Beginners guide to dissertation writing: recommended resources

Today I decided to share ideas and resources to help you conceptualize your dissertation study.

One of the areas that I find students struggle with is the use of a conceptual framework. So far, I have found two great resources to help with this area. The first, which I am using in a dissertation proposal seminar for the first time this May, is a book by Upenn professor Sharon Ravitch and her co-author Matthew Riggan. As Ravitch and Riggan state in the preface, they, like me, have watched students struggle with articulating a rationale for choice of topics and methods, provide a theoretical or conceptual framework for studies, and or fail to connect conceptual frameworks to existing literature. Their book "presents conceptual frameworks as a mechanism - process and product - for resolving much of this confusion and lack of coherence". I highly recommend this text.



The trusty text that I was using prior to coming across Reason and Rigor is John Maxwell's Qualitative Research Design, now in its third edition. Maxwell provides an excellent overview of the process of conceptualizing qualitative studies in chapter 3 titled 'conceptual framework: what do you think is going on?" I highly recommend this book, even for folks using quantitative methods this chapter would be very useful.

The other area where students struggle is in setting up the research design for the dissertation studies. My favorite resource for this is Creswell's Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. In this text, Creswell provides detailed instructions on how to write a research proposal using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. Chapters 2 and 3 are on literature review and using theory respectively, which both help with conceptualization of research and can be used along with the two resources discussed above. Creswell dedicates an entire chapter to how to construct a purpose statement, and provides excellent ten examples for studies using various research methods. I have used the 3rd edition shown below, though the 4th edition has just been published by Sage.


Another excellent resource that goes beyond proposal writing, to data analysis and interpretation for qualitative methods is also by Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing amongst five approaches. In this text, now in the 3rd edition, Creswell provides indepth coverage of phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, case study and narrative approaches to qualitative inquiry. Students often struggle to understand and articulate the philosophical assumptions behind their research studies. In the chapter on 'philosophical assumptions and interpretive frameworks' Creswell makes difficult terms such as ontology, ephistemology, axiology and methodology understandable. The text goes into sufficient explanation for each of the approaches as to enable a researcher to determine the best choice for her research study. By showing how one study can be explored using each of the 5 approaches, Creswell helps to unpack both the comparisons and the uniqueness of each approach.



The first resource discussed here, Reason and Rigor, is excellent whether you are using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods for undertaking your research. The other three are specific to qualitative methods. Next time, I will focus on recommending resources for quantitative methods.

What other resources would you recommend for social science dissertation writers? Do not hesitate to comment or email me.

Keeping Up Momentum

Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the USA...and yes I am sorta kinda watching the game. More appropriately, I am procrastinating rather than working on my Sunday meeting - that's the time I spend each Sunday planning my work week and ensuring that my writing goals are scheduled along with my teaching, service and life goals. If I fail to add my writing goals to the weekly schedule, the tyranny of my overwhelming teaching responsibilities overtakes every working hour.

So I thought one good way to stop procrastinating is to review this blog, look over the advise that I offer you (which is often also self-pep-talk), and come up with something to say. I haven't posted since November, so this is in fact my first post of the new year. So to the noise of the super bowl,  I thought about how we fail to keep momentum often triggered by our emotional response to requests for revisions.


Perhaps a story or two will illustrate what am talking about. Take student Mwanafunzi, who submitted a draft proposal seven months ago, received feedback from the committee, then fell of the radar. Seven months is a very long time to take to respond to feedback, which for all intents and purposes, should have only taken a few hours worth of work. I thought I'd have had a revised draft a month later, at the longest.

Or take the case of professor Mwalimu Mkuu, who received a revise-and-resubmit from a journal one year ago, and has yet to do the work. In fact, most journals dictate that they want the RnR back within six months, any longer and you have to submit the manuscript as a new submission.

In both cases, the reason for not getting the work done is that both Mwanafunzi and Mwalimu Mkuu felt overwhelmed by the request for revisions, and/or felt slighted by the tone of the reviewers, and/or felt like they'd failed. Perhaps other emotions are involved too. So they put their manuscripts aside for far too long.

The reality for students working on dissertations and professors working on manuscripts is that being required to revise and resubmit is a normal part of the process. An emotional response to the request is also normal. However, you cannot let the emotions overwhelm you to the point of losing momentum. Rather, emote if you must. Then get back on that horse and ride on to the finish line. Read through the reviewers/committees feedback and craft a plan of attack. In other words, emote, then get over it and get on with it!

As always, all the best and questions/comments welcome.

Dr Faith 

Determining a Dissertation Topic at the Beginning of Doctoral Studies

Greetings from Seoul, South Korea! The summer is quickly coming to an end (and so is my summer gallivanting...the school year is almost upon us!) I am writing this post with those who are beginning their doctoral journey in mind.

