At this point in your education, you probably have insight into your academic strengths and limitations but may not yet know how your personal strengths, circumstances, and limitations may affect your ability to achieve the long-term goal of completing your dissertation. Your attitude, biases, and self-efficacy will play an important role in your ability to finish your dissertation in a timely manner. Recognizing your limitations and considering how they might create personal challenges for you along the way will better prepare you to address them when they arise. You must also understand process-related challenges and know how to address them both effectively and efficiently.
Your next step is to find a chair for your dissertation committee who will help you to finalize your prospectus and work with you to develop it into what eventually will become your proposal. Your committee is integral to any progress you make in expanding and revising this preliminary prospectus into an enhanced prospectus document, and later into a proposal.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a description of two challenges (one personal and one process-related) you think you might encounter while working with your committee to develop your prospectus into a proposal. Then, explain how you would prevent and/or address each challenge. Be specific. With the support of your Chair and Committee member, develop a plan of action for how you will develop your prospectus into a proposal with your committee over the coming months. In your plan, be sure to include your timetable for completing specific milestones (e.g., finding your committee, getting committee approval, expanding your literature review, conceptualizing your design). Specifically, when will you work on the proposal (e.g., in the evening, on weekends), and how do you plan to use the support services, resources, and documents available to you at the Walden Library, Writing Center, and Research Center to help you identify and overcome challenges to independent research?
Things You Should Know About Writing a Dissertation
Heather Frederick, PhD
Note to students: All of the advice Dr. Frederick of Walden’s School of Psychology offers here is useful to general process of writing the dissertation, regardless of your field.
You may or may not have crossed over into the exciting yet illusive and uncharted territory of becoming All-But-Dissertation, or “ABD.” If you have not yet, you soon will. Finishing the coursework that leads to this stage is no small accomplishment, and you should feel pride at having come this far. You are probably tired, and you may even be a bit overwhelmed at the task ahead. You knew one day you would be faced with writing a DISSERTATION, but it was always in the future, something to worry about later. On the other hand, some of you may see light at the end of the tunnel. Before long, another student may point out that the light you see is the light of a train about to run you over. Because I felt that way many times while muddling through the writing of my dissertation, I would like to share some things I learned, with the hope that you will have a meaningful, satisfying journey from now until the time you get to introduce yourself as “Dr.” These ideas are not especially unique, and plenty of articles and books exist on the subject of writing a dissertation. What I have done is used my experience, along with my readings on the subject of degree completion, to come up with suggestions for writing a dissertation in a distance-learning environment.
Pick a topic you are passionate about. You will spend a great deal of time reading, researching, thinking, writing, and talking about your dissertation topic. Picking a topic that you are only vaguely interested in is like marrying someone you only kind of like. Do not do it. It is true that your “idea” may change as you write, but the general area should be one in which you can answer “yes” to questions such as the following: Are you passionate about this? Do you enjoy talking about your topic area to others? Do you honestly want to become an expert in this area? Do you think you can study this and still be interested in it a year from now? Have you been interested in this area for some time?
Journal/brainstorm about your dissertation. Buy a bound journal so you are never tempted to tear out a page. Brainstorm, journal, doodle, and make “to-do” lists in this book. I used the old black-and-white composition books and cannot tell you how many times I was so glad I had this living piece of my own personal dissertation history. Whether it was because I needed one place to keep track of all I had done (or needed to do) or because I actually came up with decent ideas while brainstorming, I don’t know. During a moment of writer’s block, you can thumb through this book and either find some mundane task you can do while waiting for your creative juices to flow, or read some of your own ideas to get yourself going. (It was pretty amazing to “rediscover” so many of my own ideas this way). As you write, think through questions you may be asked at your defense, and keep these in your journal; you’ll be glad you did.
Maintain regular contact with your Chair. The best advice I ever got in graduate school was from a colleague close to defending his dissertation; he told me I should regularly schedule meetings with my Chair. I took his advice and accomplished more in 1 month than I had in about a year. I found that weekly meetings forced me to write or accomplish something at least once a week. And because I knew my Chair was going to be writing me a letter of recommendation for just about any job I applied for after graduation, I had some pressure to write/accomplish something of substance. That’s easier said than done when doing your degree at a distance, you may be thinking. True; however, the dissertation course sequences will assist you in this regard. Having regular contact with your Chair has been shown to impact degree completion, and so the course is set up to require weekly participation and interaction with your Chair.
