Life as a Dissertation Committee Member

Today, I am hosting Dr. Steve Tippins from Beyond PhD Coaching to share his thoughts on being a committee member. You may also remember that I recently interviewed Dr. Tippins for the "How I Work" series.

The reason that most of us serve on dissertation committees is for the V.I.P. flights to exotic locations, passes to all Hollywood premiers, and unlimited free dry cleaning. Actually, none of that has ever happened for me or anyone that I know. We serve on dissertation committees because we like to help people and the job is interesting. That said, there can be challenges.

Every committee member that I know goes into a committee assignment hoping that things will go smoothly and the student will finish quickly. Sometimes that happens and other times hopes are not met. I will share here some things that help and hinder the relationship.

It's important to start the relationship off properly. At many institutions, students get to ask faculty members to serve on their committee. If you get the opportunity to choose committee members please take this responsibility seriously. As a faculty member, it is frustrating when a student who has not done their homework about me asks me to serve on a committee that my background and publication history do not match in any way.

After serving on over 80 dissertation committees several things stick out as practices for students to follow.

1. If a committee member makes a comment, make sure you address the comment in the next draft - it is frustrating to take the time to comment on a student's work and then not have the comment addressed. It can feel like a lack of respect.

2. Do not ask a comment member to just tell you what they want you to write - your dissertation is just that, your dissertation. Committee members are there to guide you, not tell you exactly what to do. Part of earning a doctorate is learning how to work with others who have opinions about various topics.

3. Do not assume that you know everything about the topic or school procedures - it is frustrating when you tell a student that, for example, their literature review needs to be 15 pages longer and the student says that the length is sufficient. A committee member only asks for things like this if there is a school requirement or if the literature has not been thoroughly explored.

4. Follow all school requirements - I once served on a committee as the second committee member where the student never got approval for his proposal and went out and did the actual study (no IRB approval either). The committee was presented with a completed dissertation. It was hard to tell the student but his original idea was flawed and the research was not acceptable. He wasted time and thousands of dollars by not following requirements.

5. Back statements up with references and don't write to impress - academic writing is a skill and must be learned. Write like they write in the articles that you read. And, don't use big words just to sound impressive. You want the reader to understand what you are saying.

6. Don't get tired in Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 is where you get to tell the reader what your research means. It is frustrating to see a Chapter 5 where, after a year of hard work, a student writes two paragraphs about the implications of the work. Take some time and really explain what you study means.

7. It is OK to hire people like statisticians to help you but it is your work - but when asked a question at your defense you can't say "my statistician did that, I'm not sure". If you hire people to help you, make sure they also teach you so that you can talk about your work.

My best advice regarding your defense is to be prepared, treat your committee members with respect, and do not read your slides during the presentation. Take time to have practiced your presentation and, if possible, have people stand in as committee members and ask questions. Breathing is good too. Your presentation should not be one long sentence.

It is frustrating as a committee member to see slides filled with words and then have the student read the slides. We can read so keep us engaged.

Finally, answer all questions honestly. If you do not understand what is being asked ask for clarification. Do not make up answers, we will know. It is OK to say you don't know and engage in a conversation with committee members.

You should never be allowed to schedule your oral defense if the committee is not ready to accept and pass your work. Keep that in mind as you prepare your slides and your talk. This is the last hurdle to earning the title Dr.

Improving weaknesses with your dissertation

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Yvette Williams. Dr. Williams is the CEO of The Esteemed Scribe, LLC. Her company offers copy-editing, proofreading, ghostwriting, and blogging services. Among her specialties include editing services for Ph.D. Candidates who are preparing their dissertations for defense and publication. Dr. Williams earned a doctorate degree in Urban Social and Environmental Geography from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Dr. Williams taught undergraduate coursework in urban and community studies, environmental science, and environmental ethics. She maintains professional memberships with the Editorial Freelance Association, International Society of Professional Writers, and The Association of Ghostwriters.

You put what you thought were the finishing touches on the last chapter of your dissertation. It feels like you have been writing for ages. Just when you were about to wipe the sweat from your brow, you receive pages of comments from committee requiring you to address weaknesses in your dissertation. After reading the comments, you discover that you don’t know how to answer their questions or fix the problems they pointed out. You’re tired, stressed out, and overwhelmed. You may be even worrying about how to finish writing your dissertation.

Before you give up in despair, it is important to adopt an enlightened perspective about the dissertation writing process. Writing a dissertation is like running a marathon. It is a long and laborious process of learning how to organize, integrate, summarize, and synthesize the writing of your research. And just like a marathon runner, the longer you are in the race, the more your endurance will be tested. Two problems that may show up as weaknesses in your dissertation are poor writing and poor alignment of your research components. In the following sections, I discuss ways to address these problems so that you can finish writing your dissertation.

One of the most common weaknesses of dissertations is poor writing. Your committee may have mentioned they are having difficulty understanding discussions within your chapters because your overall writing is unclear or inconsistent. Some of these problems may be due to grammatical, spelling, punctuation, tense, and other writing mechanical errors. Other problems may include redundancy, wordiness, and weak word choices (problems I struggled with). Both of these problems may stem from the fatigue that comes with writing a dissertation. However, if left unaddressed, these problems will not only prevent your dissertation from being defensible but also undermine your credibility as a scholar.

To address problems of poor writing and improve the overall quality of your dissertation, I recommend editing services. I recommend editing services only if all following are true: 1) all of the writing for your chapters is completed and approved by your research advisor or chair; 2) you have received revision requests and substantial feedback from your committee; and 3) you foresee defending your dissertation within six months or less. Before you hire an editor, it is important to understand that there are different types of editing services available. Furthermore, editing your dissertation is an iterative process that requires time, feedback, and in most cases, a significant financial investment. In my article, From Frustration to Finish: How the Manage the Editing Process for your Dissertation, I discuss different types of editing services as well as approaches to help you select the best editor for your dissertation.

Returning back to the marathon metaphor, you’ve been writing for so long that, like the marathon runner, you may be losing sight of the finish line. In this situation, you may be struggling to bring your dissertation to a close. This usually indicates a second example of weaknesses -poor alignment of your research components to your dissertation framework.

The following are brief, generalized examples of comments you may have received from your committee that indicate this problem:

“I’m not sure what you mean by “x” argument. This doesn’t seem to follow what you discussed about “y” theory. Can you clarify?

“I am confused by what you mean by “x” result. How is this connected to “x” hypothesis?

“Your conceptual model states “x” theory but you haven’t clearly discussed how this model explains your findings.”

