This page details the procedure for choosing the thesis subject and the rules for preparing the dissertation for the final examination.
The final examination in DHDK consists of a discussion of the thesis/dissertation in front of a Committee. The dissertation should be prepared under the guidance of a supervisor (relatore) and at least a co-supervisor (correlatore). The objective of the thesis is to show that the student can conduct scientific research independently and clearly report the study and its conclusions. It also serves as practice for those intending to pursue doctoral studies after successfully completing the program.
The thesis subject must relate to one of the subjects covered in DHDK courses, and students choose it based on the personal and academic interests of both the student and the supervisor. The final thesis may also relate to the internship experience, based on a specific project or focusing on a particular topic related to the hosting organisation or its activities. Students must agree with the supervisor in advance on how to structure the internship for the thesis, i.e. before contacting possible institutions and companies where the internship can be set.
We strongly suggest that students wait until they have attended at least all the courses of the first year of DHDK and those in the first semester of the second year before contacting professors to agree on a suitable thesis work. In addition, please note that completing a thesis at DHDK typically requires at least six months of dedicated work.
DHDK final examination consists of a discussion of the master's thesis in front of a Committee composed of DHDK professors. The committee can award 0 to 5 points for the dissertation, which are added to the student’s admission grade.
The Committee will assess the candidate's overall performance – dissertation, curriculum, time taken to complete their studies, transfers from another University or another programme – applying specific rules for each Degree Programme. The Committee expresses its assessment as a grade out of 110. The final exam is deemed to be passed with a minimum grade of 66/110 and a maximum grade of 110/110. If the Committee grants a maximum grade, it may also grant honours (lode) by unanimous decision. See the information on how to calculate the average score for the relevant study programme.
DHDK permits two different kinds of theses – the choice of which must be agreed with the supervisor: a traditional thesis, described in a textual document of at least 100 pages presenting the work, and a resource-centric thesis, where the focus is entirely put on the particular DH digital scientific resource created as the primary result of the thesis work. The choice of thesis type may also depend on what students want to do after graduation (work at a company, pursue a PhD, etc.). Thus, it is strongly encouraged to discuss this aspect with the supervisor before making a final decision. The guidelines for these two types of thesis are as follows.
This kind of thesis primarily aims to produce a textual scientific document. The criteria to assess dissertations of this type are:
The following sections are usually required in the thesis:
Students must consult the supervisor for more detailed information on the thesis structure, contents, and the timing for submitting documents for revision. The recommended length of the document is about 100 pages (excluding the title page, the table of contents, the table of figures, and references).
This kind of thesis aims primarily to produce a digital scientific resource relevant to the DH domain. Such a resource must be accompanied by relevant documentation that details its positioning within the current state of the art, the methodological process used to create the resource, and dimensions detailing its impact and evaluation.
There are different criteria that are used to assess dissertations about this thesis. General criteria are defined in the ATLAS Guidelines, and apply to all the types of resources:
It is crucial that the student agrees precisely with the supervisor on the recommendations to consider in developing the resource. In addition, the student must explicitly share with the Committee in advance the appropriate criteria, defined by the relevant scientific community of reference for that resource type, that should be used to assess the dissertation on the resource-centric thesis.
For instance, possible guidelines to adopt, depending on the particular type of resource the thesis focuses on, are introduced in the ATLAS Guidelines for the following resources:
When submitting the final thesis, the resource object must be provided to an archive that also includes all related documentation. In addition, the resource should be briefly introduced in a white paper, which represents the textual submission associated with this kind of thesis. The white paper is a short scholarly article that includes the resource's metadata (identified by a persistent identifier), along with a description of its contents, research methodologies, and relevant bibliography. The following sections are mandatorily required in the white paper presenting the resource, inspired by well-known practices in DH research (e.g. see the Pròdìgi journal):
The three central sections (Introduction, Description, Impact and reusability) must clearly address the general ATLAS Guidelines and the other specific guidelines related to the type of resource the thesis focuses on. The length of the white paper produced should be between 5,000 and 7,500 words (excluding title page, basic metadata, and references).
Independently of the particular kind of thesis chosen, all the textual documents produced (either a textual scientific document of the traditional thesis or the white paper of the resource-centric one) must follow these criteria:
For the title page (frontespizio, in Italian), the use of the UNIBO logo is not allowed on the cover.
The recommended bibliography style is Chicago (Author Date, Page). Examples are available on the official webpages of the style. To simplify collecting and writing bibliographic references, please use open-source reference management software, such as Zotero, which already provides several bibliographic and citation styles, including Chicago.
If specified, in the sitography section of the references, you must put websites and online projects' URLs. On the contrary, in the bibliography section, add books, articles, and other resources (with persistent identifiers) you cite in your thesis. Remember: if you cite an online article, put the reference in the bibliography section, not the sitography.
The thesis must be written in English.
Place Figures and Tables in text as close to the reference as possible. Captions should be Times New Roman, 9-point bold and should be placed below the box and aligned to the left. Each caption should contain numbering (e.g. “Table 1” or “Figure 2”), a title and, if necessary, its source.
In case you need to add quotations to the text, use the following guidelines:
Finally, use footnotes to add additional information or a link to a website.
The University has published a policy to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and services. In particular, the policy includes a section for students preparing work to be assessed, which should be strictly followed for thesis preparation.
Students must acknowledge and declare every contribution arising from substantial use of AI. For this reason, if AI has been used in the thesis, students must add a descriptive statement that clearly and transparently explains the use, in compliance with University policies.
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