Do You Want to Avoid Writing a Bad Dissertation?

 

Does anyone set out to write a lousy dissertation? It barely seems possible. The majority of us probably start our doctoral programs convinced that the notions we put on in our dissertations will change the face of our areas forever! But after years spent reading hundreds of doctoral dissertations--as a graduate student, then as a professor, and as a professional dissertation editor and mentor --I can't help but observe: There are a lot of bad dissertations out there!

 

Really great professionally written dissertations are fairly rare. They require unique insight, groundbreaking research, rigorous logic, and a little artistry. So I'm not sure I could promise to inform you exactly how to produce your dissertation great. But I've found that there are some common threads that run through most of the lousy dissertations I have read. So I thought I could share with you a few of what I have learned by studying poor doctoral dissertations. That way, if you want to write a bad dissertation of your own, you'd understand how to go about doing it. Or better yet, if you'd like to compose a gooddissertation of your own, you'd have some idea of common advantages.

 

 

 

1. Surround yourself with like-minded men and women.

We all like to be correct. When selecting a doctoral program, it is wise to gravitate toward colleges, departments, and faculty who share our perspectives --liberal or conservative, this methodology or one, a specific school of thought or perspective or approach. The good news is that, if you manage to surround yourself with those who think like you do, you'll experience little resistance as you compose. The good thing is that, when you have finished composing, your research will be not as inclined to resist serious challenge, since you've never needed to grapple with conflicting points of view along the way. In a nutshell, serious obstacle has a way of forging strong arguments, and the absence of it has a way of making consideration go soft. Do yourself a favor: Seek out an environment that will give challenge as you're composing, and you'll find that your dissertation is much better prepared for the challenges it will face when UMI makes it accessible to the whole world that exists outside of your college.

 

2. Decide on a subject that is just of interest to you.

It is a frequent joke that"No one knows as much as a freshman." In other words, part of the process of learning is learning just how much we still need to learn! When we set out to write our dissertations, we are like freshmen starting out in college --we don't yet understand how much we do not know, because we have not had the opportunity to explore fully what others have done. At this early stage of the dissertation project, it's possible to convince ourselves that a topic is intriguing when, in fact, that subject has become passe due to the treatment it's received; it's also feasible to receive occupied with questions that are divorced from the real concerns in the field currently. Two of the top sources for ensuring that your dissertation topic is relevant and worthwhile are current dissertations and current periodicals. Immerse yourself in such tools at the commencement of your job.

 

3. Maintain the range of your research broad and the phrases vague.

Doctoral-level work requires examination of a topic at great thickness. An essential key to writing a fantastic dissertation is to have a very clear and precise focus for your work. Other intriguing ideas will emerge along the way; resist themfor today. When you have finished your dissertation, you are able to return to all those other thoughts for the articles and books you'll write in the next stage of your career.

 

4. Do not constrain your imagination with an outline.

For many years, teachers have been telling you to outline your documents before you write. And for years you've likely been dismissing them. But here you are, starting your research --clearly, it was advice you didn't need! Dissertation writing is different. You're likely to write hundreds of pages over a period that may take years; it will be easy to get lost along the way, particularly as your thoughts evolve. Planning ahead is the only way to make sure that your dissertation will be focused, well-structured, and obviously argued; it's also the only way to ensure that it will ever finish! A careful, comprehensive outline is crucial. You might amend it as you progress with your study, but don't omit it or abandon it. As a dissertation writer, the outline is the yellow brick road!

 

5. Confine your bibliography to resources that support your perspective.

In contrast to popular opinion, the purpose of a dissertation is not to prove a pre-determined point; it's to research a worthwhile question. After all, if the answer could be decided before the study is even done, then what's the worth of this work? In the long run, a dissertation which disproves your first hypothesis is just as valuable to the academic community as one that proves you right. In the procedure, your ideas will grow. The final result will be a dissertation that has much greater thickness --and authenticity.

 

6. Presume that if it's not in English or even online, it mustn't be significant.

Believe it or not, there is a reason for all those language requirements which doctoral programs impose on us. It's not just that smart people speak more than one language! Determined by English alone usually means that some literature (and thoughts ) will be completely unavailable to you, and other literature will be available only via the translation of a translator. It is actually worth the effort to learn how to read the languages in which your most important sources are written. Without them, your study is faulty.

 

And read novels... and articles! As blessed as we are to have access to numerous sources on the world wide web, we can not forget that there is something printing resources have that completely Web-based resources don't: gatekeepers. For a publication or an article to appear in print, someone (typically a set of scholars in the area ) has determined that it had been worthwhile. They might not necessarily have agreed with its perspective, but they discovered that it met the standards of noise strategy, rational argumentation, and timeliness. On the Internet, anyone can publish anything at any time--making the caliber of Web sources dangerously irregular. Internet study is here to stay, and that's a fantastic thing. Be sure that Web-based sources do not constitute the majority of your own bibliography, or you could find that you've left the mainstream before realizing it and stepped away from several of the most important tools that are available to you.

 

7. Let your assertions stand by pressure, not by evidence.

Spend hours listening to cable information and you might start to receive the impression that the goal of disagreement is to win, and also the way to win would be to outshout the other hand! If your dissertation will withstand critical review and make a contribution to your field, each assertion has to be justified and every debate must be fallacy-free.

 

8. Turn on your initial draft.

The revision procedure is about polishing your job. Weak arguments become fortified, fuzzy ideas become clarified, redundancies get eliminated, language gets tightened. If you are like most doctorandi, you are always hurrying toward another deadline. When running out of time, the simplest thing to cut is your revision procedure.

 

9. Don't bother with input from other people.

You have likely had only a course or two in statistics; why not let a professional statistician help you with the statistical elements of your job? You may not be assured your APA formatting (or whatever style sheet you are using); why not let a professional editor evidence your text? There is nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to catch the things that you're too close to watch . Staying well within the bounds of academic integrity, don't be afraid to reach out for assistance with the aspects of your job in which you're not an expert, so that the expertise you've got is presented as effectively as possible.

 

10.

What is wrong with being wrong? The process of discovering that fact is going to be an important contribution to your area. The honest presentation of this audio methodology leading you to that decision will be worthwhile reading for your colleagues. Any effort to get around the facts will reveal prejudice --the single biggest threat to a worthwhile dissertation. In academia, there's no collapse where there's learning. By comparison, there is nothing but collapse when things are"demonstrated" by doctored results, ignored signs, faked methodologies provided after the study has in fact been achieved, and pressured discussions developed to cover up the facts and arrive at a preferred conclusion. And if you don't, it won't.