One of the most important aspects of writing up your dissertation is its framework. Think of the framework as similar to a skeletal system. Along similar lines, the framework of your dissertation consists of research components (i.e., bones) which forms the scientific basis of your research. These components include the following: concepts, theories, questions, problem statements, hypotheses, results, findings, and conclusions. Although the selection and arrangement of the components may vary by the discipline or paradigm of your research, they should all align and function together. To use the skeletal metaphor, although the skeletal framework of a human differs from that of a bird, all of the bones for each organism are designed in a way in which they fit and function together. To summarize, the generalized examples of comments I presented earlier indicate that there are problems with the alignment of your theory, concepts, questions, or other research components which will ultimately affect how you bring your dissertation to a close.

To reach the finish line, your dissertation will need to function properly. This will happen when you meet one or more of the following objectives: 1) answer a question(s) within a narrow scope of your discipline; 2) add to the theoretical or applied body of knowledge; and; 3) make a unique scholarly contribution to your discipline. To illustrate how to align your research components, I will I share a little about my dissertation research and writing challenges. My doctoral research involved an interdisciplinary framework in which I examined vacant land management in socioeconomically depressed neighborhoods of West Baltimore City, Maryland. I employed theoretical and conceptual perspectives from the disciplines of urban ecology, political ecology, urban geography, and environmental justice. As part of my dissertation framework, I created a conceptual model which proposed that management of vacant land was related to the preferences of selected stakeholders for maintenance activities that created safe, clean, and attractive spaces.

While attempting to align the results of my thematic analysis with my conceptual model, I discovered that the conceptual model was insufficient to explain underlying social relations among stakeholders. In other words, my thematic analysis revealed issues of power and agency that could not be explained by simply examining preferences for maintenance activities. Thus, there was a poor alignment between my research components (i.e., my conceptual model) and my results. Rather than be hindered by this weakness, my research advisor encouraged me to discuss the misalignment in a way that would not only shed light on the challenges of conducting interdisciplinary research but also lay the foundation for grounded theory (i.e., the development of theory from data). In summary, using this approach helped me to meet the aforementioned objectives #2 and #3 and finish writing my dissertation.

In closing, weaknesses such as poor writing and weak alignment of your research components do not have to spell disaster for your dissertation. Rather, look at these problems as opportunities for you to get a “second wind,’’ become a better writer, and, ultimately finish your dissertation. Looking forward to seeing you on the finished side of Ph.D.!

Getting your PhD proofread: how to do it properly (and ethically)

Today, I have the pleasure of inviting Dr. Maximilian Lemprière to share his insights on proofreading the dissertation. Dr. Lemprière started The PhD Proofreaders after completing a PhD in political science at the University of Birmingham. The company offers a tailored service that reflects the peculiarities of a PhD but which also respects the integrity of authorship and the ethical responsibilities that come with academic proofreading.


Record numbers of PhD students are having their dissertations proofread. Should it be counted as cheating?

Sometimes, yes.

This might seem like a strange thing for someone who runs a PhD proofreading company to say, but it’s true. It’s a wild-west out there and it’s difficult for students to know where to draw the line between legitimate proofing and cheating.

This post is for those thinking of hiring a proofreader for their PhD thesis. I’ll tell you what is and isn’t allowed when you hire one and how you can make sure what you are buying is legitimate and, most importantly, ethical.

Why? Because too many students are getting caught out without realising it.

Isn’t it cheating?

Whether hiring a proofreader counts as cheating depends on the service that’s being offered. Proofreading for conventions of language, grammar, punctuation and syntax is legitimate and has a long history in academia. How many people do you know who have had their friends of family proofread their thesis? Lots, most likely. Similarly, all journal articles and books are professionally proofread. It is difficult to spot language and grammar mistakes in our own work, so it's sensible editorial practice for any text to be proofread, not least one as important as a thesis.

But, proofreading is often equated with copyediting.

Copyediting is most certainly not allowed. Pay a copyeditor and the text they return isn’t yours.

Trouble is, it’s a wild-west situation out there. There are plenty of legitimate, honest and ethical proofreaders, but there are many cowboys offering to edit or, in the worst cases, rewrite your work. In other words, you often have copyeditors masquerading as proofreaders.

What’s more, it’s up to you as the student to know what is and isn’t allowed. Sure, by the time a PhD student submits their thesis they know about the rules surrounding plagiarism, but the rules surrounding proofreading are less well understood.

To make matters worse, the information that’s available is often conflicting. Some universities have been proactive and have published codes of practice governing the use of proofreaders and copyeditors. Trouble is, many of the students we speak to don’t know they exist and far from all universities have been so proactive. Plus, stories such as
this and this are just plain misleading and reflect the common tendency to think proofreading and copyediting are the same. They aren’t.

So here I want to talk directly to students interested in paying someone to proofread their PhD. I want to tell what you need to know and ask in order to make sure you choose an ethical proofreader and don’t fall foul of the rules.

What do you need to do?

1. Make sure you understand your university's proofreading policy. If there isn’t one, speak to your adviser. Work within these rules at all times.
2. Ask the proofreader whether they will be willing to work around the university's requirements or any requirement you specify.
3. Check that the proofreader doesn’t offer to copyedit.
4. Even if they’re not copyeditors, some proofreaders may wish to make suggestions about how to improve the flow of your text. Make sure that they leave comments, rather than restructure or rewrite the text directly.
5. Ask them if they are willing to have their name included as a third-party editor (your university will most likely require this). If they say no, be sceptical.
6. Ensure they have experience proofreading academic texts. Generalist proofreaders might not be aware of issues to do with plagiarism.
7. Be open with your supervisors and express your intention to have your work proofread. They may offer you advice.
8. When you get your work back, read through your thesis thoroughly. 


Conclusion:

Love it or hate it, proofreading is here to stay. The issue is controversial, but largely because there is so much copyediting masquerading as proofreading and because there is a common misconception about the difference between the two.

Three things need to happen for the situation to improve.

Most importantly, those offering proofreading and copyediting need to be much more heavily regulated. Most, including us, choose to operate ethically, but if we were to choose not to there would be no punishment. The risk is shifted to the student.

Australia is a role model in this regard. The government there has introduced a standard for professional editing services, which has been adopted by universities. It clears up any misconceptions of what is or isn’t allowed, whether on the part of the examiner, the student or the proofreader.

Second, Universities need to be more proactive and publish proofreading codes of practice. Many have begun to do so, which is a welcome sight. The LSE comes to mind here; they have gone a step further and set up their own proofreading company.

Third, students need to be be better educated about what is and isn’t allowed. It is my hope that this post helps in that endeavour.

