Guidelines for the preparation of the Master thesis 

The writing the Master thesis is a crucial event of the course and represents a unique chance to complete the scientific training. For most students, this will be the first scientific paper they write: thus we ask to strictly obey at the following instructions:

First page:

Download the model Fontespizio tesi at the link Modulistica. Have this page signed by the Advisor and the internal Advisor, if appropriate 

I – Abstract (1 page)

Briefly summarize the rationale of the work, the results obtained and the future perspectives.

II – Introduction (5-10 pages)

Describe the state of the art in the field, referring to the main relevant published papers. It is suggested to use drawings, figures and tables (if taken from the literature, the original source must be correctly quoted)

III – Results of the Research Group (5-10 pages)

Illustrate the research project in which the work of the student is inserted. The main results of the lab, relevant for the thesis, can be presented. This section can be skipped if the student has started a brand new project in the lab

IV - Aim of the thesis (1-2 pages)

Describe briefly but clearly the goal of the work performed by the student

V - Results achieved by the Candidate (5-20 pages)

Present the obtained results using figures, graphs, tables. In this section, a result must be described and analyzed only in order to introduce the next experiment: the comprehensive discussion is postponed to the next section

VI - Conclusions and Future Prospectives (3-6 pages)

Discuss the relevance and the meaning of the obtained results within the current literature in the field and indicate the potential development of the project

VII - Materials and Methods (5-10 pages)

Clearly describe all methods used to perform the experiments reported in section V

VIII – References (2-5 pages)

Use the Medline standard (with the full length title) to report each paper cited in the text

File Format:

Microsoft Word

line spacing: 1.5 lines

character: size 12 (suggested font: times, times new roman, arial)

margins: left and bottom = 3 cm; right and top = 2 cm

paragraph: justified; spacing before = 6 points

Insert a page break at the end of each section

Insert the index at the beginning of the text, before section I (Abstract)

Figures: 

Insert figures and Figure legends in between two "page breaks" 

Prepare clear and detailed Figure legends 

Save each Figure (with its caption) as a single .jpg or .pdf file, and use "Insert picture from file" to place the Figure in the desired position in the text  

Do not use "copy and paste" with different files (i.e., from PowerPoint or Paint)

Avoid exeedingly large images: 100-200 dpi is sufficient  

The pages containing Figures and Figure captions are not included in the number of pages allowed for each section indicated above

Istructions for making the .pdf file to send to the Committee: 

Make a single .pdf file with all sections of the thesis (first page included)

The file must not exceed 2-3 Mbytes (watch out for Figures dimension!); zipped files are not allowed

The .pdf file sent to the Committee must be the final version of the thesis