk of hallucinated/invented sources!), but good assistants in the writing process.

• Ideal for: Linguistic optimization, text translations, generating search terms for databases, and structuring outlines.
• Cost: Free to use in the basic version. Advanced features, daily query volumes, or deeper AI analyses are subject to usage limits and require a paid upgrade if needed.

IMPORTANT when using any (AI) tools:
- The tools are constantly being further developed, so changes to functions, operation or price, as well as terms of use, can occur at any time.

- Check whether the use of AI tools is permitted for your work or publication and how their use must be documented.
- Ensure that your entries in prompts comply with data protection regulations.
- Evaluate the quality of the articles found by AI tools.
- Check the accuracy of the content of AI-generated results, such as analyses or summaries.
- Make sure that the selected tool is suitable for your specific use case.
- If the AI tool does not link to the full text, check whether the FH Upper Austria has access and you are logged in with your data - e.g. via PRIMO (Katalog Plus), EZB or databases.

The FH Upper Austria has published a handout regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the area of teaching. Make sure to adhere to the information published there or any new information that may be released in the future. (Title of the handout, available on internal communication channels: "Handreichung zum Umgang mit KI-Systemen an der FH Oberösterreich im Bereich der Lehre")

Last Updated: 19.05.2026

FH Compass: Lots of information about life, learning and orientation at the FH, in the “Learning” section there is a lot of helpful information, tips and podcasts on topics such as learning strategies, test anxiety, self-management, studying and work/family, and much more.  

“Let's talk about it!” Lectures/Talks for students: Every other month there is a new talk on a relevant topic for students: one hour, online via Teams, without registration, just click in and join in! After a short presentation by experts on the respective topic, there will be enough time for questions, answers and discussion. 

Study Success Center: Various support programs for exam preparation, time and self-management, writing club, learning techniques and much more (Many only in German language at the moment).

Citavi

Citavi is a literature reference management database that helps you stay organized and quickly cite your needed literature.

FH Upper Austria students can download the licensed program ("Citavi Web and Desktop")
Choose: "W" -> Wels -> Fachhochschule Oberösterreich and click: "I am a student" or "Faculty or staff member"
Please use your University E-Mail Address when creating your account.

How to use Citavi: 
Citavi Manual and Citavi Web Manual
Getting Started Quick Guide

Libkey Nomad
With the LibKey Nomad extension, you have your library right there in your browser. 
Whether it’s Wikipedia, PubMed or publishers’ websites – if the article is available, the red icon will show you where to find the PDF.
You can find all the details here. 

Transcription Feature in Microsoft Word
Information about this feature in MS word

Google Scholar Library Integration
Click on "Settings" at the top left and then on "Library Links". Enter "University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria" and select the library. When searching in Google Scholar, it will now show on the right side whether the FH OÖ Libraries have licensed online access. You will be redirected to PRIMO or directly to the full text. Log in with your credentials at the top right to gain access. Note: The print collection is not covered – a direct search in PRIMO is still recommended!

Questback survey software
The FH Upper Austria has licensed the Questback survey software for students and staff. 
To gain access, please send a request to create an account to Daniela.Noemeyer@fh-ooe.at
All you need to provide is your FH email address and your name.

SPSS Software
Students can obtain the SPSS software at reduced prices. There is currently no direct way to obtain SPSS licenses from the FH. However, we are working on a solution for this.

Turboscribe
AI Tool to transcribe audio and video files.

VHB-JOURNAL RATING
A ranking of journals relevant to business administration based on the judgements of VHB (Verband der Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft e.V.) members.

WU Journal Rating
A ranking of business journals of the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Scimago Journal Ranking

Scopus-CiteScore

The ÖH (Student Union) of the FH OÖ offers a plagiarism check for students. More information here.

You can find many scan software products online (partly free or for a fee).
Here are a few examples:

PlagScan 
Prepostseo 
Plagaware
Scribbr
 

Every study program has a guideline on the information that has to be put on the binding.

We recommend the following bookbinders. (Many also offer postage of the finished product.):

Bindewerk Eichenauer (Steyr)
Stigler Copyshop (Steyr)
Buchbinderei Strandl (Linz)
Buchbinderei Kölbl (Wels)
Salzkammergut Druck Mittermüller (Gmunden)

Caution Regarding Publication Offers for Theses

Graduates are repeatedly contacted by publishers offering to publish their bachelor’s or master’s thesis. Unfortunately, many of these are so-called “predatory publishers.”These publishers aim to collect publication fees without providing proper editorial services. 
This means:

Poor Peer Review: Unlike reputable publishers who conduct thorough reviews, predatory publishers often skip a proper peer-review process. The work is published without being evaluated by experts.

Aggressive Marketing: They send unsolicited emails to authors and push for rapid publication. Some, such as AV Akademikerverlag, SVH Verlag, Scholar's Press, or Lehrbuchverlag (all part of the OmniScriptum Publishing Group), as well as GRIN or Shaker Verlag, are known for systematically contacting graduates.

Hidden Costs: High fees are often charged after a manuscript is accepted, which are not clearly communicated upfront. Even when publication is offered “for free,” the works are often sold at high prices via print-on-demand, without the author receiving any share.

Low Visibility & Reputation: Publications with these publishers have little academic relevance and are rarely indexed in reputable databases. If you are pursuing an academic career, publishing with such publishers is not advisable, as they lack quality standards and academic reputation, and their works are seldom purchased by university libraries. Moreover, you may lose the rights to your work upon publication, which could prevent you from further using your own thesis.

Be cautious if you notice any of the following:
The email is very generic, contains spelling errors, or uses an impersonal greeting.
The publisher promises extremely fast and seemingly easy publication.
There is little to no information about the peer-review process.
The publisher’s name is unfamiliar or sounds similar to a well-known publisher.
The publisher's website looks unprofessional or provides little information about its leadership.
Publication fees are only mentioned unsolicited or very late in the process.

What should you do if you’re contacted?

Critically and carefully evaluate the publisher: Don’t accept every offer right away. Use resources like the “Think. Check. Submit.” campaign to assess the legitimacy.

Contact us: If you are unsure whether an offer is trustworthy, don’t hesitate to reach out to your campus library. We are happy to help you assess it!

Your thesis is the result of hard work. Don’t let dubious offers pressure you!