Average word count of a dissertation

For some reason, I always thought a doctoral thesis is about 100,000 words in length (and I've taken that number as a reference for my book as well). However, I wanted to test this assumption, so I ran a poll about the topic. From the comments, I learned that word count limits are common in the UK (mostly), and that they differ across disciplines.

You can find the poll and its wake here:

Time for writing a dissertation

Some PhD students wait until the very end of their studies to spend three (miserable?) months writing their thesis. Others work in a more gradual way. I spent about 1,5 years on writing (while still finishing up research tasks as well).

To have an idea of which method is most common, I ran a poll on Twitter on this topic.

You can find the wake of this poll here:

Thesis by dissertation or publication?

I recently ran a poll on Twitter to ask if respondents received their PhD by writing a big book style thesis or by publication, or what they currently are working towards. The result is that the majority is receiving their PhD by writing a dissertation, but a good 25% (or more, if we leave out the votes for "just show me the results") received their PhD by publication (or are working towards getting their degree in this format).

You can find the wake of the pol below:

Communication with your Chair: Tips your Chair Wants you to Know

Today's guest post is written by Dr. Laura Pipoly. Laura earned a bachelor's in psychology and a master's in both school counseling and community counseling. Laura graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a doctorate in both special education and in Instructional technology and distance education (ITDE). Her dissertation focused on Counselor Education Curriculum and Online Counseling and was published in part in the Journal of Instructional Research. Laura has also published and presented at the national level. Her most recent work is Meeting the Challenge of Bipolar Disorder: Self-Help Strategies that Work. Laura is both a Licensed Professional Counselor and a certified School Counselor. Throughout the years, she has worked as a school counselor, psychotherapist, behavior specialist, mentor, dissertation chair, methodologist and clinical site supervisor. Laura currently works for University of Phoenix as a full time faculty member.

As a dissertation chair, methodologist, content expert and former doctoral student I have sat on all sides of the dissertation committee. Throughout this process communication is the most essential element to facilitate student success throughout the progression. Without communication progress stalls, motivation can wane and confusion sets in.

As a dissertation chair, I schedule communication by phone with my learners every two weeks. This timeframe is often enough that I am able to be proactive if any pressing concerns come up, but also spread out far enough so that we have sufficient content to address. If your chair does not have a set communication schedule you certainly have the right to request one. It is likely that your chair is busy and overworked, so be sure that you are being active in taking responsibility to set up a contact strategy that is a good fit for your needs. Do not hesitate to send a friendly email reminder—after all you are in charge of your dissertation. The chair and committee are there as your guides through the process. I do find that phone calls are the best way to stay in contact. An email is good for a quick question about formatting, but it does not translate well for complex design questions. The dissertation process is complex and sometimes it takes hashing it out on the phone. I find students are able to reach their “ah ha” moment with a little back and forth. With email this process slows down and sometimes is completely lost. Just the other day on the phone, I had a student share several ideas. I could hear in her voice her frustration as she discussed being unable to find the “gap” area for her research. As she shared about her thoughts on the topic, I stopped her. She had just unknowingly shared that “gap” area that was so elusive to her.

When you do have a scheduled phone call be on time (keeping in mind any potential time zone differences), be prepared and be organized. Many times I will call a student at our agreed upon time and I can hear that they are distracted. Or even worse, they are driving. This does not facilitate the best use of our time. A quiet, private place will allow for you to focus. Just as you would write an outline for an assignment, I suggest that you do the same for your phone conference. Come prepared by writing down any questions or topics you want to address beforehand and use this as your guide. Not only does this allow you to make sure that everything is covered, but it helps to cut back on emails in between phone conversations which may ultimately slow down the process. When speaking to a student I have a copy of their dissertation in front of me so I can point out specific questions or refer to it as needed. Be sure that you do too and that you are ready to take any notes you may need.

Listen, really listen. As a learner I treated this individual time with my chair as a gift. I was able to get a new perspective, flush out my questions and soak in their expertise. Listen to the suggestions your chair makes, write them down and apply the feedback. So many learners will send me their marked up paper with corrections still unmade. Most times, I have the same suggestions.

Lastly, remember your chair is your cheerleader. Your chair has been there and done that. They know that the dissertation is a journey and that your motivation will wax and wane. I truly want my learners to succeed. I want to be their motivator when things get hard –because they will. I would much rather have an email from a learner stating, “I am having a hard time with…”, than see that they withdrew. When a learner emails me that “they can’t”, I email back them about how they can. Your chair is on your side, not only can they help you with your writing but also through the process. Part of that process is maintaining your motivation and dedication. I remember my own chair referred to me as the “future Dr. Pipoly” which was sometimes the push I needed to read, reread, and dig in a little deeper.

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to author academic books

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

When you finish your dissertation, you may be wondering what is next. Have you considered turning your thesis into a book, either an academic book or perhaps a non-fiction book? Or when you have taken on a large project as a post-doc, and published several papers on the topic, you may feel ready to take the next step and write a book about this topic.

Granted, after finishing your dissertation or after turning in a manuscript, writing a book may be the last thing on your mind. You'd rather not type out any word again. But writing books is part of academic life, a skill to master, and a way to share your knowledge. Depending on your field, it may be a requirement for tenure, or it may simply be a step to take to grow your reputation as an authority in your field.

There are several ways to develop ideas for books to write. Your first step is always to pitch the idea to a publisher. Inquire first about the formats they use for writing a book proposal, so that you have an idea on which information you need to present your idea. Most book proposals require you to describe what the book will be about, who the book will be useful for, which other titles on the topic already exist and how your book is different, and a short chapter-by-chapter description or table of contents.

In this post, we'll zoom in to the very first step of writing a book: how can you turn a research project or other work you did into an idea for a book? There are several categories you can consider:

1. From thesis to academic book
You may think that turning your thesis into an academic book is overdone. If somebody wants to know about your research, they can read your dissertation, right? In fact, you should consider the audience. Researchers, especially those in your field, will read your dissertation. If you turn the work of your dissertation into an academic book, it should serve a broader audience. Think about the way your work can benefit practitioners and a broader academic audience. Can you include case studies, design examples, or discuss the way forward for your field based on your work? You write a dissertation as the answer to a research question, and a book as a tool for its readers - keep that in mind when you decide which topics to include.

2. From thesis to non-fiction book
If you like writing and are willing to chew on every sentence, writing a non-fiction book for the broader public can be the way to go. Go from "answering your research question" as you did in your dissertation to "telling a story" and/or "giving insights and advice" based on your research. Did you come across interesting people or anecdotes during your research? Take a storyline as the center of your narrative and move away from purely answering your research question.

