Writing your doctoral dissertation : invisible rules for success

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brause, Rita S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Academic Dissertations as Topic.

Report writing.

Medical Subjects:

Academic Dissertations as Topic.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (181 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Hoboken : Taylor and Francis, 1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Increasing numbers of adults are enroling in doctoral programmes, but their earlier college lives often do not prepare them for the rules of the academic game. Many have no idea what a dissertation looks like, how it gets that way, or what options are available to them.This book is a practical guide for students who need help in progressing from the decision to write a dissertation to the planning, writing and defending of it. It includes samples of proposals and dissertations that have been accepted and data drawn from a number of sources, including focus groups with doctoral students and

Contents:

Cover; Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation: Invisible Rules for Success; Copyright; Contents; Figures and Tables; Preface; Acknowledgments; Part I Getting a Sense of the Terrain; 1 Comparing a Dissertation to a Long Term Paper; Writing a Dissertation; Writing a Term Paper; 2 Jumping through Hoops, Going on a Journey: Personal Metaphors for the Process; Metaphors for Dissertation Writing; Reflecting on the Reflections; 3 The Stages in Writing a Dissertation: An Overview; Institutional Stages in the Process: Labels of Progress; The Coursework Phase; The Examination Phase; The Dissertation Phase

Noncompleters in Doctoral Programs4 Pithy Insights and Suggestions for Success; Dissertation Topic Selection; The Dissertation Committee; Organization; Writing; The University Community; Personal Stance; Part II Preparing for Your Study; 5 Identifying Your Dissertation Topic and Your Research Questions; Creating a Setting for Working on Your Dissertation; Identifying Your Research Problem or Question; Alternative Starting Points; 6 Forming Your Dissertation Committee; The Dissertation Committee Structure; Characteristics to Consider in Selecting your Committee Chair

Selecting the Chair of Your Dissertation CommitteeSelecting the Readers on Your Doctoral Committee; 7 Roles and Responsibilities of Dissertation Committees; University Concerns; The University's Commitment to your Dissertation Work; Starting to Work with Your Committee; Working with Your Committee; The Complexities of the Committee's Power; 8 Creating a Professional Setting: Student-colleagues and Other Important Resources; Student-colleagues; The University Community; Professional Conferences and Colleagues; 9 Developing a Productive Setting; The Doctoral Student's Mind-set

Your Dissertation WorkThe Other People in Your Life; Part III Doing Your Study; 10 Writing Your Dissertation Proposal While Designing Your Dissertation Research; Purposes for Writing a Dissertation Proposal; Contents of the Dissertation Proposal; Steps Toward Approval of Your Proposal; 11 Conducting Your Study; Collecting and Storing Your Data; 12 Analyzing and Interpreting Your Data; Preliminary Organization of your Data; Starting Your Analysis; Why is Explicit Documentation Important?; Direct Connection to Your Research Questions; Reducing Your Data; Interpreting Your Findings

Knowing What You Found13 Presenting Your Findings: Drafting and Editing Your Dissertation; Creating a Compelling Argument for your Findings; Concluding Sections; 14 Defending Your Dissertation: Preparing for Orals; The Purpose; The Players; The Process; The Outcome; Appendix A: Doctoral Students' Experiences: Expectations of Doctoral Studies; Appendix B: Suggested Reading on the Doctoral Dissertation; Appendix C: Suggested Reading on the Academic World; Appendix D: Suggested Reading on Research Methodology; Appendix E: Sample Checklist of Activities; References; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

9780203024577

1-280-40092-7

0-203-02457-5

0-203-15948-9

OCLC:

437073633