Thesis / Dissertation Seminar Materials
Mardena Creek
UC Davis College Writing Program

A Short Annotated Bibliography:
Sources for Thesis/Dissertation Authors as well as their Advisors

Please be aware that a few of these haven’t been updated lately. Don’t hesitate to e-mail me if you discover an especially useful source that you simply think I ought to add list.
–John Stenzel

This bibliography summarizes nine works whose practical advice will help dissertation authors as well as their advisors expedite the dissertation-writing process. Our prime attrition rates and growing time-to-amount of U.S. graduated pupils have obtained much attention recently. In the 1990 article “The Ph.D. Squid,” Theodore Ziolkowski reports the median time-to-degree continues to be rising for 20 years, most particularly within the social sciences and also the humanities, fields that typically expect longer dissertations and supply less structure and supervision for dissertation authors. When Maresi Nerad examined the standards affecting time-to-degree in the College of California in her own 1991 report, “Doctorate Education in the College of California and Factors Affecting Time for you to Degree,” she figured obvious departmental guidelines and seem supervisory practices were secrets of making certain acceptable degree progress.

To assist graduate faculty evaluate their department’s existing support systems for graduate authors, this bibliography includes the Council of Graduate Schools policy statement, “The Function and Nature of Doctorate Education,” which articulates obvious guidelines for structuring the dissertation-writing process and identifies effective supervisory practices. Additionally, this bibliography annotates eight dissertation-writing guides that address the requirements of dissertation/theses authors in numerous disciplines as well as in different stages from the writing process.

Additionally towards the references incorporated within this bibliography, the Writing Program’s library includes a large assortment of books and articles on dissertation and thesis writing.

Mardena Creek
College Writing Program
U.C. Davis

Sources for Advisors

Council of Graduate Schools. The Function and Nature from the Doctorate Dissertation. Washington, D.C. Council of Graduate Schools, 1991.

With different year-lengthy study in regards to 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 offers strategies for improving doctorate education. Additionally, it defines standard criteria for that dissertation, identifies dissent among disciplines in regards to the dissertation’s purpose and form, and discusses barriers to timely degree completion. Among its best recommendations are individuals that concentrate on procedures departments and advisors can adopt to make sure that students complete their dissertations inside a reasonable period of time. Generally, these recommendations stress the requirement for departments and advisors to supply more structure as graduated pupils move through the dissertation-writing process. Specific strategies for improving departmental and supervisory practices follow.

• Departments should prepare handbooks for dissertation authors and graduated pupils that clarify expectations and operations. These handbooks may include:
  

  1. Specific criteria for that dissertation.
  2. Obvious guidelines for which the prospectus should contain.
  3. A summary of the required the consultant and also the student.
  4. A forecasted timetable for finishing major stages from the dissertation–e.g. course work, qualifying examination, dissertation prospectus, completed dissertation, and dissertation defense.

• Departments ought to keep up-to-date files of sample prospecti and dissertations for everyone as models for thesis/dissertation authors.
• Departments should review regularly their expectations for graduate work and also the relationship from the dissertation to those expectations.
• Advisors will help students find and delimit acceptable topics.
• Advisors will help students pre-plan a lengthy-term research schedule at the start of the dissertation-writing process and assist students in refining their research subject throughout the first couple of many years of study.
• Advisors should meet regularly using their students to evaluate their progress and the caliber of the job they’re submitting based on departmental criteria and timetables.
• Departments should require that advisors review each student’s progress yearly and share their evaluation using the student.

Department chairs and dissertation supervisors may also discover the following Council of Graduate School publications helpful. These publications could be purchased by contacting the Council of Graduate Schools, One Dupont Circle, N.W. Suite 430, Washington D.C. 20036-1173.

• Research Student and Supervisor: A technique for Good Supervisory Practice

Worldwide Graduated Pupils: Helpful Information for Graduate Deans, Faculty, and Managers

Sources for Graduated Pupils

Davis, Richard M. Thesis Projects in Science and Engineering. New You are able to: St. Martin’s Press, 1980. ISBN -312-79964-

Directed particularly at thesis authors within the sciences and engineering, this book may also function as a helpful guide for dissertation authors who’ve not completed a master’s or thesis project. It offers info on selecting and restricting an investigation problem, performing research, and organizing and developing the outcomes of the research right into a thesis or dissertation. Additionally, it offers chapters on handling illustrations, citing and documenting sources, and preparing extra materials. Its appendix provides examples of both experimental and theoretical proposals along with a sample thesis. Among the couple of books available on the market that targets writing dissertations in scientific fields, it possesses a helpful summary of the substance and tone suitable for research writing during these fields.

Luey, Janet. Guide for Academic Authors. 3rd erectile dysfunction. Cambridge: Cambridge College Press, 1995. ISBN -521-49892-9

Luey’s book offers beginning scholars an abundance of practical assistance with getting printed. It has chapters on selecting appropriate journals, locating a writer for scholarly works, and preparing traditional and electronic manuscripts. Youthful scholars who’ve lately completed a dissertation will discover Luey’s suggestions about revising a dissertation for publication particularly helpful. She discusses the main difference from a dissertation along with a book while offering tips on mining the dissertation for articles. Her book also includes a bibliography that lists many helpful references for academic authors.