The beginning is exciting, but can also be angst-inducing as many will ask "so what is your dissertation topic?"

However, that question is perfect at this early stage in your journey; it should motivate you to start to articulate your dissertation topic ideas, and get early feedback from fellow students as well as faculty and even interested non-academics. If the topic is not in perfect shape or form yet, that is to be expected. The two or three years of coursework will provide you sufficient opportunity to refine the topic.

If you do not know what you would like to study for your dissertation, that ought not be a problem either. The first year is a time of discovery and exploration.

In my Introduction to Research Methods course, I ask students to brainstorm three potential dissertation topics and come to class ready to discuss them. Essentially, this exercise allows them to think about their interests, and conceptualize those interests into research-able ideas. Some of the  questions asked in class include:

a. What is the problem you seek to investigate?
b. Why is it important to investigate that problem?
c. Why is the problem of interest to you?
d. How long would it take to engage in the study?
e. How passionate are you about the topic/problem?

These initial questions help students to clarify their ideas and choose just one of the three topic areas of interest to focus on for the rest of the semester. In subsequent assignments, they are able to further refine the topic by writing preliminary proposals on how they could potentially investigate the problem using qualitative and quantitative approaches. The final assignment is a literature review on the topic/problem.

By the end of the semester, each student is better able to determine whether the topic and problem they'd chosen to study is actually feasible, worthwhile, and whether there is indeed a sufficient literature base upon which to build the study.

My advise to my Intro to Research Methods students is to use subsequent courses to further refine their topic. Those who follow this advise find that by the end of their coursework, they have a proposal ready to defend, and thus can proceed to the dissertation phase expeditiously.

I want to encourage you all who are beginning your doctoral studies now, or who are in the early stages to think about doing something similar to help you focus your coursework towards defining and refining your dissertation topic. The sooner you determine your dissertation topic, the better as coursework can be more narrowly focused towards developing the research proposal.

What other dissertation related advise would those of you who are over on the other side of the journey offer to the newbies? Comments and questions always welcome.  

Developing a Scholarly Identity

When I first embarked on graduate studies way back in the year 2000, I wasn't clear on what I wanted to do with that degree...that is, beyond doing what I was already engaged in, but better. But you know, life happens! The 'doing what I was already engaged in' part of my story unraveled rather fast. And I found myself with a masters degree but without a job. However, in my two years in that graduate school, I developed a strong desire to study leadership, inspired by events in the school, in my local church, and in my previous work experience as a school teacher.

Even though my job unraveled, I was able to 'reposition' myself by going for further studies, this time traveling abroad to the middle of the cornfields of Ohio to start graduate studies in leadership and organization development. And once again, I had no clear goal in mind as to what I would do with the degrees once completed. All I knew was that, this was the next step to take. It didn't take too long though to start figuring out what ought to come next.

In August 2004, a friend invited me to accompany her to the Academy of Management annual meeting which was being held in New Orleans. This was my first ever academic conference, and though I was not presenting any papers there, I learned a lot about the options for graduate students and the culture of academe. I made friends with a student from New York, and another from Switzerland, and with my friend, we became four women graduate students supporting each other until all of us graduated. We are still friends and still support each other in our professional development. As I soon learned, this is one of the advantages of attending academic conferences.

I have been to many academic conferences since then - University Council for Education Administration, American Educational Research Association (AERA), Eastern Academy of Management International (EAMI), International Leadership Association, even one African Studies Association meeting. Yes, I am unapologetic in my transdisciplinary orientation, (though these days I can only attend one conference either AERA or AOM, in addition to ILA, partly because I needed to define my academic home more closely, and partly because the money to attend more conferences simply isn't available). I have even been to a few National Communication Association annual meetings- my first year there, I spoke with a  SUNY Press acquisitions editor about my book idea, and the rest, as they say is history (they published my book in 2010). Well, she was the 4th or 5th acquisition editor I spoke to at that conference, all the rest rejected my book idea. Yes, rejection is part of academic culture too...you just dust yourself off and move to the next editor/journal until you find one that will publish your work.

Attending academic conferences and presenting papers (conceptual, empirical, your developing research, your research reports, literature reviews), are one of the most important ways to develop a scholarly identity. A lot of the publications you see as books and articles quite possibly began life in the marketplace of ideas as academic conference presentations. So I want to encourage you to look for at least one academic conference in your discipline that you will make your home, and make an effort to attend the annual meetings. In the US, there is always the option of attending the regional meetings of the national associations, which are likely to be closer to your geographic location and cheaper as far as registration costs and hotel accommodations. For example, this year Eastern Academy of Management  annual meeting will be in my hometown of Philadelphia in May, so though I missed the deadline to submit a paper, I plan on attending. After all, it will only cost me the registration fee. I might also attend African Studies Association since their meeting is also in Philadelphia.

