luiss thesis case study

Writing A Master’s Thesis

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Assignment of thesis title and degree exams

Student Office

Viale Romania, 32 00197 Roma T 06 8522 5270/5263

[email protected]

Via Parenzo, 11 00198 Roma T 06 8522 5895

[email protected]

The final exam of four-year degree courses consists of a discussion and evaluation of a written dissertation (thesis) in Italian and/or in a foreign language. The preparation of the thesis work must be coherent with the educational objectives of the graduate’s course and must be carried out within a subject for which the student has taken the exam or obtained recognition/validation, except for open courses and courses which requires eligibility.

The thesis must reflect the critical, linguistic and scientific maturity corresponding to the specific cultural and professional figures of each Master’s Degree and must be elaborated in an original way by the student with the guidance of a supervisor.

The supervisor who, together with the co-supervisor, guarantees the student's thesis work, must be holder of the course chosen or in any case competent in the matter. The Supervisor must have a contract with Luiss at the time of the request and be a professor in the subject chosen for the thesis. The co-supervisor is designated by the Dean of School or his delegate based on the discipline and topic chosen by the student.

In case of thesis assignment for students participating to Double Degree, QTEM, Structured Partnerships and International Exchange Programs, or in case of thesis request in a course taught abroad and registered in the student’s career with its original denomination, as long as it is coherent with the educational objectives of the study course, even if not offered at Luiss, it will be necessary to verify the feasibility respectively with the International Development Office ( [email protected] ) in the first case, or with the Student Secretariat ( [email protected] ) in the second case.

An academic year has the three degree sessions:   Summer   (normally July),   Autumn   (normally October/November) and   Extraordinary   (normally March/April).

To comply with the deadlines published and the the norms of the University regarding plagiarism , students planning to take their degree exam and graduate must:

• Fill in the thesis title assignment form three months prior to the degree session in which they intend to take the exam;
• register for the degree session by filling in the degree exam request and paying the   degree fee   through the Web Self Service;
• complete the examinations   (to find out the scheduled deadline for taking all official examinations, please refer to the   calendar);
• upload the Thesis.

Fill in the thesis title assignment form three months before the degree exam

• candidates who intend to graduate will have to, after having pinpointed and liaised with the supervisor, fill in the thesis title assignment form through the web self-service platform (under "degree examination") by the deadline set in the "calendar of administrative deadlines" published on the University’s website;
• subsequently, the supervisor, through their own web self-service account and within a period of time following the deadline for submission of the application form to be assigned a thesis title, will have to approve/reject the proposed thesis title;
• the status of the thesis title assignment application can be checked through the web self-service platform (under "degree examination"): the supervisor’s approval of the proposed title marks the formal start of writing of the thesis and the status of the thesis title assignment application will change from "filled in on line" to "assigned"; in the event that the application is rejected, the student will receive a communication to that effect at their university email account;
• after the degree program director appoints a co-supervisor, the status of thesis title assignment application will change to "approved" and the name of the designated co-supervisor will be displayed in the web self-service platform.

In addition to the designated supervisor, the dean of the department will appoint a co-supervisor based on the thesis topic, whose name will be listed   on the   Web Self Service. This co-supervisor, along with the supervisor, will help the student prepare the work, will vouch for the work and will be present when the student discusses the thesis during their defense. Considering the academic importance of the co-supervisor, all students are asked to get in touch with their designated professor when they begin drafting their theses and to continually update them as their work progresses.

The   thesis title assignment form specifies the first session in which the student can take their degree exam and graduate and therefore should not be filled in again if the degree exam is being postponed to a subsequent session (unless there is a change to the thesis subject or the supervisor). Registration for a specific degree exam session, however, requires the submission of the degree exam request form   and the receipt evidencing payment of the degree fee;   if the thesis title assignment form is submitted without the degree exam request form, it is not necessary to submit an additional form postponing the degree exam.  

Register for the degree exam

• Go to the   Degree exam   section of the personal   Web Self Service   page and fill out the   degree exam request within the   scheduled deadline available on   the   Calendar of administrative deadlines .
• Pay the degree fee available on Web Self Service only after having submitted the degree exam request. 
• Only students who have been enrolled in the a.y. 2015/2016 will have to return their Badge and academic record booklet  (booklet containing all their official exam grades, or libretto universitario in Italian).  The documents canbe   sent by mail to   Luiss Guido Carli – Student Office – Via Parenzo 11 - 00198 Rome.
• Check with the Career Service office the status of the internship in the academic, if not already recognized, in the electronic academic record booklet. For further information consult the following link

Take note please: after filling out the request, it will no longer be possible to change the data therein except for the title of the thesis, which can be changed up to the upload.  

The   degree exam request will be considered effective   only after the payment of the degree fee has been visible on web self service page.

The status can be checked through the Web Self Service under the heading Degree Exam>status> “Submitted in Student Office”.

The missed payment of the degree fee or the missed submission   to the Student Office of the   badge   and completed   academic record booklet     will lead to exclusion from the degree exam session.