Madsen, David. Effective Dissertations and Theses: Helpful tips for Graduate Research from Proposal to Completion. second erectile dysfunction. Bay Area: Jossey Bass, 1992. ISBN 1-55542-389-2

Madsen’s book is really a thorough, practical help guide to dissertation and thesis writing aimed mainly at students in social science, education, and also the humanities. It offers excellent chapters on “Selecting and Shaping an investigation Subject” and “Preparing the study Proposal” as well as an appendix that has sample proposals for experimental and historic studies. Additionally, it offers chapters on working effectively using the research consultant and counseling committee and adapting the thesis/dissertation for publication. Madsen’s straightforward presentation and illustrations get this to a helpful general help guide to thesis/dissertation writing.

Marshall, Catherine, and Rossman, Gretchen B. Designing Qualitative Research. Newbury Park, California, 1994. ISBN -8039-5249-X

Among the couple of books available on the market that focuses solely on designing qualitative research, the work should prove valuable preliminary studying for college students focusing on a qualitative dissertation topics. It provides excellent suggestions about framing the study question poor existing theory and methodological conventions as well as on selecting and analyzing the information. Additionally, it discusses the worth and logic of qualitative research while offering tips about personal time management. Even though this book includes no instructions for preparing the proposal or dissertation, it give a solid grounds for beginning a qualitative research study and is supplemented having a more general dissertation-writing guide.

Rossman, Mark H. Negotiating Graduate School: Helpful Information for Graduated Pupils. 1000 Oaks, California: Sage Publishing Company, 1995. ISBN -8039-7115-X

In line with the premise that to achieve graduate school students must realize and seize control of the entire process of graduate education, Rossman’s book briefly discusses the main issues graduated pupils confront: picking out a program of study, selecting a committee, taking comprehensive exams, writing an offer, and finishing, protecting, and copywriting a dissertation. It provides good general advice as well as an illuminating discussion from the distinction between a prospectus along with a dissertation but does not provide explanations and examples that will benefit graduated pupils while writing the prospectus or dissertation. New graduated pupils seeking a fast summary of the dissertation-writing process would benefit most form this book

Rudestam, Kjell Erik, and Rae R. Newton. Surviving Your Dissertation: An Extensive Help guide to Content and Process. Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications, l992. ISBN -8039-4562-

Rudestam and Newton’s jobs are an extensive “how you canInch guide for finishing dissertations within the social sciences. Due to the scope of their coverage and also the clearness of their presentation, it’s an excellent source of both graduated pupils as well as their advisors. It provides an especially helpful discussion on generating researchable questions and performing a literature review. Possibly its best chapter, however, is the one which defines the main difference between quantitative and qualitative research and discusses their relative merits. Capabilities that set this book aside from classical guidebooks make the perfect chapter on how to use computers in research as well as an illuminating discussion of ethics in research.

Sternberg, David. How you can Complete and Survive a Doctorate Dissertation New You are able to: St. Martin’s Press, 1981. ISBN -312-39606-6

Written in early 1980s like a reaction to the lengthening time-to-amount of U.S. graduated pupils, Sternberg’s book is directed mainly to students within the social sciences, education, and also the humanities. A sociology professor with considerable counseling experience, Sternberg blames both insufficient institutional support and students’ poor preparation for undertaking independent study for his or her slow progress in finishing dissertations during these fields. He argues when students desire to complete their dissertations effectively, they have to try to develop approaches and attitudes that make amends for these institutional shortcomings. Mentioning the “answer to finishing a dissertation isn’t brilliance or perhaps inspiration, but organization,” Sternberg emphasizes the bond between getting organized and eliminating mental hurdles, and that he offers many practical suggestions:

• Graduated pupils should examine realistically their causes of writing the dissertation and become willing to really make it the very best priority within their lives.
• The author should consider the dissertation like a job and set up a dissertation office, a basic space focused on focus on the work.
• The author ought to keep regular work hours and write every day for a set fee of your time.
• The author should begin a dissertation file and make new files and headings when needed, since organization is frequently the important thing to overcoming mental hurdles.
• The author should develop lengthy-range plans and establish payment dates for major jobs these dates ought to be scheduled on the dissertation calendar that records both lengthy- and short-term progress.
• The author should develop a support like a dissertation-writing support group bring in more business can offer encouragement and structure, a time period for progress, as well as an audience for drafts.

Additionally to those strategies for overcoming the business and mental barriers that frequently hamper dissertation progress, Sternberg’s book also provides practical recommendations for selecting a subject, writing an offer, creating diplomatic relationships having a committe, and protecting the finished dissertation. Written for dissertation authors by somebody who has frequently observed their struggles, this book ought to be needed studying for those prospective dissertation authors within the social sciences, education, and also the humanities.

Van Wagenen, Keith. Writing a Thesis: Substance and elegance. Englewood Coves, Nj: Prentice Hall, 1991. ISBN -13-971086-8

According to materials Professor Van Wagenen produced for his course “Expository Writing and Research Heuristics” at Arizona Condition College, this short book provides seem advice for authors involved in quantitative research. It starts with a great discussion of choosing an investigation subject and defining an issue. Subsequent chapters address writing the proposal and also the introduction, methods, and results chapters from the dissertation. It offers explicit directions for writing each area of the dissertation and offers examples to aid these discussions. Its frequent utilization of illustrations distinguishes the work from others available on the market along with its fine chapter on style. The Strunk and White-colored of dissertation guides, this concise yet comprehensive book could replacement for a brief course in creating seem quantitative research documents.