3. From research project to book
A research project other than your PhD research can become a book too. If you are in the post-doc phase or are an early career researcher on the tenure track, you will not be combining the insights of your new research into a thesis anymore. Instead, you can bundle your knowledge into a book. Again, you should write the book (and of course, the book proposal first) with your reader in mind: what can they learn and use from the work you have been carrying out? Take that as your main point, and develop your work around what serves your reader.

4. From blog to book
If you write a blog about research, you can turn your posts into an e-book. With PhD Talk and AcademicTransfer, we have done this already and made our best work available as a free e-book. You too can decide to either turn your most-read posts into a "best of" e-book, or you can decide to select a number of posts around the same topic and work these into a book focused on one element.

5. From class notes to coursebook
If you are teaching, you will develop your own classnotes. You may be using a classic textbook, and develop your notes based on the textbook. If you are in a new field, if the available textbooks are outdated, or if no textbooks are applicable to the context of your location, then you will have to develop your classnotes by bringing together information from different publications, invent examples, and synthesize the information as you prepare your lectures. The next step can be to turn the information you developed yourself into a coursebook and publish it.

6. Become editor of a technical book
Being an editor to a book written with experts in your field is a whole different beast, and I certainly could devote an entire post to this. However, in this post our focus is on getting ideas for books and book proposals. If you have a number of colleagues you often see at conferences or work together with at certain occasions, you can ask for their effort in the form of contributing a chapter to an edited volume. The advantage of an edited volume is that it can shine different lights on a hot topic.

7. Become editor of a collection of essays
Besides the nitty-gritty of the technical content that you find in an edited volume, you can also act as editor of a collection of essays. Sometimes, such books are published to honor a giant in your field, and all past students and collaborators contribute with an essay on their collaboration with this giant, on life lessons he/she gave the author, or by discussing several important elements of the work of this giant. An other option for a collection of essays is combining efforts with colleagues and sharing your points of view related to higher education, foreign policy, teaching techniques...

With this list of ideas, which book project will you tackle?

Q&A: PhD by publications

Time for some more Q&A! I recently received the following question:

I'm a PhD student from Country X. I found one of your posts when I was looking for the information about doctoral thesis form in Belgium. In Country Xit is possible to obtain PhD not only by writing and defending a doctoral thesis (disertation) but also by series of publications. Publications, of course, need to be consistent, published in reviewed journals etc.
Due to I'm planning to do joint PhD studies in Country X and Belgium, I would like to ask you if it is possible to obtain PhD in Belgium by series of publications? It would be a perfect option for me.

My answer was the following:

Thank you for reaching out to me through my blog with your question about doing a PhD by publications in Belgium.

As always, the requirements for graduation with a PhD degree depend on the institution and your PhD supervisor. However, a PhD by publication is possible in Belgium – a good friend of mine graduated from a research group where this option is standard.

Certainly, encouraging PhD students to turn their work into publications by allowing them to compile their journal papers into a dissertation has a lot of advantages: it helps young scientists at the beginning of their career to build up already a publication record, which is necessary for an academic position afterwards.

I hope this answer helps you!

Eva

Help! How Can I Begin Writing My Dissertation?”

Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Noelle Sterne with a guest post on dissertation writing. Dissertation coach, editor, scholarly and mainstream writing consultant, author, and spiritual counselor, Noelle has published over 300 pieces in print and online venues. In her academic consulting practice, Noelle helps doctoral candidates wrestle their dissertations to completion. Based on her practice, her recently published handbook addresses these students’ largely overlooked but equally important nonacademic difficulties: Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping with the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2015). In Noelle's first book Trust Your Life: Forgive Yourself and Go After Your Dreams (Unity Books, 2011), with examples from her academic practice, writing, and life, she helps readers release regrets, relabel their past, and reach lifelong yearnings. Visit Noelle at www.trustyourlifenow.com.

You’ve reached the first dissertation milestone—approval of your prospectus. Great! You couldn’t wait to plunge into the next step, writing the proposal. But now that you’re here, somehow it’s not working. With all the best intentions and surrounded by all your scholarly materials, you’re spending long fruitless hours in your study or the library. The days are slipping away, your friends are out eating pizza, and your family wonders what you’re really doing for all those solitary hours. You feel paralyzed.

To cheer yourself up, you remember that the proposal becomes the first three chapters of the real dissertation. But this fact offers little consolation. Your completed proposal seems like a sky-high wall with not even a step stool in sight. Where is that danged first step?

Break the Rules

Here is one remedy. Contrary to the King's advice to the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, you don't have to start at the beginning and keep going until you reach the end. If you follow this dictum, you may only increase your panic, tremors, and paralysis.

In my academic coaching practice, I advise clients not to start at the beginning, that is, with Chapter 1, the introduction. Why? This chapter requires a concise overview of your topic and the literature. You must be highly familiar with both. But many students don't get to know what they're really writing about until they've been living with their dissertation for several months.

How to Start

So, the first trick to break your standstill: Make separate files for each chapter. Obvious, maybe. Effective, definitely. Use the university’s requisite chapter names and headings (from the dissertation manual or handbook), or the templates in the dissertation section of your university website. Once you create the files you’ll feel more organized. You’ll also gain a sense of accomplishment. You can keep throwing notes into these files as new materials surface and brilliant thoughts occur to you for each chapter.

The second trick: Start writing by choosing something relatively straightforward. No doctoral divine lightening will strike if you start in the middle, or later. I often recommend that students start with Chapter 3, Methods. In this chapter you describe who's in the study and how you will study them—your population and sample, and what you're going to put them through (experiments, questionnaires, or interviews). Your writing style here should be direct, with precise descriptions of the steps you'll take to gather information for your later chapters. No perplexing summaries, syntheses, or conclusions. Instead . . .

Dissertation Brownies

It's kind of like a recipe for dissertation brownies:

First, I will create a flyer for recruiting students to complete my questionnaire on their most successful study habits. Then I will seek permission from the office of student affairs to post the flyer on campus bulletin boards. When students respond to my contact information, I will send them the letter of introduction to the study and the informed consent to participate. Next I will . . . .

What you write may not be the final draft, and shouldn't be. Accept this. In the margin of a paragraph like the one above, a student's chair commented caustically, "What's your authority for bypassing the university's institutional review board?" The student hastened to add the procedure in the next draft.

The Advantages

Let’s not lose sight of our aim—You’ve written something! Writing anything loosens your fear-frozen mind so you think more creatively about, in our example, where to recruit, who to recruit, when, and many other considerations. As you visualize the actual steps, again as in the example, think about what your recruitment flyer and letter of intro to the study will contain. This is a great opportunity to draft the flyer, letter, and informed consent form—you're going to need them as appendices. When you do, possibly to your elated shock, you'll have written more!

