This bibliography summarizes nine works whose practical advice should help dissertation writers and their advisors expedite the dissertation-writing process. The high attrition rates and increasing time-to-degree of U.S. graduate students have received much attention in recent years. In his 1990 article "The Ph.D. Squid," Theodore Ziolkowski reports that the median time-to-degree has been rising for twenty years, most notably in the social sciences and the humanities, fields that typically expect longer dissertations and provide less structure and supervision for dissertation writers. When Maresi Nerad analyzed the factors affecting time-to-degree at the University of California in her 1991 report, "Doctoral Education at the University of California and Factors That Affect Time to Degree," she concluded that clear departmental guidelines and sound supervisory practices were keys to ensuring satisfactory degree progress.
To help graduate faculty evaluate their department's existing support systems for graduate writers, this bibliography includes the Council of Graduate Schools policy statement, "The Role and Nature of Doctoral Education," which articulates clear guidelines for structuring the dissertation-writing process and identifies effective supervisory practices. In addition, this bibliography annotates eight dissertation-writing guides that address the needs of dissertation/theses writers in different disciplines and in different stages of the writing process.
In addition to the references included in this bibliography, the Writing Program's library has a large collection of books and articles on dissertation and thesis writing.
Mardena Creek
University Writing Program
U.C. Davis
Council of Graduate Schools. The Role and Nature of the Doctoral Dissertation. Washington, D.C.: Council of Graduate Schools, 1991.
Based on a year-long study concerning the "role and nature of graduate education" conducted in fifty U.S. and Canadian universities, this Council of Graduate Schools policy statement summarizes the study's findings and provides recommendations for improving doctoral education. In addition, it defines standard criteria for the dissertation, identifies dissent among disciplines concerning the dissertation's purpose and form, and discusses barriers to timely degree completion. Among its most valuable recommendations are those that focus on procedures departments and advisors can adopt to ensure that students complete their dissertations in a reasonable amount of time. In general, these recommendations stress the need for departments and advisors to provide more structure as graduate students proceed through the dissertation-writing process. Specific recommendations for improving departmental and supervisory practices follow.
- Departments should prepare handbooks for dissertation writers and graduate students that clarify expectations and procedures. These handbooks might include:
- Specific criteria for the dissertation.
- Clear guidelines for what the prospectus should contain.
- A list of the responsibilities of the advisor and the student.
- A projected timetable for completing major stages of the dissertation--e.g., course work, qualifying examination, dissertation prospectus, completed dissertation, and dissertation defense.
- Departments should keep up-to-date files of sample prospecti and dissertations to serve as models for thesis/dissertation writers.
- Departments should review regularly their expectations for graduate work and the relationship of the dissertation to these expectations.
- Advisors should help students find and delimit acceptable topics.
- Advisors should help students map out a long-term research schedule early in the dissertation-writing process and assist students in refining their research topic during the first two years of study.
- Advisors should meet regularly with their students to assess their progress and the quality of the work they are submitting according to departmental criteria and timetables.
- Departments should require that advisors review each student's progress annually and share their appraisal with the student.
Department chairs and dissertation supervisors might also find the following Council of Graduate School publications useful. These publications can be ordered by contacting the Council of Graduate Schools, One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 430, Washington D.C. 20036-1173.
- Research Student and Supervisor: An Approach to Good Supervisory Practice
International Graduate Students: A Guide for Graduate Deans, Faculty, and Administrators
Davis, Richard M. Thesis Projects in Science and Engineering. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1980. ISBN 0-312-79964-0
Directed specifically at thesis writers in the sciences and engineering, this book could also serve as a useful guide for dissertation writers who have not completed a master's or thesis project. It provides information on selecting and limiting a research problem, conducting research, and organizing and developing the results of this research into a thesis or dissertation. In addition, it includes chapters on handling illustrations, citing and documenting sources, and preparing supplementary materials. Its appendix provides samples of both experimental and theoretical proposals and a sample thesis. One of the few books on the market that targets writing dissertations in scientific fields, it provides a useful overview of the substance and tone appropriate for research writing in these fields.
Luey, Beth. Handbook for Academic Authors. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-521-49892-9
Luey's book offers beginning scholars a wealth of practical advice about getting published. It contains chapters on selecting appropriate journals, finding a publisher for scholarly works, and preparing traditional and electronic manuscripts. Young scholars who have recently completed a dissertation will find Luey's advice on revising a dissertation for publication particularly useful. She discusses the difference between a dissertation and a book and offers good tips on mining the dissertation for articles. Her book also contains a bibliography that lists many useful references for academic authors.
