Information on writing and grading

The graduating student may choose to major in a teaching activity of the study plan, both from the first or second year, even if the student attended part of the second year abroad (Erasmus or Overseas). The student has to prove to be able to put together and summarize a bibliography on the subject and re-elaborate it based on the required editorial rules.

Students are suggested to ask the availability of the prospective supervisor as soon as possible (since he/she might not be available), and according to the internship experience and/or to the topic chosen for the dissertation (here, some past and available theses are listed).

N.B.: only full, associate and assistant professors and adjunct lecturers holding a teaching activity within the School of Economics and Management can act as supervisors. Visiting teachers and seminar speakers cannot be supervisors (unless provided by a specific agreement). However, they can act as "controrelatore".

The "controrelatore" is optional and must be suggested by the supervisor according to the relevance of the thesis, in order to get the 2 extra-points. The supervisor should submit the request of the controrelatore to the Director of the program (within the same deadline for uploading thesis online), to allow the Director of the program to confirm or change the controrelatore and to allow the student to provide him/her with a copy of the thesis at least 15 days before the graduation. The controrelatore may take part in the graduation session, if he/she is available. In case of absence he/she has to send the assessment of the thesis through a letter or email to the President of the Graduation Commission.

The title of the thesis has to be agreed with the supervisor and should be submitted with the application for graduation within the specified deadlines (see below).

Basic editorial rules to write a dissertation:

• Length: between 50-100 pages including notes, tables and attachments.
• §  pages with 32-35 text lines, each containing 65-70 characters;
• Line space: 1 or 1,5;
• font: Times New Roman or Arial;font size: 12 or 13 (10 for footnotes);
• Margins: 2-2-2-2;
• The use of the Unibo logo is strictly forbidden in the title page. The Unibo will proceed legally against violators for counterfeiting the seal. (R.D. 21/6/1942, as amended by Legislative Decree No. 480 of 1992 issued in implementation of the EU Directive No. 10 of 1989 and further amended by Legislative Decree No. 198 of 1996).

Accurate referencing and bibliography is an important element of the thesis. Students should adopt a standard quotation system and bibliography format. Please note that besides these general guidelines, students will refer to each supervisor in order to use the appropriate referencing style.

However, the quality of the thesis depends on its content, not on its length. Graduating students are expected to know the literature sorrounding the topic under investigation, to master the methodology, and to advance the state of the art by submitting a piece of original research. The novelty can be in the theoretical / empirical approach, in the data used or collected, in the case-study analysed, or in the critical approach taken. Remember to precisely quote all the reference material that has been consulted and used and that plagiarism is strictly forbidden and is considered a serious offence.

The university takes plagiarism very seriously and has legal implications: concepts and statements taken from the literature should be appropriately reworded and referenced. For this purpose, the University of Bologna provides the specific service as Antiplagiarism  Compilatio (see attachments).

The Board expresses its assessment with a grade out of one hundred and ten. The exam is deemed to be passed with a minimum grade of 66/110 and a maximum grade of 110/110. In the case of granting a maximum grade, the Board may also grant honours (lode) by unanimous decision.

The criteria to assess dissertations are:

• originality of the subject,
• correct methodology,
• level of in-depth analysis,
• adequate writing and editing,
• ability to express and present the dissertation.

Students can calculate the weighted average score of their marks with respect to the credits of the exams.  

Additional points

Rounding: The value resulting from previous calculations is rounded up to the nearest value.

IMPORTANT: The courses and activities that provide an assessment passed/failed (idoneità) such as laboratories, seminars or internships are not counted in the weighted average.
The averages will be published online a few days before the graduation. You can contact the Students Administrative Office (Segreteria studenti) to check it before your discussion.

For further information on the matriculation of the previous years, see the website page.

The Final Examination Board, having taken into consideration the dissertation discussion and your curriculum, will decide the final grade, which will be proclaimed after the discussion (or published on the last day of the Graduation Session on Studenti Online).