Thesis - Guidelines
Theses – Guidelines
I am available to supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s theses in the fields of Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Psychology of Language (Psycholinguistics), including interdisciplinary projects that explore connections between psychology, philosophy, language sciences, and the social sciences.
Requesting Thesis Supervision
Students wishing to complete their thesis under my supervision should contact me sufficiently in advance of their intended graduation session. As a general guideline, they should do so:
- at least 4–5 months in advance for a Bachelor’s thesis;
- at least 7–8 months in advance for a Master’s thesis;
- at least 12 months in advance for an experimental thesis.
These timeframes refer to the official deadline for uploading the final thesis.
My availability to supervise a thesis will be assessed on the basis of the proposed topic, its consistency with my research interests, and the number of theses I am already supervising.
Students are not expected to approach me with a fully developed research project. It is, however, helpful to have identified a general area of interest or some potential research questions. These will be discussed together in order to progressively define the topic, objectives, and structure of the thesis.
Students should preferably have already passed the examination associated with the course in which they intend to undertake their thesis or, in any case, have acquired an adequate background in the relevant subject area.
Organisation of the Work
Once the topic has been agreed upon, the work will generally proceed through the following stages:
- definition of the research question or topic and an initial review of the relevant literature;
- preparation and discussion of a detailed provisional outline and preliminary bibliography;
- progressive drafting and submission of individual chapters;
- revision of the chapters on the basis of feedback received;
- submission of the complete version of the thesis, including the introduction, conclusions, and bibliography, sufficiently in advance of the official deadline.
Specific deadlines will be agreed upon at the beginning of the supervision process, taking into account the type of thesis, the topic, and the intended graduation session. Admission to the agreed graduation session requires that the work be completed according to a schedule that allows sufficient time for appropriate review and revision.
As a general guideline, for a Bachelor’s thesis, a detailed provisional outline and bibliography should be shared approximately four months before the submission deadline, followed by the progressive submission of individual chapters. The complete version of the thesis should be available at least 3–4 weeks before the official upload deadline.
For a Master’s thesis, a detailed provisional outline and bibliography should be defined approximately 6–7 months before submission, followed by the progressive submission of individual chapters. The complete version should be available at least one month before the official upload deadline.
These guidelines are indicative and may be adapted to the characteristics of individual projects, provided that any changes to the agreed schedule are discussed sufficiently in advance.
Experimental Theses
Experimental theses require longer-term planning and should therefore be requested at least one year before the expected submission deadline.
Theses involving the collection and analysis of empirical data are primarily intended for Master’s students. Bachelor’s theses will normally consist of theoretical work or a critical review of the literature. Projects involving an empirical component at Bachelor’s level may nevertheless be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on ongoing research activities and on whether the thesis can be appropriately integrated into them.
The possibility of conducting an experimental thesis will be assessed individually and will also depend on the ongoing research activities and projects of the CODE4 Lab [https://filo.unibo.it/it/ricerca/gruppi-di-ricerca/cognitive-dynamics-4e-embodied-enacted-embedded-extended-lab-code4-lab], to which the thesis project may be connected.
Depending on the project, an experimental thesis may involve participation in different stages of the research process, including literature review, formulation of research hypotheses, development of the experimental paradigm, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation of the results.
The time required for these activities cannot always be predicted precisely. For this reason, undertaking an experimental thesis requires continuity of work and some flexibility regarding the timeline, particularly when the project involves participant recruitment and the collection of new data.
Characteristics of the Thesis
A thesis should not consist merely of a collection or summary of the existing literature. Even in the case of a theoretical or literature-based thesis, the work should be organised around a clearly defined question, critically engaging with the relevant scientific literature and developing a reasoned discussion of the issue under investigation.
Particular attention should be paid to the clarity of the research question and objectives, the quality and relevance of the literature reviewed, the soundness of the argumentation, the ability to distinguish between empirical findings, authors’ interpretations, and the student’s own considerations, as well as to the overall coherence, linguistic accuracy, and formal presentation of the thesis.
Materials submitted for feedback should already have been carefully proofread and should meet an appropriate standard of linguistic and editorial accuracy. The supervisor’s feedback primarily concerns content, structure, argumentation, and scientific clarity and cannot replace the linguistic and editorial revision that remains the responsibility of the student.
Originality, Sources, and Generative Artificial Intelligence
The thesis must be the student’s own original work.
Any idea, data, argument, or wording drawn from other sources must be appropriately referenced. Direct quotations must be clearly identified as such.
It is therefore not acceptable to reproduce or paraphrase other authors’ texts without appropriate attribution; to present ideas, interpretations, or findings from other works as one’s own; or to submit as one’s own a text written, either entirely or in substantial part, by another person.
Any use of Generative Artificial Intelligence tools must fully comply with the University of Bologna’s Policy for the Ethical and Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence [https://www.unibo.it/en/university/statute-standards-strategies-and-reports/artificial-intelligence/artificial-intelligence] . Such tools cannot replace the intellectual, critical, and writing activities required of the student.
Responsibility for the entire content of the thesis—including the accuracy of the information provided, the correctness of citations, and the authenticity of bibliographic sources—remains with the student submitting the thesis.
Thesis Areas and Topics
I am available to supervise thesis projects primarily, although not exclusively, in the following areas:
- Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Processes
Attention, cognitive control, perception and action, stimulus–response compatibility, and individual differences in cognitive processes.
- Concept Representation and Embodied Cognition
Concrete and abstract concepts, embodied and grounded cognition, the role of context in concept representation, individual and cultural variability, and the relationship between bodily experience and knowledge.
- Language and Cognition
Language comprehension and production, relationships between language, thought, and action, and the role of language in concept representation and acquisition, with particular attention to abstract concepts.
- Social, Legal, and Institutional Cognition
Representation of social, legal, and institutional concepts; the role of experience, expertise, and context; cognitive processes involved in understanding institutions and normativity; and intersections between cognitive psychology and philosophy of law.
- Methods and Emerging Technologies for the Study of Cognition
Experimental methods in cognitive psychology, behavioural paradigms, and emerging technologies applied to the study of cognitive processes.
I am also available to consider interdisciplinary proposals that are consistent with these research areas. The specific thesis topic will in any case be defined jointly, taking into account the student’s interests, the available scientific literature, and the possibility of developing a sufficiently focused and manageable research question.
