Taming the dissertation/thesis beast
What we wish we had known and didn’t know to ask
Dr. Dianne Cothran,
dcothran@ufl.edu
Dr. Mickey Schafer,
msscha@ufl.edu
Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication
There are 4 phases to the project
Phase One – search for a project, write
the proposal
 Phase Two – conduct literature review,
begin “experimental” phase
 Phase Three – Freak out and Revise study
 Phase Four – Write the dissertation
Note: the formality of each depends on
your field!

Phase I: Write a Proposal/Prospectus
Main objective – lay out the plan for the
project
 Committee needs to know that:

◦ You know something about what you are
doing
◦ You have a workable RQ
◦ You have a plan
 And yes, they do know all this may change.
Proposals have 4 parts

Part One – Exec Summary/Significance
◦ Short (1-2 paragraph) overview of topic, why it is
significant, RQ, why RQ is significant

Part Two – Lit Review
◦ 2-5 page exploration of expert literature in topic
area

Part Three – Methodology
◦ Lay out timeline, materials, cost, procedure,etc.

Part Four – Tentative Bibliography
◦ Demonstrate you know your stuff
Proposals vary in formality
In some fields, the proposal is an
extremely important document – it’s a
step on the way to PhD candidacy
 In other fields, the proposal is a planning
step – the committee wants to see it in
order to help you
 Some fields may not require a proposal at
all – you should still write one for the
purpose of planning procrastination!

Phase 2: Research is driven by
questions.
Method – is how you answer the RQ
 The best way to get research done is to
formulate a question – just one question!

◦ You may need smaller questions along the way
◦ Your RQ answers grad students’ least favorite
question: “What’s your thesis about?”
◦ RQ  Wh-question, may be yes/no, but that
takes some serious you-know-what-body-part
Methodology is Discipline Specific.
◦ Humanities
◦ – lots of thinking, reading, more thinking, and
some more reading
 New Methods for Humanities Research -http://www3.isrl.illinois.edu/~unsworth/lyman.htm
 Digital Research Tools Kit -http://digitalresearchtools.pbworks.com
Method: SSB
◦ Social and Behavioral Sciences – IRB?
Quantitative (stats driven)
Qualitative (words/analysis driven)
Mixed (umm, well, both!)
Web Center for Social Research Methods -http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/
 Digital Research Tools Kit -http://digitalresearchtools.pbworks.com/




Methods: bio/phys
◦ Biological and Physical Sciences – P.I.’s project
 Quantitative
 Discipline-specific research protocols
 Bioexplorer.net -http://www.bioexplorer.net/Methods_and_Protocol
s/Resources/
Phase 2 – conduct the literature
review
The proposal included a tentative
bibliography and lit review to support
your Big Idea.
 In most dissertations, the literature
review is the first big thing in the
dissertation

◦ Is the “proving ground” where you show that
you’ve done the necessary work
◦ Still functions to lead to gap motivating RQ
Control the literature (or it will
control you)

Use the FFSP method (find, filter, select,
prioritize)
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

Find using databases (see subject guides)
Filter using abstracts
Select after a quick skim
Prioritize according to impact on project
Any of these steps can be done on their own!
There does come a time when you will
have to stop reading!
The lit review has two jobs.

The lit review provides a state-of-the-art
overview of your area of research
◦ Think in terms of concept maps
◦ Use subheadings! They are your friend.
◦ This is NOT a function of the lit review in
publication (so check with advisor what
version they want)

Lit review leads to gap motivating your
research
◦ This function is true for publications, too
Phase 3: Freak out and Revise
If you don’t do this once, your committee
gets worried that they have nothing to
do!
 Seriously, it’s pretty normal to get part
way through and hit a big, nasty existential
crisis on the meaning/value/utility/
worthiness of your project. This seems to
be a natural product of Deep Thought.

Phase 4: Write the Paper

Look at models in your department – get
inspiration and direction from what
others have done
 Doing something that isn’t well represented
by former graduate students? Look at
published stuff.

Check with mentor/chair for what they
want you to produce – dissertation,
publication, or both.
More on writing:
Start writing with what you know/are
most comfortable with
 You will need to pre-write!

 Make outlines and concept maps, paint a
blackboard on your bedroom wall, use giant
sticky pads, draw cartoon bubbles

Use your proposal to guide the first
couple of chapters
Use Visuals Effectively
Use the terms “figure” and “table”
 Number figures/tables consecutively
throughout the entire dissertation or
thesis
 Give each visual a descriptive title
 In the text of your dissertation/thesis,
discuss each table and figure

One last slide:
Make the Results section mirror Methods
 For the Conclusion, don’t re-hash the
Results; interpret them!
 Write the abstract last
 Above all, BE CLEAR

◦ This may seem obvious, but your committee
doesn’t live inside your head with you and you
will really have to explain everything

Decide what needs to be published
AND DID WE SAY. . . .
BACK UP YOUR WORK!!
BACK UP YOUR WORK!!
BACK UP YOUR WORK!!
BACK UP YOUR WORK!!
BACK UP YOUR WORK!!
Tips for Taming the Beast
Be flexible
 Communicate with major professor/
committee
 Have a plan for work
 Know the rules
 Expect things to go wrong
 Back up your work
 A collection of links for you at:

http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/msscha/diss_links.html
In summary. . .
Have a plan/schedule for writing
 Expect delays/obstacles/disasters
 Field test your work as you go along with
people other than your committee
 Remember, others have made it,
and SO WILL YOU!