I cannot possibly overemphasize the need and urgency of becoming a member and attending these disciplinary professional association meetings/conferences. From them, you will receive mentoring into the profession,  and join a community of like-minded individuals who can be co-researchers, critical readers of your work, and even your future employers. All the academic professional associations offer programming specifically aimed at meeting the needs of graduate students - from feedback sessions on dissertations, to advise on the job search process, to training in research methods and directions on how to get published. Most include not just scholars, but reflective practitioners invested in their continuing professional development with whom you can network. You would get to meet with graduate students from not just other institutions, but other countries too, who can become part of your network of co-researchers, conference co-presenters, and who would offer you the support you will surely need to complete your dissertation, and later if you join the academy, to survive the tenure track.

I recognize that all the conferences I have mentioned have their 'home base' in the US. However, there are conferences taking place in Europe, Australia/NZ, Asia, and even my home continent of Africa all the time. For example, in January 2013, Academy of Management will hold its first Africa conference in South Africa. The International Congress of Psychology will hold its 2012 conference in Cape Town, South Africa in July 2012. The International Congress of Cross Cultural Psychology will hold their bienniel conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa also in July 2012. And these are just the ones I am aware off, there are probably many more such conferences happening in other parts of the continent and for a variety of disciplines/professional associations. Furthermore, apart from these kinds of international conferences, universities host smaller localized conferences to which you can either submit or attend as audience member, that would also be good opportunities for networking and getting involved. Whatever your geographic location, I would recommend that you find out what is happening around you and beyond, see what you can afford to attend (some conferences will offer free registration to graduate students willing to serve in the conference), and get involved. You will be glad you did.

The Successful Dissertation Defense

What makes for a successful dissertation defense? Am sure you have found other sites where students or professors tell you what makes a defense successful. I hope this will add to what you already know.

The defense is the oral examination of your doctoral dissertation (or thesis). It is the 1:30-2:00 hours you spend in conversation with your dissertation committees, in the presence of other 'witnesses' who may include friends, family and the campus community, demonstrating your expertise in your study topic.

Depending on institutional guidelines, your defense 'audience' may or may not be allowed to participate by making comments or asking questions. In most cases, whether the audience participates or simply watches the interchange, the only people who determine whether you have passed are the members of you committee.

Generally, your committee should not let you get to the defense unless they are sure that you are well prepared and can pass. However, institutional cultures are different, and committees are different too. Personally, I will not let my candidates sit in a defense unless am confident in their preparation and have essentially, ensured that they will pass. But that's me. I would not want the humiliation of seeing my candidate fail at that all important juncture.

So how should you as the candidate prepare for this 'examination'?

You should be in agreement with your chair and the rest of your committee that your dissertation is 'defensible', it is ready for this process. That does not necessarily mean every t has been crossed and every i dotted...though, it should not be a draft either. Rather, it means that your introduction, literature review, and methods (which in most institutions would have been approved at the proposal stage) are in tip top shape, the tenses have been changed to past, and everything there is good to go. Similarly, your chapter 4 (results) and 5 (discussion, interpretation, implications) are in excellent shape, they have been reviewed by your chair and essentially, approved as ready for defense by the entire committee. You should not schedule a defense if any one of your committee members is saying otherwise.

Prepare to present your research in about 30 minutes (check with your chair and dissertation handbook on any instructions for the presentation).

Prepare a presentation that is logically organized, beginning with purpose statement and ending with implications for future research. In most cases, you do not need to spend a lot of time talking through the last three chapters since your committee already approved those in the proposal defense. However, you do want to highlight any changes to your protocol even as you reiterate the purpose statement and theoretical framework.

Focus the bulk of your presentation on chapters 4-5 (I am speaking here of a traditional 5-chapter dissertation; if yours is not in this format, use the 5 chapters mentioned here as a guide on what you would be preparing). Ensure you discuss how your work extends theory, and informs practice, even as you point ahead to recommendations for future research.

Expect your committee to ask questions and make comments, interacting with you in a dialogue for at least an hour, sometimes longer. If you are well prepared, and they have been involved in your process closely having approved your dissertation for the defense, its possible that their questions and comments will focus not on what you did but on:

a. What you would do differently given ideal conditions
b. How you will use the dissertation, how it fits into your career goals
c. Your plans for publications

You would hope that the defense is not the place for the committee to get into an ego-war (I've heard that happens). Well, the best advise I would give on that will come in a different post, on how to select your dissertation committee members.

In the next few weeks, I will post on how to turn your dissertation into publications, and how to use it to enhance your career. If you are interested in reading my dissertation, you only need but Google me, it is freely available on ohiolink etd (Electronic Thesis and Dissertations). A link is also included here.

http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi/Ngunjiri%20Faith%20Wambura.pdf?acc_num=bgsu1143220309

All the best at your defense. If you need further advise, do not hesitate to contact me.