Thesis Upload

• Go to the Degree exam section of the personal   Web Self Service   page. To find out the scheduled deadline, refer to the   Calendar of administrative deadlines.
• Read carefully what is set out there on   stylistic guidelines   for the Final Paper and   the provisions concerning the   Authorization to online publication of the thesis   in the Luiss archive and select one of the three options (for further information see   LuissThesis )
•   Upload the   definitive   file of the thesis.   It will be   approved/not approved   by the professors (supervisor and co-supervisor) on Web Self Service in accordance with the timeframe that will be after the deadlines and notified to them.   It is not necessary to submit any documentation to the Student Office.  

For   margins, line spacing and font   to use, please follow the instructions of your supervisor and the   stylistic guidelines for the thesis .

Please note:   only single file in   PDF   format lower   15 MB   will be accepted.   We strongly suggest to check the file format and its readability and compatibility with Windows prior to the upload.

The upload must be done   only once   in the process period and it will be considered as the   definitive file.   The Student Office will do spot checks to verify the file.

A failure to upload the thesis by the required deadline and the not approval by one or both professors   will lead to exclusion from the degree exam session.

The digital copy of the thesis will be kept in the digital archive of this University in compliance with the security measures provided by the Code regarding the protection of personal data and will be available, for administrative and scientific reasons when permitted, only by authorized persons, according to the same rules for consultation.

For further information, please write (only from a Luiss account) at the following addresses:

• administrative/technical questions:   [email protected]
• authorization to online consultation of final paper:   [email protected]

Please note the importance of   the Luiss institutional email address as support and information tool.

To   postpone the degree exam   (which can only be done using the   Web Self Service ) or in case of not approval and for all other   useful information , please refer to those pages.

Other Information:

• Stylistic guidelines for the thesis

      In order to reduce the waste of ink and paper, please read carefully and follow the Guidelines for sustainable printing of theses and papers .

• Criteria for awarding degree grades and grade bonus points

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How to write a thesis

Consult our recommendations and guidelines on how to design, organize and write the final thesis. 

1.1. Preliminary stages

Once the thesis topic has been agreed on and the stages of writing the thesis have been established with the supervisor, you should follow several preliminary steps prior to drafting the paper:

• Do some initial bibliographic research using catalogs, databases (in Italian), and specialized periodicals available in the Library;
• Plan out the organization and exposition of the thesis through the drafting of a preliminary outline that is supported by a brief description of each chapter, which will clarify the project plan for both the supervisor and the candidate.

The goals of a paper such as the thesis are as follows:

• Clarity: the candidate’s arguments should be expressed in linear phrases that are not redundant. Sentences should be kept as short as possible;
• Completeness: all the information needed to understand the points of view expressed should be carefully presented.

The thesis is divided into sections, which are ordered systematically.

2.1. The title page

The title page is the first page of the thesis and it contains essential information about the thesis, such as:

• the institution
• the department
• the thesis material
• the thesis title
• the candidate’s name
• the supervisor’s name (and the co-supervisor’s name, where applicable)
• the academic year

For the Luiss thesis, the  Student Office  has prepared Final Paper first page template to use:

• Bachelor’s degree programs
• Master’s degree programs
• Single-cycle master’s degree program in Law
• Four-year degree programs

2.2. Table of contents

The table of contents indicates the titles and page numbers at the beginning of the sections that make up the text of the thesis (chapters, sections, subsections, bibliography, etc.) and provides a snapshot of the content and structure of the paper. It has an organizational purpose with regard to the work being prepared and undergoes modification as the research on the thesis evolves and expands.

2.3. The introduction

The introduction, which is written after drafting the rest of the thesis, explains the choice of topic, the hypotheses that the candidate intends to prove and the tools used.

2.4. Chapters, sections and sub-sections

The body of the paper is subdivided into chapters, sections and subsections, numbered sequentially to facilitate internal references.

2.5. The conclusion

The last chapter of the thesis, it is presented as a response to the hypotheses presented in the introduction and comments on the results of the research.

2.6. Footnotes

Footnotes can be used for various purposes:

• to cite the sources of the topics discussed;
• to contain further information or digressions;
• to refer to other sections of the text.

Footnotes are at the bottom of the page and use a smaller font than the rest of the text. The numbers corresponding to the notes precede any punctuation marks, except in the case of quotes.

2.7. The bibliography

The bibliography lists and orders works consulted during the writing of the paper and the citations contained within it, and it contains the information needed to identify and find these documents. Given that there is no single citation style, several variations can be used, as long as the selected style is used consistently throughout the thesis.

Distinguishing different types of documents is essential:

• monographs;
• chapters of monographs;
• periodical articles;
• gray literature (material produced by an entity but not published by an editor);
• documents on the web.

Each of these is cited in a different way: for example, while the place of publication and the publisher must be indicated for monographs, this data can be omitted for periodicals because normally the name of the periodical is sufficient.

For further information on how to format bibliographic citations and use the Reference Management Systems, consult the guidelines in the dedicated guide: "How to prepare a bibliography".

3.1. Graphic standards

In order to reduce paper and ink consumption, in case of printing (however not required) it is recommended to follow the Guidelines for sustainable printing of theses and papers .