As you see the paragraphs mounting, you feel greater confidence to keep writing.

A few days after I guided my client Rod with the advice to start with his third chapter, he emailed me:"I finally got a double digit page number written! A miracle!" I congratulated him for reaching page 10. Practice makes progress.

Once you keep going, you'll likely find that related ideas pop up. Say your approved proposal is on the study habits of red-headed students over six feet. You suddenly realize that another study could be done on the study habits of enrolled redheads under six feet. Here's where you click to your largely empty file of Chapter 5, Discussion and Conclusions, and type the new idea under the subhead of suggestions for future research. You’ve written more!

Starting your proposal with something easy isn't a black mark on your moral fiber.

It's simply a way to get moving. So choose a section or subsection that feels doable, even simple. Tell yourself, "It's all got to get done anyway." Now . . . start writing.

From PhD Thesis to Journal Papers

When I was a starry-eyed, freshly graduated doctor, I had wild ideas of publishing tons of papers, and I wrote a post about my plans for writing on this blog.

And then life happened - or better: a 3-3 course load without help of a TA happened, and I had to refocus and reframe.

By now, I've developed a decent workflow process to keep my papers moving forward (the good old: write first thing in the morning, and write daily). Admittedly, there are days that I can't spend an hour or two writing, because I have last-minute class prep to take care of. And I don't write on the weekend (more class prep, usually). But all in all, I write 3 - 5 days a week, and try to get 6 manuscripts out per year.

With my new insights, I wrote a guest post for the publisher Wiley. Please check it out, and let me know how you work on your papers!

Writers' Lab: One Day, It Will Be Done

Today, we're returning to the Writer's Lab. Tamara Girardi shares with us how she managed to finish her dissertation, with a baby in her arms. Tamara holds a PhD in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation, It Can Be Acquired and Learned: Building a Writer-Centered Pedagogical Approach to Creative Writing focuses on the field of creative writing studies. She studied creative writing at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and writes young adult fiction. She's a member of the English faculty for Virtual Learning at Harrisburg Area Community College and primarily works from home with her colleagues: a computer-programming husband, a three-year old son, and an 18-month old daughter. Follow her on Twitter @TamaraGirardi.

The thought of writing a dissertation spikes my heart rate, which is saying something since I've already written, defended, and earned a degree for one. The task - choosing a focus, developing the idea, reading the literature that never ends, formulating quality research questions, theorizing appropriate methods for addressing the questions, executing the study, and finally determining what is worth saying about the results - is, needless to say, daunting.

Additionally, when I was finishing my doctoral coursework in the Composition and TESOL Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, my husband and I decided we should start a family. After all, my coursework would be well behind me by the time the baby was born. Nine months was a long time to prepare. And that was true, but then there was the dissertation. Our son was born in September. In November, I began reading for my literature review. With my infant in his bouncy chair, I piled books all around us and read, earmarked, annotated them. To ensure he was stimulated, I often read aloud. He often fell asleep. I don't blame him. I would have fallen asleep too if I could have.

Around this time, I shared a progress update with my dissertation advisor. Although I didn't reveal my apprehensions directly, he must have noticed certain cues. Or perhaps he has advised enough students to anticipate apprehension as a general rule. His advice was not ground-breaking, but it was perfect. He said, "Just sit down and do a bit every day, and one day, it will be done." Of course, I thought! Theoretically, and theory was part of my every thought, one day it would have to end. I needn't think of that last day or every day. Just one day. Today.

The advice is similar to Anne Lamott's ever popular text on writing, Bird by Bird. She tells the story of her brother who procrastinated a research essay on birds one year. She recalls her father sitting down with him at the kitchen table the night before the essay was due telling him, "Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."

As is often the case with simple advice, the recommendation is certainly wise. Investing time every day in the dissertation kept my mind focused on the topic and the unique challenges that developed throughout my study. Even when I wasn't reading or writing, I was simmering the ideas from my last reading or writing session. Daily connections propelled my work forward. Sometimes, I read or wrote for only an hour a day, but over time, I came to believe that an hour per day was more effective for my thought processes than seven hours every Saturday or Sunday. I notice a similar experience with my fiction writing. If I write for even 15 minutes daily I'm able to follow my own story and innovate with unique setting, character, and plot details. If I write weekly or monthly, I spend much of my time reading my previous work to remind myself of my decisions from the last writing session.

Although I'm advocating for daily connections to doctoral candidates' dissertations, I realize schedules vary. That said, I believe in this approach. If you can read one chapter or one article, if you can write a few pages or brainstorm ideas, you are connected to your work. Writing process theorist and Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Donald Murray believed that rehearsal, or the time writers spend thinking about writing, is a valuable part of the writing process. In a way, that's what the daily connection to writing suggests. Being connected to your focus, idea, literature review, research questions, research methods, and study results could spark new ideas as your mind "rehearses." In addition to the fact that if you invest a little time each day, one day, the dissertation will be done, daily progress could enrich your research project in ways you never imagined.

So when your heart rate spikes and the task seems daunting, disempower the overwhelming pile of books and the blank word processing page and follow some good advice: do a bit every day, and one day, it will be done.

Color Coding is Your Friend

Today we have a second post on academic schedules, this time by Karra Shimabukuro. Karra is a PhD student in British and Irish Literary Studies at the University of New Mexico. Her research focuses on how folkloric characters are represented in literature and popular culture- specifically the devil.

She regularly writes reviews for The Journal of Popular Culture and The Journal of Folklore Research Review and is a regular presenter at the Popular Culture National Conference. Her most recent work deals with the liminal space of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the paratext of its board game in Intensities: The Journal of Cult Media, and Freddy Krueger folkloric roots as a bogeyman in Studies in Popular Culture.


I am a second year PhD student in English at the University of New Mexico. I am finishing my course work this semester, and taking my comprehensive exams in February. I have a TAship and teach two classes as part of that. My research focuses on the folkloric character of the devil in medieval and early modern literature as well as popular culture.

I was asked to meet with new TAs last week, to come speak and share with them some of my organizational tips. I came armed with show and tell items- my printed out schedule and my paper planner.



I shared with them the following tips that work for me:

• Schedule everything- from personal time to personal projects. Grad school is busy and if you don’t schedule it, it probably won’t happen.
• Color code items so you can tell at a glance which class you’re looking at (either classes you’re taking or classes you’re teaching).
• It does not matter HOW you organize your life, it only matters that you DO.

