Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation or Thesis Faster

A Proven Map to Success

by E. Alana James and Tracesea Slater

Are You and Your Proposal Prepared for Defense?

Polishing Your Proposal

•  Abstracts –  Guidelines/Template from Scientific Research

1. The purpose of this study was . . . 2. The scope (or population) of the study was . . . 3. The methodology used (include data collection and analysis) . . . 4. Findings from the study show . . . 5. Conclusions reached . . . 6. Significance of the study is . . . 7. It contributes to the literature . . .

•  Preparing Your Slides

Getting Ready for a Live Defense

•  The  Defense  From  the  Professor’s  Point  of  View    •  Set  Yourself  up  for  Success    •  Building  on  a  Solid  Founda=on    •  The  Two  Approaches  to  Reading  a  Disserta=on  or  Thesis    •  Comments  and  Revisions    

Relationships: Your Advisor and Committee Members

•  Moving Past Issues to Greater Support –  Choose a committee wisely –  Not Supportive? –  Lack of Timely Feedback –  Does Not Give Instruction

•  Moving Past Issues to Greater Support –  Reengaging, Especially if You Have Been Away From

the Process for a While –  Handling Criticism

•  Before You Go into Defense of Proposal •  After You Have Received Difficult Criticism

Ethical Review

•  It  is  at  the  =me  of  the  defense  of  proposal  that  doctoral  students  are  first  trained  in  and  then  make  applica=on  to  their  universi=es  ethical  review  board.    –  Inves=gate  university  guidelines  –  Talk  to  students  who  have  recently  passed  defense  and  are  collec=ng  data  

–  Ask  your  advising  professors  for  specific  guidelines  –  Know  what  you  are  geIng  into  before  you  have  to  face  it  

Things to Do During and After Your Defense of a Dissertation Proposal

•  Step  1:  Ask  Your  CommiLee  What  Specific  Things  They’ll  Look  for  in  Your  Analysis  of  Data    

•  Step  2:  Take  Good  Notes/Journal  Your  Data  Collec=on  and  Analysis  Procedure  

•  Step  3:  Send  Preliminary  Data  Analysis  and  Findings    •  Step  4:  Keep  Asking  Ques=ons  Un=l  You’re  Sure  You  

Understand  What  Others  See  in  Your  Data    •  Step  5:  Read  All  the  Disserta=ons  You  Can  That  Model  

Your  Methodology    

Where  Should  I  Go  to  Dig  Deeper?    Suggested  Resources  to  Consider    

•  Brause,  R.  S.  (2000).  Wri$ng  your  doctoral  disserta$on:  Invisible  rules  for  success.  London:  Routledge  Falmer.  Pages  133  through  142  contain  a  detailed  discussion  of  the  defense  process,  including  ques=ons  frequently  asked  during  an  oral  defense.    

•  Garson,  G.  D.  (2002).  Guide  to  wri$ng  empirical  papers,  theses,  and  disserta$ons.  New  York:  Marcel  Dekker.  Pages  290  through  307  offer  further  discussion  of  choosing  a  commiLee,  providing  a  checklist  for  the  proposal  hearing  and  a  discussion  of  the  defense  from  the  perspec=ve  of  a  university  built  on  the  European  model.    

•  Mauch,  J.  E.,  &  Park,  N.  (2003).  Guide  to  the  successful  thesis  and  disserta$on:  A  handbook  for  students  and  faculty.  New  York:  Marcel  Dekker.  Pages  143  through  198  build  on  the  discussion  by  Garson,  adding  func=ons  of  the  commiLee  and  assessment  guidelines  to  which  you  may  be  responsible.    

•  Roberts,  C.  M.  (2004).  The  disserta$on  journey.  Thousand  Oaks,  CA:  Corwin  Press  (pp.  184–191);  GlaLhorn,  A.  A.,  &  Joyner,  R.  L.  (2005).  Wri$ng  the  winning  thesis  or  disserta$on:  A  step-­‐by-­‐step  guide  (2nd  ed.).  Thousand  Oaks,  CA:  Corwin  Press  (pp.  221_226).  Both  of  these  books  have  scenarios  as  to  what  to  expect  from  a  defense  at  a  university  using  the  model  most  common  in  the  United  States.    

•  Western,  S.  (2012).  Coaching  and  mentoring:  A  cri$cal  text  (1st  ed.).  Thousand  Oaks,  CA:  Sage.  This  gives  both  advisor  and  student  an  excellent  and  academic  view  of  the  poten=al  of  this  rela=onship.