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Introduction In Italy degree in physiotherapy became possible since 2001/2004 with university reform (DM 04/02/2001; DM 270/04). Physiotherapy Education Program is three years long and must be founded on a scientific basis as every other university education. A degree attainment requires the dissertation of a thesis. The thesis is an essay concerning issues related to disciplinary program. It has a central role in education: it marks the transition from the status of graduate student to a member of the scientific community, encourages familiarity with the research process, and allows to evaluate the education quality. It is therefore important to enhance this final work. Quality criteria should guarantee a fair judgement and an agreement between examiners and supervisors. Objective To develop an instrument for quality assessment of the physiotherapy theses. Materials and Methods A literature analysis was performed on the main biomedical databases. Bibliography has been analyzed critically and an evaluation tool has been established through a synthesis process. Results Few studies have been published especially in rehabilitation professions. Two main approaches in evaluation of theses result: holistic and analytical. Generally analytical tools are preferred in health care and assessment of scientific articles. Therefore our assessment proposal is the result of the evaluation of non-medical health professions theses and scientific articles. Conclusions This work created a tool based on objective and scientifical criteria to assess physiotherapy thesis. It could be used to obtain a standard of evaluation and to support best degree projects. Further studies are required to validation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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