I am a visual person, so I my desk area reflects this. I have my color coded weekly schedule above my desk so I have it for constant reference. My folders and papers for each class are color coded the same as on the schedule. The weekly schedule also has clear blocks as to when I leave home to commute to campus, and office hours. I have a written on copy in my campus office that also has all the office hours of my professors on it so I know when they are available. You’ll notice that my weekly schedule also has when grocery shopping gets done. And laundry. And house cleaning. These things are all important to surviving grad school or academic life.

Since I’m in the middle of writing my dissertation, I have an entire day blocked out for working on it. I don’t do any other work that day. I am either chained to my desk writing, or I have that day blocked off to meet with committee members about it. This ensures I have the time for this work, but is also a safeguard. I may sit at my desk all Friday morning and just stare at the screen, lost. I may knock out my goal of five pages per day. Either way I have the time set aside. If I just sit and stare and am not productive, I feel guilty, which is a great motivator.



I’m a huge tech geek and a use a lot of technology in my classroom. But for my own personal organization I have to have something that I can physically manipulate, so I have a paper planner that I live and die by that sits on my desk. It doesn’t leave my desk it’s so valuable. I also color code this- the same as my classes, plus colors for personal and to do. EVERYTHING goes on this- due dates for classes, conference dates, and back-tracking work I have to do in order to make deadlines. If an event falls when I’m away from this calendar, like a meeting with a student or professor, I put it in Google calendar so I get an email reminder to make sure so I don’t miss an appointment.



When I work from home, I get up at 6am because I have a dog. I set the coffee maker, and we go for our walk first thing. I feed her and then sit down with my coffee at the computer. No matter what day of the week this ensures I get at least a couple of hours of work finished before my day officially starts. Usually this includes responding to students, managing email, and checking in on social media. On days when I don’t have to go to campus until later in the day, I spend all day at my computer working. It may be short projects like this article, or a book review, but I try to check at least one thing off my to do list every day. This not only helps me feel like I accomplished something, but also frees up other days for longer projects that require more time.

This schedule may seem nuts and overplanned, but it means that on days I have class, once I get home I’m finished. I don’t have to work and can instead walk my dog, read a non-academic book or just relax. On weekends, since I do get up so early, it means I can stop work at 3p, ensuring I have personal time as well. This balance allows me to manage my workload and do it without feeling stressed. Because everything is scheduled I know everything will get done. Knowing that lowers my stress and enables me to relax and have outside interests.

Writers' Lab: Experiences from the Writing Process

In the Writers' Lab today, I'm hosting Dr. William Deyamport III, who shares with us his experiences of writing a dissertation. Here's how Will introduces himself:

I am a district instructional technologist, connected educator, and digital learning consultant. I work with teachers in discovering how they can use a multitude of technologies, such as Google Apps, Compass Learning, ActivInspire, etc., to create an array of interactive and collaborative classroom learning experiences, with a focus on digital learning and connecting students to a global community.

I have an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management from Capella University. In addition, I am a frequent conference presenter, blogger, and have guest lectured, via Google Hangouts and Skype, on the uses of Twitter for developing a personal learning network.


Once I decided to pursue a doctorate, I knew that I was going to choose an Ed.D. Aside from the focus on solving real-world problems, I was drawn to the culminating project that many Ed.D. programs have. That said, I wasn’t thrilled when I discovered that Capella University’s Doctor of Education program required a dissertation and not a field project.

In this post, I am going to share what I learned about my writing process, and offer a few tips to others who may be in the midst of writing their dissertation.

Find Your Writing Cozy

I wrote at a desk in the livingroom that I had had for years. It wasn’t sexy, nor was my space set up to mimic a spa or a zen-like retreat. I didn’t care about any of that. But you have to understand that I am the kind of dude who, until recently, used to wash his hair and his face with a bar of Dial soap.
Writing at a desk in the livingroom worked for me. I had access to the TV, and I was close to the kitchen if I needed a snack.

What you want is to find your spot where you can be your most productive. That may be at a Starbucks or at the beach, your bedroom, or at the library. Wherever you feel most comfortable and relaxed, and where you can concentrate on writing is your cozy.
The most important thing about writing your dissertation is writing your dissertation.

Clock in: You gotta Make Time

My number one rule in writing a dissertation is to treat it like a job. That means clocking in everyday and putting in the time. I would write seven to eight hours a day. The only times I wouldn’t write, with the exception of the times I took a break from writing (bad mistake), was when I was waiting for feedback from my advisor. Otherwise, I wrote like I was earning a living.

You can’t treat your dissertation like it’s a hobby or something you will get to when you have time. You have to make the time. Set aside two hours a day. Don’t give yourself any excuses not to write. Even if it’s only five pages, you have to make a habit of writing something everyday.
Think of this way, if you never get it on the page, you will never walk across the stage!

Keep a Notepad Handy

I am all about going digital. I earned my graduate degrees online. Most of the movies I watch are streamed online. I have subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime. That said, I always have paper on my desk to joint down thoughts, ideas, or to outline something.
Use handwritten notes, or notes via Evernote or Google Keep on your smartphone or Tablet, to organize your train of thought.

Strike When the Iron is Hot

Duh!... Write when the mood hits you. If inspiration, hits you at 3am, if you can, get up and start writing. There were plenty of days in which I would wake up, and my dissertation would be gnawing at me. I just couldn’t sleep. So I got up and wrote until I put in my eight hours for the day.
Don’t waste the spark. When something in you pulls you to write, then you have to write. You simply can’t allow that energy and creativity to go away. Seize it and take the opportunity to write as much as you can.

I know that I am talking about inspiration. Please don’t use not being inspired as an excuse to not write. Put in the time to write daily. Remember to set aside a predetermined amount of time to write.

Edit Later

Don’t worry about editing while you are writing. You have plenty of time to edit. Focus on writing. What you don’t want is to get stuck over “the perfect sentence” or “the perfect explanation”. Once you have completed a section or a chapter, you can always go back and make any necessary edits. And as everyone who has ever written a dissertation can attest to, you will have plenty of edits to make based upon your Chair’s feedback.

I had an interesting time writing my dissertation. For me, I wrote so many hours and made so many edits that I really needed my dissertation out of my life! In the end, I am very pleased with what I accomplished. Good journey on your writing.

An example outline diagram for structuring your dissertation

Some time ago, I wrote a post about how to construct the outline of your dissertation.

If you haven't read it: here's the summary of the idea. If you simply sit down one day and expect that you can start typing up your thesis from the first sentence of your introduction to the last sentence of your conclusions, you might need to reconsider your plan. Probably you could type up the whole thing from A to Z, but unless you have magnificent writing skills and an exceptional memory, you'll have a very hard time keeping the red thread through your text clear for the reader.