Defending your Dissertation
Teaching the Beast to Behave
What is a Defense?

Purpose of the PhD process is to birth a
colleague – ultimately, committee needs
proof that you can “think” like a member
of the discipline – this means
demonstrating that you know:
What makes your discipline unique;
your discipline’s key ideas / concepts /
contributions
 the kinds of questions your discipline asks
 the methodology the discipline uses to
answer questions

How to be a member of the club.
can design/work within discipline’s
methodology/frame to critique within
field
 that you can use all of the above to
innovate/practice in your field 

 the defense especially tests the last 2 points: that
you understand your discipline well enough to
critique in the framework of your discipline and
hypothesize at the boundaries of what you know
in a way that is recognizably discipline-specific.
Defending is not supposed to be
easy.

The high-stakes portion of your defense is
supposed to push you to the point you “break”
– i.e., that you cannot answer a question with
content-knowledge, but must “guess”
(remember, in academics we call intelligent
guessing “hypothesizing”).
You cannot possibly know
everything.
Get past the desire to be master of all
content because…
 Content exists as a product of method/
approach/process.
 It is more important that you can
demonstrate HOW your discipline
works.

What are you defending?

“dissertation defense” may be a misnomer since
there can be more than one thing that needs
defending…
◦ Proposal
◦ Qualifying Exams
◦ Dissertation
All But Dissertation
 AND
different defenses can have different
outcomes attached:
◦ High Stakes, Lower Stakes, No defense
Step One: Find out what you need
to defend.
What do you have to prepare?
 What do you have to produce?
 What do you have to defend?


Note: dissertation defenses are usually public
(they have to be advertised and are open to
everyone) – however, proposal and quals
defenses are often private.
Step Two: Find out what options you
have for defending.
Is there a presentation preceding
questions? (If this is an option, take it!)
 Are visuals allowed? What formats are
permitted (.ppt, poster, handouts)?
 How long does the process usually take?
(the longer the process, the more
preparation is required)

Step Three: Prepare the Defense

Create a “map” of your proposal / quals /
dissertation – whatever it is that you need to
defend.


For each section, list the main ideas. For each main idea, map
out related literature (include author/s & dates, and page # in
your work), related evidence (data: your stuff, too), and
potential objections.
“Potential Objections” are the KEY to controlling your defense.
Think objectively about your work, your claims, the way you
constructed arguments (if you cannot do this or there isn’t
enough time, find someone in your department who will).
Generate reasonable objections. Then, prepare answers to those
objections.
Prepare a Presentation (if an option)
Think of this more like a conference presentation to
colleagues rather than a defense.
 Incorporate the most important objections into your
presentation, and (of course), provide your response.
 Keep to time limits – if only given 10 minutes, then hit
the main points: topic/significance,“research question”,
“method”, “results”, and contribution to field. Work in
objections briefly, if time (if no time, then reserve that
preparation for the Q/A period).
 If 20 minutes, that’s enough time to get across main
points and address major objections.

Step Four: Go Forth and Defend!
Get out the “map” you made and have it handy
– be familiar with it so you can find things easily
– make sure it’s neat, legible, and usable.
 Even for a high stakes defense, keep it cordial.
This is an academic conversation…you should
remain calm. Let your committee members be
the ones to argue (and they just might!). It
helps if you’ve had sufficient sleep and decent
food in the previous 24 hours!
 Typical academic questions to expect:

http://www.wmich.edu/coe/fcs/cte/doctoral/oraldefense.htm
Prepare for “other” questions
Be prepared to answer “soft” questions – how you decided
on this research question; what do you think is most
important “take away” point; what do you think is the most
damning problem; can you apply it/extend it; what should
come next; if you could do it over, what would be different;
what do you want to do next?
(http://www.dissertationdoctor.com/advice/questions.html)
 Be mentally prepared for questions that just seem weird –
maybe they are “left field” questions, maybe you don’t
understand the significance of the question (even though you
know the answer,), maybe it’s something so specific and
nitpicky that you didn’t even identify it as a possible problem.

 Feel free to ask for clarification, e.g. “That’s an interesting
question, but to make sure, [restate Q]– is that what you
meant?”
Prepare for disagreement, digression

Be mentally prepared to disagree with a committee
member, to actually “defend” your work. Remain civil
and confident.


The“A but B” strategy is an effective, academic-y way of dealing
with conflict. “A” are the points of agreement, “but” is whichever
logical connector works best (still, yet, however, nonetheless,
despite, etc.), and “B” represents the counterpoints, e.g. “yes,
while it’s true that X,Y, and Z are traditionally agreed upon,
inconsistencies in the way that Y is defined weakens the
likelihood that it can account for Z. Instead, if Y is broken down
into U and V, then Z is a far likelier outcome”.
Committee members may digress into their
own conversation – enjoy the break!
Hungry people make grouchy
audiences!

A Final suggestion…feed the beasts! And by “beasts”
we mean your committee members, who are not at all
beastly, yet may nonetheless appreciate food & drink.
◦ Fruit, cheese, bread/cracker platters can be eaten any
time during the day.
◦ Bring coffee/juice/water. No alcohol!
◦ May bring home-cooked food but be smart about
choice.
◦ Remember plates, forks/spoons, cups, napkins.
◦ Keep is simple and modest.
◦ Before including food, check with department.