Have realistic expectations about contact. You must have contact with your Chair (and committee members) while at the same time respecting the Faculty Members’ commitments and competing responsibilities. Remember, your Chair is a resource who will happily guide you; however, do not take up that person’s time in the name of proving you are working on your dissertation (unless you tell him or her otherwise, your Chair will assume you are doing just that). What I mean is this: Do not submit a poorly written paragraph just for the sake of having some “interaction.” Instead, you can report briefly each week what you have accomplished and keep the Chair abreast of your progress. For example, you could let him or her know you did more research this week and that you think your first chapter should be ready for review in about 2 more weeks. Or, you can share an exciting study you read and how you think it might fit in with your design that you are still hammering out. There may even be times when you need to tell your Chair that you have done nothing for a week and that the word dissertation makes you break out in hives. Or you may be completely at a loss when writing the analysis section of your proposal. Maintain contact, and when you need extensive feedback, be patient and know your Chair will give you what you need as soon as he or she can.
At all times, be honest. Your Chair wants you to succeed, and if you are not honest about your progress or lack thereof, he or she will have difficulty assisting you. In a land-based program, a Chair has the benefit of regular departmental events during which he or she can notice an “absent” student. The lack of face-to-face contact makes it difficult for Chairs to follow the progress of individual students. If you are having serious problems, do not drop into a virtual black hole—at least not without letting your Chair know about it.
Make lists. After doing some research on the subject of degree completion, I realized another thing I did that was actually beneficial during this time (believe me, the writing of a dissertation is very humbling, and sometimes it may feel like you have had more failures than successes—more on that later). This “thing” was list-making. I had a laundry list a mile long (that is only a slight exaggeration) of things I needed to do related to my dissertation. It ranged from things like “learn structural equation modeling” to “type the references from the articles I read last week.” I kept this list in a composition book (mentioned above). This way, I had a history of things I had done and things to do. Getting to cross things off this list was satisfying, and getting to see pages of tasks accomplished was a great way to see how much work I had actually done (and there will be times when you need to remind yourself of simple facts like this).
Have a plan. Have a plan both for getting this thing done and for how you will organize your research. It is important that you think about a plan and write it down. Two documents relate to planning specifically, so I will let you read those. The take-home message here is that you must be self-disciplined; this is hard to do without a plan.
Research takes longer than you think. Be aware of this fact. Next, work to accept it. Undertaking and completing a dissertation will probably be unlike any other task you have done. Do what you can to ward off disappointing thoughts if things do not move along like you thought they would. You have a plan, but, as John Lennon so succinctly put it, “Life is what happens while you are making plans.” Thus, when your data collection takes three times longer than you thought it would, or your results section has gone through 11 revisions (and you only planned for 3), take a deep breath and know you are not alone. One rule of thumb to consider is that once you think your document is perfect, it will go through a minimum of two more revisions. Also, although your committee may approve your proposal or completed dissertation, you may still be asked to make final revisions when it goes through academic review.
Reduce other responsibilities as much as possible. Most land-based PhD students are full-time students. Sure, they may teach and hold research assistantships, but these jobs are qualitatively different from having a career. In addition to working, many distance-learning students have families. If it is possible to arrange for a reduction of responsibilities, do it. Writing a dissertation can be stressful, and this stress is a burden you will share with those close to you. It is in everyone’s best interest for you to finish your dissertation in a timely manner. Find out if it is feasible to arrange for a reduced workload and/or reduced childcare responsibilities. This can mean the difference between writing a dissertation in 1 year versus 3 (or more!). In some cases it is even the difference between finishing and not finishing the PhD.
Expect good days and bad. This can be a difficult stage. Some days you will feel pride, a sense of accomplishment, and passion for your research. Other days you may feel anxiety, insecurity—even boredom. Talk to others in your same situation (use the Discussion board, Class Café, or e-mail). Join a dissertation support group (e.g., www.PhisheD.com). You may also want to spend some time on a favorite hobby (all work and no play is no good). The bottom line is that these feelings are normal. You need to remember that. Further, because you do not write your dissertation in a bubble (although you may feel like you are alienated from the world around you), other life stresses may exasperate “dissertation blues.” Things like divorce, a health crisis, or death in your family can have a large impact on your progress. If you find you are overwhelmed, seek professional assistance for managing the stress in your life.
Find a buddy. As psychologists, we all have the common knowledge that social support is important in all aspects of life; this is true when writing a dissertation as well. A spouse, child, or cat can be your cheerleading squad (and you should enlist their support), but you will need a graduate school “buddy” in addition to family/friend/pet support. Preferably, this buddy will be someone in your program with whom you have developed a relationship while taking classes together, or someone in the same dissertation course. In a land-based program, students often form these buddy-type relationships due to proximity. In the program I attended, my cohort and I shared an office, and this arrangement made it easy to discuss ideas, problems, and yes, even successes during the process. A distance-learning environment does not afford such luxuries as sharing a student lounge, so you will have to go out of your way to make this buddy relationship work. Find someone with whom you enjoyed conversing in the Discussion areas of past courses, or someone with whom you spent quality time during a residency. Read and critique each other’s work. The value of finding a buddy cannot be underestimated. Sometimes all you need is another set of eyes to validate your work before sending it off to your Chair or to bounce what you think may be a semi-crazy idea off someone before approaching your Chair with it. A peer is an excellent resource in these types of situations.