Therefore, my advice is to sit down with your research questions first, and sketch how you've gone about answering your research question. Then, you need to identify the logic that ties together the different subquestions of your research question that you answered. To have this relation visualized, I recommend that you make a simple scheme/diagram in whihc you show how the different chapters of your thesis are related.

One reader asked me the following question:

Great advice. An example of a diagram would have helped!

I didn't reply immediately, but I promised a post in which I could actually upload a drawing.

I'll write a follow-up post!

And here you can see the sketch that I used for my dissertation:



It's really quite simple - showing that I used both theory and experiments to tackle my research question, and from there developed a proposal to extend the existing design code and applied the insights of my research into case studies of existing bridges. In the very end, all previous chapters tie back together in the conclusions.

And while this diagram might look overly simple, it helped me tremendously to know what needs to go where in my dissertation, and which elements from every chapter are related to the next chapter(s).

PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to develop the outline for your dissertation

This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.

These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.

If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better - and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!

As you finish up your last experiments of your PhD research, or put the last pieces of the puzzle together of a theoretical model, you will start thinking: "Now I should start writing..." - a question that probably will echo on and on in your head for the next couple of weeks (or maybe even months) as "But really, once I'm done with XXX, I really will start writing...".
And then one day, you decide to take the plunge and Start Writing. You open a fresh Word document, maybe put some reference papers on your desk and then... then what?

You might stare at your empty screen. You might chew on your pencil. You might get sidetracked and do some busy work first. But the all-encompassing thought in your mind now becomes: "So I decided to start writing - without knowing how to actually Start Writing!".


When you need to produce a book-style dissertation of about 100000 words, you don't just sit yourself down in front of your computer, write the first line of your introduction, and then look up at the moment that you finish the last sentence of your conclusions. One does not simply walk into Mordor (and show up bright and fresh at the other side).

You need a map for this expedition - and in thesis-terms, that means you need an outline.

Not just a table of contents is what you need, but you need to find out how all the elements can be tied back to your research question. You need something like an "enhanced" table of contents, or a mind-map of your soon-to-be book.

Therefore, I advise you to do the following:

Draw a scheme or diagram of the content, so you know how the different chapters are interrelated

This scheme is not something that you will use in the very beginning - I think it is an excellent element to add such a scheme to the first chapter of your dissertation. In your introduction, you will typically give an overview of what the reader can expect in every single chapter of your dissertation. Go one level up, and present your reader as well how these chapters are logically interrelated by showing the diagram of the contents of your dissertation.

Once you have your overview diagram ready, you might have all the tools you need to get started with your first chapter. While the opinions differ on when you should write your introduction chapter, I think it's not a bad idea to scramble your thoughts together and write a provisional introduction chapter. You can write this chapter just as an exercise in defining the boundaries of what you will discuss in your dissertation, and within which limits you will deal with your research question. Most likely, you will completely revise your first chapter at the end of writing your dissertation, but the first gist of preparing ground for your writing will most likely be kept in there.

The second life of the dissertation

The day I received my dissertation as a printed and published document, I considered it a final, finished entity of writing. I thought of it as a milestone, or even a giant monument in my life.

And for a few months, it felt like a finished entity indeed.

But then things changed. As I started working on my papers, I started working with the dissertation again. I started to look up in my dissertation how I precisely did certain things, and I started to look up my experimental data.

My dissertation became a tool. It is on my desk, and I use it often.

And now that I am using it often, I am aware of the flaws in my work. There are theoretical elements that I am refining. There are typing errors. There are printing errors (a few rows of the overview table of my experiments is missing, and I didn't notice that in the print proof). I came to realize that my dissertation was not the holy grail for which I took it.

I'm still very proud of my dissertation, and I still believe in the value of my work - but I'm also bothered by the mistakes I found months after publication.

I've come to understand that my dissertation marks a milestone in a learning process, in a process in which I evolved into an independent researcher, but it is not the end - not the end of my research on shear in slabs, nor the end of my writing on this topic.

Writers' Lab: Turning your dissertation into journal papers

Depending on your institution's guidelines, you will either finish your PhD by having a number of papers accepted for publication, or by writing a "big book"-style thesis.

This post is entirely aimed at those of us who spend months on end delivering a thesis of several hundred of pages. We might be overly proud of having our baby finally sent out into the world, but then it will dawn upon us: the majority of the researchers would prefer to read a 10-page paper about a more specific part of this research than plow through our 400 pages of labor.

And thus, for most of us "big book"-thesis-writing-and-publishing folks, we'll need to revisit all our material again after publication of the thesis, and turn it into a number of journal papers.

If you are lucky enough to get into a post-doc position that is fully research-oriented, you have all the time (or at least, you might think you have) to write your papers. If you venture out into the industry, you'll have to do it in your evenings and weekends.

Regardless the time constraints, it's still extremely valuable to take the step of turning your dissertation into journal papers. I'm in the very middle of this process (and I mean with "middle" that it surrounds myself, not that I am convinced that in X months, I'll have them all out, written and then accepted) - and so far, I've made the following observations.

1. Plan for it

After you graduate, life is going to take over. You might be changing jobs, moving to a different place/city/country, and these papers might start to slip to the back of your mind. Take some time while your dissertation is still fresh from the press, and ask yourself the following questions:
- Which chapters or subchapters would serve as a good journal paper?
- Which journal should I submit my work to?
- How much time do I think I need for writing this paper?

Then, start planning paper by paper. I'm currently assuming that I can produce a paper per month or 1,5 months' period of time, besides all my other duties and transitioning to my new job. I then give my co-authors a month to send their feedback. Then, I plan another 2 weeks to implement the comments of my co-authors. I plan to start writing the next paper whenever the draft of the previous one is done, so that I create a constant stream of writing, revising, sending to co-authors and submitting.

2. Co-authors

Now that you have -hopefully- worked well with some committee members to deliver the final draft of your dissertation, taking into account their advice, is there any part of your research that particularly benefited from their input? If you are planning to write a paper on this topic, consider inviting this committee member to be a co-author.

Writing with other authors than your standard folks (typically daily supervisor and promotor), will improve your writing, and is also considered well in most fields. Publishing with different authors shows that you can work across research groups, universities and that you are ready to extended into the world.

3. Not all papers are born equally

Some papers will roll out from your dissertation in a mere few writing sessions. For other papers you'll be sweating and sighing as you try to force a piece of research into a stand-alone narrative. Don't get mad at yourself or your work - just accept this fact as it is. And if the frustration becomes too much, just head out and have an ice cream.

Have you published several papers from the work in your dissertation? How did you organize this, and what advice would you like to share with me?

