English Language/Linguistics

1. Structure of the dissertation

Your dissertation should conform to the following general outline:

Cover/Title page
Abstract
(Acknowledgements: optional)
Table of contents
Introduction
Body (divided into sections): possible sections include a Literature Review section, a Method/Approach Section, a Findings/Results section and a Discussion section)
Conclusion
References
(Appendices: optional)
Summary in Italian

For more information about the various parts of a dissertation and for examples see:

To compile the References section of your dissertation, follow the guidelines you can find in:

Section 11 of the following Stylesheet (Mouton de Gruyter).

You can retrieve useful information on punctuation from the following resources:

Punctuation in English (pdf) (specifically targeting LCM/MZL/LMLLA/LMCCA students)
Use of punctuation in English
Trask, Robert L. 1997. Penguin guide to punctuation. London: Penguin.
Seely, John. 2009. Oxford A-Z of grammar and punctuation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

If you need to learn how to write academic English, you can consult the following publications:

Zemach, Dorothy E. Broudy Danile & Chris Valvona. 2011. Writing research papers: From essay to research paper. Oxford: Macmillan.
Oshima, Alice & Hogue Ann. 2006. Writing academic English, Level 4. Harlow: Longman.
Swales, John M. & Feak Christine B. 2004. Academic writing for graduate students, 3^rd edition. Ann Arbour, MI: University of Michigan Press.

You can also find information in the following resource: Academic Writing in English

Ask your supervisor for more detailed indications as to the methods, reference books and other materials relevant to your specific project.

If you need help with grammar, please consult the following:

Carter, Ronald & Michael McCarthy 2006. Cambridge grammar of English: A comprehensive guide to spoken and written grammar and usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Biber, Douglas, Conrad Susan & Geoffrey Leech. 2002. Longman student grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Downing, Angela & Philip Locke. 2006. A university course in English grammar, 2^nd edition. London/New York: Routledge.
Eastwood, John 2002. Oxford guide to English grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oxford Practice Grammar with answers
Oxford Guide to English Grammar

At all times, make sure you can access A) a monolingual dictionary for advanced learners, such as:

Cambridge advanced learner’s dictionary. Cambridge University Press (a recent edition);
Collins COBUILD English dictionary. Collins (a recent edition);
Longman dictionary of contemporary English. Longman (a recent edition);
Macmillan English dictionary for advanced learners. Macmillan (a recent edition);
The Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary. Oxford University Press (a recent edition).

as well as B) a bilingual dictionary, such as:

Picchi, Fernando. Grande Dizionario di Inglese, Inglese-Italiano / Italiano-Inglese. HOEPLI (a recent edition).