Demystifying The Dissertation Workshops 2010

Welcome to the "Demystifying the Dissertation" homepage, minimalist as it is.

• Evaluation Form
• General Information Sheet
• Science Cohort Reading and Assignment Schedule
• Hum/ Soc Cohort Reading and Assignment Schedule
• Portal to the Webtools online chats
• UWP Graduate Writing Consultation Schedule
• Form to register your interest in future iterations

• The Writing Process Most people mis-allocate their time when they write, especially when they embark on a large-scale writing project. This link offers several ways to look at the stages of writing, useful even for those who may already have developed effective writing strategies. Here's another handout as well.
• Tips for Getting Organized and Coping with Writer's Block Anxiety about the writing process can take many forms, with consequences ranging from the comical to the pathological. Here are some useful strategies for dealing with the monster.
• Writer's Block: A Selected Annotated Bibliography If you want to read some of the scholarly literature about the problem, here's a useful starting place.
• "Critical Thinking Questions You Can Ask About Anything" One key to composing well? Good, thought-provoking questions. CWC "Critical Thinking" expert Jared Haynes helped prepare this list of questions that improve writing and thinking. Check them out!
• Suggestions for Effective Writing Partnerships One of the prime benefits of a class like English 298 is that it takes the lonely, self-castigating environment of most graduate students and creates a sense of an intellectual community. Whether you formally partner with other writers or not, you should consider adapting some of the techniques discussed here and in Advantages of Writing Partnerships.
• Mardena Creek's Brief Annotated Bibliography of Resources for Thesis / Dissertation Writers Interested in more theory and practice? The field has spawned a great deal of scholarly work. Also, take a look at Resource Bibliography for Graduate Writers.