Dissertation Help

    Many doctoral candidates looking for dissertation help find that after finishing their course work and comps they are suddenly thrust into an entirely new world - the world of completing a doctoral dissertation. They soon also find that world to be one for which the experience of writing papers or a master's thesis has not provided sufficient preparation, and they need help!

    Many of those who come to us for dissertation help seem lost in the confusion over what they actually is.  I usually suggest to them that if they cannot clearly define a dissertation, or describe one, or visualize a completed document, there is no way they can even begin the process of writing one.

The Definition of a Dissertation

    The Cambridge Dictionary defines a dissertation as a "long piece of writing on a particular subject".  That definition is deceptively simple, as most people writing a dissertation soon learn.  Ultimately, the "long" comes to refer to the process rather than the document itself, and in far too many cases, the "piece of writing" never gets completed.

    Simply put, a doctoral dissertation is a scholarly document.  It is generally lengthy (although we have all heard the stories of doctoral candidates in math and science who present one, perfect equation and are awarded their degree).  The trend is currently toward somewhat shorter documents, and it is unusual these days for a dissertation to exceed 300 pages.  It is (or should be) focused on a very narrow topic.  Since it is a scholarly document, it contains extensive references to the works of experts in the field, in the form of citations to journal articles, monographs and books.

    In addition, a doctoral dissertation frequently contains an empirical component, reflecting some independent study or data gathering (use of a questionnaire, interviews, standardized instrument) on the part of the author, although in certain fields (literature and philosophy, for example), no study is required.  In any case, each dissertation has some research design involved.  An empirical study may be qualitative, quantitative or descriptive, and there are many variations of each of these designs.  A dissertation done at the doctoral level may be strictly historical and be based primarily on an extensive review of the literature.  There are as many variations of the dissertation form as advisors and dissertation writers can invent.

    But the bottom line, and one that is all too easily forgotten, is that the dissertation is a scholarly document.  It is not a paper, and it is not a journal article, and it is not a book, although it shares some characteristics with each of these documents.  It is not a collection of abstracts; it is not an annotated bibliography; it is not an overview of a topic; it is not a discussion of the writer's personal viewpoint.

Organization for Success

    A typical dissertation follows the classic five chapter format: Introduction (with all of the traditional subheadings); Review of Literature; Methodology; Findings; Summery/Conclusions/Implications.  There are frequently Appendices (copies of instruments and permission letters, for example).  There is always a References list.  A dissertation may be written in any one of a number of formats, but currently the APA format is most popular.  Some universities provide dissertation help in the form of style sheets which augment the APA format with specific features.  The MLA format is still favored in some fields, such as literature.

    You will find the process of writing a dissertation less daunting if you become familiar with the requirements of your advisor and university before  you begin.

Here are some basic help resources:

1.  Ask your advisor for copies of dissertations which s/he has approved recently.  Having a helpful sample to follow will make your job much easier!

2.  Check to see what format is favored (APA, MLA?).  Buy a copy of the style manual.

3.  Determine if your university or program has written guidelines which supplement the basic dissertation format.

4.  Ask your advisor about his/her expectations of length.  Don't be put off by "whatever it takes" as an answer.  You may think a 100 page document is sufficient; your advisor may think that 250 is closer to the mark.

5.  Think long and hard about the definition of "dissertation".  A scholarly document must be researched and written at doctoral level.  It must contain a significant contribution to your field.  It must use appropriate source materials, properly cited.

6.  Read, read, read every doctoral dissertation which has been done recently in your field.  Get the "feel" of each document. Understand how they are structured.  Learn to recognize the flow from introduction through conclusion.  Once you are comfortable with the form, content, scope and limitations of the dissertation document, you are ready to begin the process of writing your own.

Help for Starting a Dissertation

    The best way to instruct someone on how to start a dissertation is to point out the single greatest mistake made by doctoral candidates who are unable to complete a Proposal or draft of Chapter I. Your advisor won't tell you. (S)he just says "give me your proposal and then we can discuss the rest of the project". You sit down and attempt to formulate a Statement of the Problem, and list your hypotheses. You have just made the Big Mistake.

    Most people writing a dissertation at the Ph.D. level have a topic in mind, and they have at least a vague notion of the type of empirical study they want to do. Turning those very preliminary thoughts into a scholarly concept, and formulating an acceptable proposal, however, requires more than coming up with a topic.

    The best dissertation help I can provide is found in this paragraph. It is not a magic wand, and it is not a shortcut, but it is absolutely true. The absolute key to dissertation writing is RESEARCH. There is no shortcut, and no substitute for research. Identifying and retrieving the scholarly sources on your topic must be the first step in the dissertation process. But that isn't enough. The next step is the time-consuming one......but if you skip it, I guarantee that you will never get any further. You must read all of the sources you have retrieved, critically and analytically. You must organize them into two categories: theoretical literature and empirical literature. Within those two major categories you must create sub-categories which reflect the variables in your study and the questions/hypotheses you have formulated. You must then draft your Review of Literature, which will become the core of your dissertation as Chapter II.

    If there is one single, most helpful "hint" we can give you on moving your dissertation forward it is this: do your Review of Literature first!

Working with Your Advisor

    Eight out of ten doctoral candidates working on their dissertation say that they are stuck with "the advisor from hell". The other two think their advisor is "very nice, BUT . . ."

    Very few of the thousands of doctoral candidates I have talked with in more than 32 years have said they have a helpful, cooperative and effective advisor. Something is very wrong with that picture. Are all dissertation writers so stressed and overwhelmed that they cannot recognize good advisement or help when they encounter it?

    Do advisors not understand their pivotal role in dissertation success? Or is some other factor at work in the almost universal perception of advisors as denizens of the underworld?

    Advisor problems arise from three sources: First, doctoral programs do not adequately define the role of the dissertation advisor. Second, advisors are not motivated to help you. Third, doctoral candidates lack assertiveness in obtaining the services for which they pay. Let's look at each.

Doctoral programs lack standards for the advisor role and performance. Institutions have different criteria for choosing, training and evaluating a dissertation advisor. Most commonly there is no standard at all, no special training, and no mechanism in place for evaluating performance. This lack of professional role definition and oversight sets the stage for disaster.

Your advisor is not motivated to help you. Sadly, a dissertation advisor often perceives this phase of his/her professional responsibility as a time-consuming distraction from teaching or their own research and writing for publication. Having no specific training or guidelines for their role in nurturing the fledgling dissertation into existence, many advisors find it easier to let their advisee struggle alone.

You have the right to effective advisement: Insist on it! As a doctoral candidate you are a consumer. You are paying your university for courses and for advisement, with the ultimate goal of receiving your Ph.D. Your university makes a profit. You have a right to effective dissertation help and advisement. Your university has a responsibility to provide you with an advisor who will guide you towards your goal. Your advisor is doing a job, and is being paid.

Consumer? Money? Profit?

Academia creates an atmosphere in which the above words are jolting.

Now is the time to create a new mindset about your pursuit of a doctorate, and about the responsibilities of the university and advisor to make the dissertation process as smooth as possible.

by Diane Kennedy      
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