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Dissertation Help With Action Research WorkStudy Groups for Doctoral Students Writing Chapter One
In the first article in this series offering dissertation help for doctoral students through the development of work/study groups that use action research, I discussed how the three steps of discovery, measurable action, and reflection offer a strong process through which to write a doctoral proposal. This article continues that series by discussing a 10 week program through which to write Chapter 1: the Introduction to the Dissertation.
Discovery
Before starting any action research process it’s important that everybody in your work/study team have a solid knowledge of what is involved in the chapter they are about to write. I recommend that everyone should have a model dissertation or two, from your University and or about your topic, on hand. As your group moves into writing this chapter it makes sense that you would start by reading examples from a number of published documents. Markup what you like, and what you find it awkward in the writing. Bring back the questions that you may have to the group and then engage in a discussion of what you all think makes for a great Chapter One. Remember, the purpose of this chapter is to set the stage for your topic, context, and methodology. The entire proposal should be written as though you are speaking as an expert, not as a student repeating what others have said. It is helpful if your group is critical of the works that you are reviewing and that you build together a list of the attributes you aim for as you write.
Dissertation Help Why Doctoral Students Should Use Reference Software
Dissertation processes break down when students cannot find, or have poorly organized their reading. Lack of beginning organization will result in loss of time throughout the dissertation process, and time is your most precious commodity throughout graduate school. This article covers the beginning organization of dissertation reading and writing, while focusing on the frequently asked question: “Why should I use reference software?” While EndNote is the software that I use, and therefore know most intimately, any software might work as long as it allows you to do these three things: first, helping you capture and organize your notes, second, allowing you to cite and build a reference list while you write, and third, allowing you to change reference styles easily. All three attributes to good reference software along with brief notes as to how they will help you in your dissertation process, are discussed in this article.
Capturing and Organizing Notes
Beginning doctoral students rarely understand the importance of capturing every little part of their thoughts in a database from the time they begin. The notes you take now,on the ideas you have as you read will become invaluable later. If you don’t start a reference library at the beginning of your process, at some point you will have to back up and capture ideas you have lost. As a secondary student I was brought up in the times when people kept notes on notecards. We were trained to put down the complete reference, and then capture each idea that we found interesting and might use for our writing in the future. That same idea holds today in reference software such as EndNote. You are doing more than capturing that reference and what you read, you are capturing your ideas about it.
Dissertation Help What Can I Expect Out Of My Defense of Proposal
Doctoral students frequently feel unhappy or upset after both their defense of proposal and defense of dissertation processes. Maintaining a positive attitude when receiving criticism is part of the task, but it also helps to understand the defense in light of the entire journey. This article is one of a series offering dissertation help to doctoral students faced with the challenges of graduate work and it focuses on the frequently asked question, “What can I expect out of my Defense of Proposal?” There are two ways to address this challenge: one is to understand the process from your reader’s point of view and the second is to set yourself up for success by developing solid and supportive expectations. Both situations are addressed in this article.
The Defense from the Professor’s Point of View
Professors generally work in the role of helpful guidance and we enjoy encouraging students while supporting them in learning new skills, and tackling new ideas. Our job changes from helper to one of guardian of the systems we represent when we moved into defense of proposal or dissertation. Half of our job remains helping the students do the best they can, but we also need to be aware that it is our task to make sure that all of the work from our universities passes the scrutiny of the regional certification boards. Having been on both sides of the dissertation defense process, as mentor and advisor on the one hand, and as a reader on the other hand, it is always amazing to me that things I see as a reader I don’t always see as an advisor. I’ve come to understand that this has to do with the fact that when I am advising I have a deep relationship with a student and so I am blinded by the progress they have made and cannot always see the deficiencies they still face. This will likely happen to your mentor and advisor as well. That is why the university requires that your work is overviewed by people who have not read your work up until this time. It is guaranteed that they will see things you have not up until this point understood. Therefore, the best thing you can do for yourself, as a student, is to expect new and substantive criticism when you pass your work into a defense situation.
