Thesis Starter Pack

Italian version

Before starting the thesis

Before starting any research, analysis, figures, or tables, make sure that all administrative requirements are completed. The official steps for the graduation process are described on the School of Psychology website:
https://www.psicologia.unipd.it/studenti-iscritti/didattica-offerta-formativa/prove-finali

You are responsible for managing this process.
Any action required from me will be handled promptly and within the official deadlines.
Actions required from you are your responsibility.

I am available for clarifications and questions. For strictly administrative issues (deadlines, documents, credits, exam records), please contact the administrative offices directly.

How to write the thesis

Regardless of the specific topic, some general requirements apply to all theses:

  • APA guidelines (American Psychological Association): you are expected to know and apply the main rules for reporting statistical results and formatting references. The manual is available here.
  • Bibliographic research and reference management: how to search the literature, organize sources, and produce a correct bibliography.

For theses involving data analysis, figures, tables, or statistical reporting, I require the use of a literate programming framework. I strongly recommend Quarto, which allows you to combine text, code (e.g., R), and outputs in a single document and compile it into the final thesis (PDF or Word).

A Quarto template that follows all typographical requirements of the School of Psychology is available here:
https://github.com/psicostat/thesis

Quarto has a steeper initial learning curve compared to standard word processors (e.g., Microsoft Word), but the advantages quickly outweigh the costs.

For theses with minimal computation or figures, you may choose between Quarto and Microsoft Word / Google Docs. A Word template is available here, together with a short tutorial video here.

Bibliography

Any thesis involves reading and citing multiple references. I strongly recommend using a reference manager (e.g., Zotero, Mendeley, Paperpile). In particular, Zotero is free and integrates smoothly with Quarto, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs. Investing some time in learning Zotero will save you a considerable amount of time later. It is intuitive for basic use, and many tutorials are available online.

Data analysis and coding

If your thesis involves data analysis or coding, you are expected to understand and carry out the work independently. I will support you through code review, feedback, and discussion, but I will not do the work for you.

You may use large language models (e.g., GPT), but you are expected to understand what they produce and use them as support tools, not substitutes.

In practice, you should be able to clearly explain any piece of code, analysis choice, or result when asked. You are not required to be a statistician or programmer, but you are required to understand the tools you use and the reasons behind your choices.

A note on using AI tools

I am not an expert in LMMs, and I also use tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. I have mixed feelings about AI use in teaching, data analysis, coding, and writing, and I follow a simple personal rule:

Use AI for tasks you already understand and could do yourself, but want to do faster.
Do not use AI for tasks you do not understand.

Appropriate use

  • You are reading a paper and something is unclear: AI can help rephrase the content or provide alternative explanations.
  • You wrote some code and want an external check for potential errors or overlooked issues.

Inappropriate use

  • You ask AI to solve exercises in statistics or coding meant to teach you a concept. The goal is understanding, not obtaining an answer.
  • You provide a dataset and ask AI to produce plots or analyses for you. Coding requires knowing exactly what you are doing; skipping this step prevents learning and independence.