Learn to accept criticism of your work. Let’s face it, you are getting your PhD. Thus, you more than likely have a touch of the trait called “perfectionism.” I know that when I turned in drafts of my dissertation, I was often so sure it was close to perfect that seeing the document come back bathed in red ink could put me in a stupor for a day or two. Your Chair and committee members know what they are doing, so have faith that their comments will make your dissertation the best it can be. There may be times when you disagree about something you think is critical to your dissertation. If this happens I suggest you think about your Chair’s/committee member’s suggestion/concern, do some more reading/reasoning, and if you still feel strongly about your original plan, respectfully present your reason(s) for not wanting to make the suggested changes. If you go through this process you will likely find that either your Chair/committee member was right or that you simply did not explain your reasoning well enough the first time for them to understand what you wanted to do (or what you meant). Your dissertation will go through many changes (say this out loud, five times, right now). It is imperative that you do not resist this change; otherwise the process can become unbearable.
Talk about your dissertation to anyone who will listen. Whether it is your spouse, the person you carpool with, your exercise buddy, or a coworker, talk about your dissertation. Now, I am not suggesting you do this incessantly, because you will quickly find your circle of family and friends diminishing. Parts of your dissertation will make for great conversation with just about anyone, however. Be able to explain your dissertation in 3–5 sentences that a typical grandmother would understand, and be able to answer simple questions such as “So what?” Meet a lawyer at the next cocktail party, perhaps talk about some of your human subject issues, and get that person’s opinion. The point is not to try to solve problems or issues you are having with the dissertation but to become eloquent in your area and to let others educate you as well. You may be surprised at how some people will view your research, and other opinions will give you a more comprehensive understanding of your area. One last word on this tip: Never become defensive about your dissertation. Soon, you will become attached to your dissertation as if it was your (insert dearest possession here: firstborn child, childhood dog, new car). This will make it very difficult to hear criticism (see “Learn to accept criticism” above). Listen to what others have to say; you may learn a thing or two.
Adopt a motivational technique that works for you. For me, it was finding a picture and a quote. The picture was of a stone path leading up and over a grassy hill, and even though I have never been there, it reminded me of something I might see in Ireland. The quote I chose was “the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” I had this picture and quote next to my computer and repeated the quote like a mantra whenever I felt like I was never going to finish. Here are some other quotes you might find it worth repeating frequently: “Rome was not built in a day” or “An elephant can be eaten one bite at a time.” Other examples of motivational techniques may be visualizing how things will be different once you have your degree (a new job?) or visualizing what it will feel like at graduation.
Attend professional conferences. Even for land-based students, professional conferences are motivating and help socialize students into becoming full-fledged PhDs. For a distance-learning student, the power of attending a conference may be tenfold. Having the opportunity to hear people speak on topics of interest fuels one’s desire to finish the degree (even if—or perhaps especially if—some of these topics are not your dissertation area and give you a break and renewed passion for the field in general). Conferences give you an opportunity to hear “hot off the press” research and to talk to others in your area of research. Presenting preliminary results of your dissertation is a great way to get feedback and ideas from other professionals (it also looks nice on your CV). Have a list of the top conferences you would like to attend (e.g., SBM, APA, WPA), and do what you can to be attend at least one annually. Register for the conference on the first day and do your homework: Plan a schedule for all the talks and presentations you would like to see. Make sure you come with business cards that have contact information, and always have a pen and paper so that you can take down others’ information. When you are there, talk to people.
Take full advantage of Walden residencies. A residency is a great place to talk about your research (whether formally or informally). Sign up for intensives related to your dissertation topic, and use the time to really deepen your knowledge of the area. Take the “Research Intensive” related to the dissertation prospectus. If your prospectus has been approved, you can still benefit from this class, so if space allows, take it. Sign up for advising hours with faculty, even if you have no idea who they are or what they study. Talk to them about your dissertation. The information you can gather and the types of interactions you can have at a residency are like no other . . . do not let opportunities like this pass you by!
Talk to others about their dissertation defense. This is a no-brainer. Talking with others will take the “mystery” out of the defense and help you psychologically prepare for the big day.
Get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and eat well. Although this is common knowledge, it is worth mentioning here, simply because most of us do not get enough sleep, exercise, and nutrition as it is. When you find yourself having a difficult week (or month), make an effort to attend to sleep, exercise, and diet for 1 week. You may be surprised at how much this helps get you through the slump.
Keep a positive attitude: you are almost there! Attitude is critical; do what you can to make yours positive.
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