Madsen, David. Successful Dissertations and Theses: A Guide to Graduate Research from Proposal to Completion. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1992. ISBN 1-55542-389-2
Madsen's book is a thorough, practical guide to dissertation and thesis writing aimed primarily at students in social science, education, and the humanities. It includes excellent chapters on "Selecting and Shaping a Research Topic" and "Preparing the Research Proposal" and an appendix that features sample proposals for both experimental and historical studies. In addition, it includes chapters on working effectively with the research advisor and advising committee and adapting the thesis/dissertation for publication. Madsen's straightforward presentation and good examples make this a useful general guide to thesis/dissertation writing.
Marshall, Catherine, and Rossman, Gretchen B. Designing Qualitative Research. Newbury Park, California, 1994. ISBN 0-8039-5249-X
One of the few books on the market that focuses exclusively on designing qualitative research, this work should prove valuable preliminary reading for students working on a qualitative dissertation topics. It offers excellent advice on framing the research question in the context of existing theory and methodological conventions and on selecting and analyzing the data. In addition, it discusses the value and logic of qualitative research and offers tips on time management. Although this book includes no instructions for preparing the proposal or dissertation, it provide a solid basis for beginning a qualitative research project and could be supplemented with a more general dissertation-writing guide.
Rossman, Mark H. Negotiating Graduate School: A Guide for Graduate Students. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing Company, 1995. ISBN 0-8039-7115-X
Based on the premise that to succeed in graduate school a student must understand and take control of the process of graduate education, Rossman's book briefly discusses the major issues graduate students confront: selecting a program of study, choosing a committee, taking comprehensive exams, writing a proposal, and completing, defending, and copywriting a dissertation. It offers good general advice and an illuminating discussion of the difference between a prospectus and a dissertation but fails to provide explanations and examples that would benefit graduate students in the process of writing the prospectus or dissertation. New graduate students seeking a quick overview of the dissertation-writing process would benefit most form this book
Rudestam, Kjell Erik, and Rae R. Newton. Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, l992. ISBN 0-8039-4562-0
Rudestam and Newton's work is a comprehensive "how to" guide for completing dissertations in the social sciences. Because of the scope of its coverage and the clarity of its presentation, it is an excellent resource for both graduate students and their advisors. It offers a particularly useful discussion on generating researchable questions and conducting a literature review. Perhaps its most valuable chapter, however, is the one that defines the difference between quantitative and qualitative research and discusses their relative merits. Additional features that set this book apart from more traditional guidebooks are a good chapter on using computers in research and an illuminating discussion of ethics in research.
Sternberg, David. How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation New York: St. Martin's Press, 1981. ISBN 0-312-39606-6
Written in the early 1980s as a response to the lengthening time-to-degree of U.S. graduate students, Sternberg's book is directed primarily to students in the social sciences, education, and the humanities. A sociology professor with considerable advising experience, Sternberg blames both lack of institutional support and students' poor preparation for undertaking independent study for their slow progress in completing dissertations in these fields. He argues that if students wish to complete their dissertations successfully, they must work to develop approaches and attitudes that compensate for these institutional shortcomings. Pointing out that the "key to completing a dissertation is not brilliance or even inspiration, but organization," Sternberg emphasizes the connection between getting organized and eliminating psychological hurdles, and he offers many practical suggestions:
- Graduate students should examine realistically their reasons for writing the dissertation and be willing to make it the top priority in their lives.
- The writer should think of the dissertation as a job and establish a dissertation office, a quiet space dedicated to work on the project.
- The writer should keep regular office hours and write each day for a set amount of time.
- The writer should start a dissertation file and create new files and headings as needed, since organization is often the key to overcoming psychological hurdles.
- The writer should develop long-range plans and establish due dates for major jobs; these dates should be scheduled on a dissertation calendar that records both long- and short-term progress.
- The writer should build a support network such as a dissertation-writing support group; such groups can provide encouragement and structure, a time frame for progress, and an audience for drafts.
In addition to these tips for overcoming the organizational and psychological barriers that often impede dissertation progress, Sternberg's book also offers practical suggestions for choosing a topic, writing a proposal, establishing diplomatic relationships with a committe, and defending the completed dissertation. Written for dissertation writers by someone who has repeatedly witnessed their struggles, this book should be required reading for all prospective dissertation writers in the social sciences, education, and the humanities.
Van Wagenen, Keith. Writing a Thesis: Substance and Style. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1991. ISBN 0-13-971086-8
Based on materials Professor Van Wagenen developed for his course "Expository Writing and Research Heuristics" at Arizona State University, this short book provides sound advice for writers engaged in quantitative research. It begins with an excellent discussion of selecting a research topic and defining a problem. Subsequent chapters address writing the proposal and the introduction, methods, and results chapters of the dissertation. The book offers explicit directions for writing each part of the dissertation and provides examples to support these discussions. Its frequent use of good examples distinguishes this work from others on the market as does its fine chapter on style. The Strunk and White of dissertation guides, this concise yet comprehensive book could substitute for a short course in composing sound quantitative research documents.