General indications – degree thesis

The choice oftopic it should always start from a personal interest: you are about to undertake research that will keep you busy for a long time, so it is advisable to aim for a topic that constantly stimulates curiosity and the desire to delve deeper. It is important to keep in mind that you should never have expectations about the conclusions: if you start from the assumption that the research must satisfy the predictions, all the work will be less than objective because you will only look for sources that support them. Research is a journey with an often unexpected destination, which is why it is essential to read up on the most up-to-date sources, if necessary also following debates and conferences on the topic.

Once you've agreed on the topic with the speaker, it's time to start your search. It is normal to feel an initial feeling of disorientation and confusion, especially if the chosen topic is well studied and a large amount of material about it is circulating. It may be useful, however, to make an initial selection between primary texts, which represent the foundations on which to build your argument, e secondary, which instead are brought to support the thesis to help the reader understand it better. In this selection process, always remember to verify that the sources are reliable and authoritative. If you have any doubts, we recommend that you delve deeper into the topic with this tutorial made available by the University of Bologna which explains how to locate, evaluate and effectively use information and sources on the page "Information Literacy Tutorial".

Starting from the assumption that each discipline, each topic and each teacher requires an individual declination of the structures and substructures of the thesis work, some fundamental components can still be outlined:

• Frontispiece
• Index
• Introduction
• Body of the thesis
• Conclusion
• REFERENCES

There are naturally other sections which, depending on the case, can be inserted: introduction, table index, appendices, acknowledgments and so on. Remember that the thesis is a work shared with the supervisor, therefore you can always seek a discussion with him to clarify any doubts.

The thesis must be entirely written following the University's editorial rules, for which you can contact: segreteriastudenti@unirsm.sm

You've probably already heard of experimental thesis e compilation thesis, but what's the difference? Thesis experimental it is the result of analyzes conducted personally by the graduate, it requires more practical work and allows you to "get your hands dirty", but also in this case it is essential to research the sources from which to start your work; thesis compilation it is instead more theoretical, concentrated on the re-elaboration of the sources to find a logical thread that connects them to demonstrate one's hypotheses, therefore based on already existing material and embellished by the reasoning with which the graduate approaches it.

On the review numerous factors influence the thesis. First of all is originality: research must have a well-defined purpose, and the more innovative the approach to the topic and the results obtained are, the more original the paper will be. Equally important is clarity: the choice of unambiguous language suitable for your field will make the work more convincing in the eyes of the commission, as it is an indication of preparation and competence. The ability to select sources is also fundamental, since whatever type of thesis is chosen, its validity is mainly based on the sources that act as the backbone.