The same indications can, not necessarily, be used to format the PDF file sent to the Student Office via digital upload.  For administrative questions, contact the Student Office .

3.2. Foreign words and emphasis

The rules state that foreign words commonly used in Italian should be written normally; in other cases they should be italicized, except for proper names, official names of institutions, or laws, which are not considered to be foreign words. Latin terms are considered foreign and should be italicized. Italics are also used to draw attention to specific words or passages in the text, while double quotes are used for idiomatic expressions.

3.3. Figures and tables

The source and the date the information was updated must always be provided for graphs and tables.

3.4. Abbreviations

Abbreviations can be used in the body of the thesis, as well as in the notes and bibliography.

Abbreviations may be editorial:

• Article = art.
• Chapter = ch.
• Cited = cit.
• Compare = cf.
• Et cetera = etc.
• Edition = ed.
• Example = e.g.
• Figure = fig.
• Ibidem = ibid.
• Number = no.
• Work cited = op.cit.
• Pages = pp.
• And the following = et seq.
• No date = n.d.
• No place = n.p.
• Translated by/translation/translator = trans.
• Volume = vol.
• Volumes = vols.

Or related to the publications cited:

• J. = Journal
• Rev. = Revue, Review
• Riv. = Rivista
• Z., Zeit. = Zeitschrift Zh.
• Zhur. = Zhurnal
• Bull. = Bulletin
• Proc. = Proceedings
• Ann. = Annals,Annual 
• Hist. = History, Historical 
• Soc. = Society, Social
• Am., Amer. = America, American 
• Can., Canad. = Canada, Canadian 
• Brit. = British
• It., Ital. = Italy, Italian

A summary table of all abbreviations used in the paper should be included if they are used throughout the thesis.

4.1. How do I get started?

The Library staff provides general bibliographical information and guidance, as well as help with document retrieval and in consulting catalogs and databases.

In addition, you can use the online ask a librarian service for questions related to: writing a bibliography, getting information and material on a specific topic, information on research strategies and sources to consult, access to other libraries, information on the Library’s services and its print and electronic resources.

4.2. How do I find a book?

You can use  Luiss Discovery  that allows you to do a single integrated search of the majority of bibliographical and full text resources available in the Luiss Library and of other relevant, open source resources, as well as of the institutional archive  LuissThesis .

The list of results shows the location and the shelf-list of printed books or the link to access e-books.

If you do not find the book you are looking for in the catalog you can:

• consult other national catalogs such as  SBN , to see if other libraries in Rome have them, where you can go in person (for information  [email protected] );
• use the interlibrary loan service for books that are not in Rome (average wait time 10 days);
• send an acquisition recommendation   (average wait time 30 days).

Students can borrow up to 10 books for 40 days.

Remember that loans can be renewed up to their due date as long as other users have not reserved them.

Renewals can be done:

• through Luiss app;
• by logging into  Discovery  My Account section;
• by phone (06.8522.5600);
• by email ( [email protected] );

4.4. How can I find a periodical?

Consult the  Journal Search , which publishes all of the titles in print and/or electronic format available at the Library.

• The following information is included for printed periodicals: the name of the periodical, ISSN, room location, what the Library has and what it is missing;
• The following information is included for periodicals in electronic format: the title, with a direct link to the resource, ISSN, the full text of the cover, the database it belongs to and how to access it.

Remember that with the remote access service you can consult most of the Library’s electronic periodicals from home.

If the Library does not have the periodical that you are looking for, you can:

• Consult other national catalogs such as  ACNP  or   SBN   to see if other libraries   in Rome have them, where you can go in person (for information, please contact  [email protected] );
• Use the document delivery service for periodicals that are not found in Rome (average wait time: 7 days).

4.5. How to identify periodical articles?

If you already have the bibliographical data for the article, consult the Journal Search, which has the complete list of periodicals in print and/or electronic format available at the Library.

If the Library does not have the periodical you are looking for, you can:

• Consult other national catalogs such as  ACNP  or   SBN   to see if other libraries   in Rome have them, where you can go in person;
• Use the  document delivery  service for periodicals that are not found in Rome (average wait time: 7 days).

If you do not have the article’s bibliographical data or if you are looking for articles on a specific topic:

• Consult the  ESSPER  catalog (in Italian), which is freely accessible online;
• Consult the database of periodicals in electronic format, which can be searched by author, title or keyword.

Remember that with the remote access service you can consult most of the Library’s databases even from home.

The Library has a number of electronic resources that can be accessed from the thematic rooms, from the University’s network, or remotely; the main advantages of these with respect to the free information available on the web are:

• A guarantee of reliability and scientific quality;
• Increased time coverage: the availability of historical series;
• The possibility of processing the data available in spreadsheets or using graphs;
• The possibility of comparisons and analysis according to variables that you can choose.
• Graduate School | Master’s Thesis Guidance
• Department of Law | Guidance document for writing your Master Thesis

General Purpose Guides

Related content, best practices for avoiding plagiarism, how to prepare a bibliography, introduction to dewey decimal classification, luiss library guides, reference management systems: zotero.