Writers' Lab: Experimenting with Expertise

Today, I have the pleasure of inviting Dr. Scheg to share her views on the unique type of writing that is dissertation writing. Dr. Abigail Scheg is an Assistant Professor of English at Elizabeth City State University and an Adjunct Dissertation Chair for Northcentral University. She researches and publishes in the areas of composition, online pedagogy, and popular culture. She loves working with doctoral students and is dedicated to creating and participating in networks for doctoral student support. Follow her on Twitter @ag_scheg.  

As a doctoral student, I proclaimed a certain level of expertise in my subject area: online pedagogy and teacher preparation. I read, toiled, read, labored, read, wrote, and edited until I began to have dreams about Allen and Seaman and the No Significant Difference phenomenon. Since all of my degrees are in English-related fields, I felt fairly confident in my writing abilities as I drafted my actual dissertation chapters. I felt confident until I received the response from my Chair, who had obviously given this same speech a number of times,“The dissertation is a unique genre. Basically it's a new type of writing that you'll only use this once and then you can continue with your usual style.”

And just like that, everything that I knew seemed to slip away. If I couldn't even write it correctly, which I thought was my strong point, then did I really deserve to write it? Should I be working on a dissertation? Are people actually going to listen to me talk about online pedagogy?

The dissertation process is a unique juxtaposition of being a subject-matter expert and a neophyte. Jimmy Buffett's song, “If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me,” has the line, “I've had good days and bad days and going half mad days,” which, if I didn't know any better, would say that Jimmy wrote in the middle of the dissertation process. 

Some days spent reading journal articles will fit gloriously into the puzzle; a study will represent exactly the information you needed in chapter three. Other days will be spent staring at the same journal article for hours, unable to comprehend why one article was cited in another when they seem to have no ties whatsoever.

Now I find myself on the other side of the puzzle as a dissertation director. I strive to have a very open and honest dialogue with my doctoral students about the process of writing a dissertation. While the entire process can be isolating and frustrating, I always reach out to students that I haven't heard from and call them back towards the light. I find that students are usually very well-versed in their topics, but hesitant on the presentation of their documents or the appropriate length, tone, or amount of research in a finished chapter. 

Let me reiterate the advice from my Chair, a dissertation is an entirely unique writing process and provided that this is probably your first doctoral program, you're allowed to be relatively unfamiliar with nuances of this genre.  That is not to say that you should be entirely unfamiliar; read other people's dissertations. Learn about the styles that different universities use; look at the chapter breakdowns and try to recognize patterns. Make informed decisions about your writing based on the other dissertations that you have seen and then use your Chair as a sounding board.

My wonderful Chair helped me organize the information in my later chapters. I had the data, I had the analysis, but I couldn't figure out how to piece it together to fit the parameters of the chapter guidelines. He helped me to take the information and fit it into the puzzle.

One of the most important things that I learned about the dissertation process that made me want to get involved with doctoral students was this: Nobody knows what they're doing. Once a person reaches that stage in their education, there is a sense of confidence in their understanding of content materials, but until you have successfully completed a dissertation, you may not understand the genre. Accept your status as subject-matter expert and dissertation-writing neophyte and press on. Go, scholar, go.

 

Writers' Lab: How to write your Conclusions, Part II: Doctoral Dissertation

Last week, we discussed how to write the "Summary and Conclusions" section for a paper. We looked at what we don't want to see in this section in any paper - regardless of your excuse - and then we discussed how I go about writing this very section of a paper.

Today, we are looking at writing the final chapter of your dissertation, or at least, my 2 cents on that topic. We are assuming that you did some decent planning, so that you don't need to write your final chapter the night before your draft dissertation is due. I can't repeat it often enough: keep some buffer in your planning so that, whatever happens, you leave yourself the luxury of time to edit your work.

Before looking at the HOW of writing the final chapter of the dissertation, let's zoom into the GOALS for this chapter. Regardless of your field, you will have specific messages that you want your readers to remember. For my dissertation (engineering), my specific goals were the following - and elements of this can apply over the boundaries of disciplines:

• Give an overview of the main original contributions: I wanted to serve these up on a shiny tray for the committee and readers to show that where precisely my contributions are situated, within my research field. No need for unnecessary modesty, simply listing your contributions can be quite helpful to start a summary.
• Summarize what was said in the different chapters: My goal for the final chapter was to have an executive summary of the entire dissertation. I was shooting for about 10 pages, and ended up with 13 pages for my final chapter (book size, that is - not A4/letter). For every reader pressed for time or not so interested in my work, I wanted to have this chapter ready so that they can get a nice eagle view of the dissertation.
• Release the structure of the chapters: You might not agree with me on this point, but I wanted the summary to be rather thematic than by chapter. Therefore, I selected a number of main topic and summarized around these ideas. The overall sequence of these topics did follow the sequence of the chapters in my dissertation.
• Reaching out to practice: This goal might be typical for a more practice-oriented topic as mine, but I still think including a paragraph in which you reflect upon the practical implications of your results into the your field is very valuable. This paragraph can be detailed and ready-to-implement, such as the list of recommendations that I included for engineers assessing reinforced concrete slab bridges in shear, but it can also be as general as pointing towards a few ideas that can be further worked out by practitioners. Having a link to practice, by all accounts, seems to be valuable to me.
• Future work. As much as you might have done during your PhD and studies, you'll never have it all finished. As in, there will always be a number of open ends, questions that remain lingering in the sideline. That does not mean that your work isn't ready for a doctorate, that simply means another researcher might like to pick up from here, or you might like to assign these topics later on to a masters' student.

Given that we now have defined the elements that we want to include in the Conclusions section, it is now time to look at how we will be doing this. The key element here is reflection, reflection and then some more reflection.

• If someone were to read nothing but your conclusions chapter, what would you want them to remember from your work?
• What is your take-home message for your audience?

These are the questions to ask yourself, and to keep asking yourself while writing your final chapter.

As I explained last week, I write the "Summary and Conclusions" section of a paper by taking notes while proofreading the first draft. For the final chapter of my dissertation, I used a scaled-up version of this approach:

• I had used the "proofread, note, summarize" approach for the final section ("Conclusions") of every single chapter.
• I then went out to copy-paste all these summaries together into the final chapter.
• From that raw material, I started cooking up the main ideas for the overall summary.
• Then, I added the sections with the practical implications and the future research.
• Finally, I reread it, asking myself if this is really the very core of my work or not.

Using this approach, I could not only write my final chapter very quickly (about 2 to 3 days of work for the first version), but I also kept reminding myself frequently of staying on course, staying close to the core of my work and trying to make the final chapter the executive summary of the entire dissertation.

How did you write your final dissertation chapter, or how are you planning to do this? Is your approach similar, or completely different? Share your experience in the comments section!