Thesis and Dissertation Survival

Introduction to Significance Testing

Published: 13 May 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Understanding Statistics
Tags: null hypotheses, null hypothesis, what is a null hypothesis

If you are going to implement a quantitative design for your thesis or dissertation, you will probably be using some form of null hypothesis significance testing. It may have been a while since you took your graduate-level statistics course, so the following is a brief refresher about what a null hypothesis is. Null Hypothesis Significance Testing In most quantitative research questions, there are both null hypotheses (noted as H0)…

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Setting and Achieving Graduate School Goals

Published: 10 May 2013
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Categories: Staying on Schedule, Thesis and Dissertation Survival
Tags: graduate school goals

Earning your graduate degree is a long-term goal that will require years of planning on your part, but you will have other goals during those years that will either coincide or conflict with your long-term goal of earning your graduate degree. Besides earning your graduate degree, your goals may include immediate goals (e.g., reading an article, taking out the trash) or short-term goals (e.g., passing a difficult course, spending time…

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Writing a Literature Review: Examining Relevant Works

Published: 6 May 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Writing Tips
Tags: review of literature in research, writing a literature review

A literature review can be loosely defined as an overview of all relevant research findings related to the topic of your dissertation or thesis. In other words, writing a literature review sets the stage for the rest of your thesis or dissertation and should include both what is known and what is unknown about your topic. Before you begin writing a literature review, you need to have a good idea…

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Resolving Academic Advisor Issues

Published: 22 April 2013
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Categories: Maintaining Relationships, Thesis and Dissertation Survival
Tags: academic advisor

An important part of surviving graduate school is having a strong relationship with your academic advisor. Whether your advisor is assisting you with the class selection process, reviewing your dissertation or thesis, or conflict resolution skills for your academic dispute, your advisor is vital to your career as a graduate student. Before you even start meeting or are assigned to an academic advisor, do some research about your graduate program…

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The Dissertation Defense: The Final Hoop to Jump

Published: 15 April 2013
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Thesis or Dissertation Process
Tags: dissertation defense

You are almost there. You have completed your coursework. You have passed your comps. You have finished writing your dissertation. Now, the only obstacle between you and the prestigious title of Doctor is your dissertation defense. Many people often get really nervous about defending their dissertations, but in most cases, if your committee is allowing you to defend your dissertation, chances are that your committee will approve of your work.

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Stating the Obvious: Writing Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations

Published: 1 April 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Choosing a Research Design, Thesis and Dissertation Survival
Tags: limitations of a dissertation, scope and delimitations

During the process of writing your thesis or dissertation, you might suddenly realize that your research has inherent flaws. Don’t worry! Virtually all projects contain restrictions to your research. However, being able to recognize and accurately describe these problems is the difference between a true researcher and a grade-school kid with a science-fair project. Concerns with truthful responding, access to participants, and survey instruments are just a few of…

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APA Writing Style: Staying True to Yourself

Published: 5 October 2012
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Writing Tips
Tags: academic writing for graduate students, apa writing style

You’ve started putting together a draft to present your research paper to your review board. You have outlined several points already, including your hypothesis and other introductory pieces. However, you’re struggling to figure out a specific writing style to use for your dissertation or thesis. The American Psychological Association (APA) suggests a preferred technical writing style, but you could choose to follow a different style guide, or be required to…

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Barriers to Writing: Quick Fixes

Published: 5 October 2012
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Writing Tips
Tags: writer's block

Countless problems such as writer’s block might arise as you are writing your thesis or dissertation, so the following are simple ideas to help you jump over hurdles that you may encounter during the writing process.   Writer’s Block Take a short break from working. Panicking and concentrating on your lack of progress is not productive! Talk to someone who can help you, and try to relax; an answer to…

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The Appetizer of Your Dissertation or Thesis Feast

Published: 5 October 2012
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Writing Tips
Tags: dissertation abstract, write a dissertation abstract

Before you write a dissertation abstract of your thesis or dissertation, you need to consider your very first thoughts about how you wanted to conduct your research paper. If you have already written Chapter I of your research paper, read through it to get a feel for the most basic yet organized skeleton you have so far. The abstract follows shortly after your dissertation title page and is the “quick…

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What is a Research Proposal?

Published: 5 October 2012
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Thesis and Dissertation Survival, Thesis or Dissertation Process
Tags: research proposal, research proposals, what is research proposal

If you have never written a research proposal before, you might be wondering why it is an important and necessary part of the dissertation process. This is your first chance to present your thesis or dissertation ideas in written form to your professors and committee members and to demonstrate to them that you have organized your research around a set of clearly defined research questions about a specific topic. After…

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