It’s YOUR Dissertation, after
all…..
Writing It. Revising it. Owning It.
Rebecca Rickly
Rebecca.rickly@ttu.edu
Getting Started
• Find a problem that
you can address, one
that you won’t get
sick of.
• Make sure it’s a
problem, and not an
area. Identify a gap.
Figure out how you
can address that gap.
Getting Started
• Review the existing
literature.
• There’s always one
more book to read,
one more article to
find, one more person
to talk to.
Getting Started
• Don’t be afraid to
write things out of
order. A good
introduction is best
written AFTER you
know what your
findings are.
• Know your writing
style—if helps to talk,
talk.
Getting Started
• Read other
dissertations. Know
the genre.
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Intro
Problem
Lit review
Methods
Results
Analysis
Conclusion
Time Management
• Find a time of day
that’s productive for
you.
• Try to write a little
each day. Set a goal:
30 minutes, 10 pages,
or something that’s
do-able.
• Give yourself a
“perq” for getting
work done.
Time Management
• Prioritize tasks.
• Learn to say “no”.
• If you simply cannot
work on the
dissertation, do the
housekeeping: works
cited,
acknowledgements
page, and so forth.
Your Topic
…….is not carved in stone. Be open to
revision…..
WITH your advisor/committee’s input
Focusing Your Dissertation
• Think about how variables might be cut
down/out without affecting the rigor of your
research.
• Look at other dissertations to get an idea
how much you should be doing. Don’t
save the world.
• ALWAYS talk with your advisor/committee
about changes, progress, and so forth.
Revising Your Dissertation
• Revise with a strategy: Print it out? (able
to see “big picture” more easily)
• Does the information you’ve gathered fit
with your topic/questions? You can revise
these!
• Look at each section: what does it do? Is
it doing what it’s supposed to? Does the
content belong in this section?
Description/analysis ok?
Revising Your Dissertation
• Make an inventory of changes: Line edits,
content edits, etc.—helpful for committee.
• “De-construct” the draft: what’s worth
keeping? What is out of place? What’s
missing? What needs substantial
revision?
• Remember: Dissertations are academic
arguments. Situate your dissertation that
way.
Dealing with Feedback
• If you don’t understand something, ASK!
• Find out before you draft if your advisor
has particular expectations.
• Dealing with “descriptive”
– Descriptive: what’s there
– Critical: synthesizing in context/offering
feedback
• 80 hours!
Re-Focusing Your Dissertation
• When you get overwhelmed by data, go
back to the original research questions.
• Figure out how your methods/research led
to addressing those questions in the
context of your discipline/lit review.
Your Advisor
• Expect some guidance, but remember:
it’s YOUR dissertation. You are ultimately
responsibility
• Talk with your advisor about how often you
should meet, what stage the drafts should
be in, and so forth.
• Ask about turn-around time. Make a
schedule. Try to stick to it.
Your Advisor
• Tell your advisor what kind of feedback
you’d like/would be most helpful.
• If there are problems, open
communication is the best solution.
• And one more piece of advice:
Don’t be a
“mini-me”
Your Committee
• Talk with your committee about how
they’d like to see drafts, what kind of
feedback you’d like, and so forth.
• Keep in contact with your committee. Let
them know what’s going on (even if they
aren’t seeing drafts)—tell them about
publications, presentations, and where you
and your advisor are in the process.
Thinking Beyond the
Dissertation/Thesis
• Publications are the cultural capital of
academia
• Think about the dissertation as a series of
articles OR
• Think about the dissertation as a book
• But know the Genre
What do you call a grad student
who barely squeaks a lousy
dissertation past her committee?
Doctor
Best of Luck!