Orientation
Summer Conference Workshops
Problem Statement, Literature Review, and
Purpose and Research Questions
Extended time to
work with chairs
Bring all relevant
dissertation
materials and
laptops to the
workshops.
There will be
Internet access
and wireless
printing.
Info on Student
Badge
Presentations
Individual
Student Apt.
With chairs
Networking
Events
Student
Support
Services
Research methods, research in the
concentration, data analysis, student panels,
research leaders, library, IRB, format review
Thursday, contact your chair for location.
Monday—Student Exposition and the Emergent
Scholars Poster Session
Wednesday—Student Engagement Reception
Friday—Student roundtable presentation to chair
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in Ballroom of the
Americas, 7 to 10 p.m.—Individual or group support
sessions: IRB, format review, research methods,
data analysis, student services, library services
 The following charts indicates required (red) sessions
for students who are registered for ARC 9300 and FSE
8000. The Concentration Area Dissertation Session for
your concentration is required. At least one Chapter 3
session (indicated by †) is required; your committee
chair will recommend the most suitable session (or
sessions). NOTE: This information was forwarded to
all ARC 9300 students via course message. You will
find this information posted on the Summer
Conference website at
http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/summer/
Concept Paper: for students who are working toward completion of the concept paper benchmark
Proposal: for students who are working toward completion of the proposal benchmark
2012 Summer Conference Sessions
Orientation to the Summer Conference and Technical Writing
Problem Statement Workshop
Literature Review Workshop
Purpose Statement and Research Questions Workshop
Concentration Area Dissertation Session
Library: Formatting the Dissertation in APA Style
Library: Individual Library Research Assistance
Library: Citing Sources in APA
Library: Endnote
Library: SAGE Research Methods and Web of Science
Library: Finding Tests and Instruments
Library: Library Services (in Spanish)
Opening and Closing Sessions
Research Leaders’ Forum
Research Leaders’ Sessions
Case Studies
Concept Paper
Proposal
Data Interpretation and Analysis in Qualitative Research (in
Spanish)
Data Interpretation and Analysis in Quantitative Research (in
Spanish)
Individual Applied Research Counseling
Action Research
Student Expo—Emerging Scholarly Research and Poster and
Networking Session
Concept Paper Support Session
Proposal Support Session
How to Read Research
Meetings With Applied Dissertation Chairs
Systematic Review of the Literature: A Novel Research Approach
Validity in the Context of Research
SPSS: Data Files and Descriptive Statistics
SPSS: Inferential Statistics and Hypothesis Tests
APA Style: Top 10 Problems
The Institutional Review Board Process
Mixed Methods Research (Chapter 3) †
Qualitative Research Design (Chapter 3) †
Qualitative Research Design—For Students Who Are Working on
the Proposal (Chapter 3) †
Quantitative Research Design (Chapter 3) †
Quantitative Research Design—For Students Who Are Working
on the Proposal (Chapter 3) †
Presenting the Results (Chapter 4)
Discussion of the Results (Chapter 5)
Faculty Research Panels
Student Panels and Roundtable Session
For those who are planning to write a dissertation!
What Is Technical Writing?
 Technical writing is the ability to use appropriate
terminology and present information in a style
acceptable for academic writing in the social sciences.
Traits of Technical Writing
 Purpose—Inform and report
 Audience—Readability and accuracy
 Document Specifications—Proper form
 Composition and Style—Proper use of language
(Quant or Qual)
Begin the writing by reading…
Study the writing style of successful authors
 Note how authors organize the narrative

Heading and subheadings
 Think about the sequence

Chronological?

In increasing order of complexity?
 Reflect about …
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Why did the author choose this order?
What order would be best for your manuscript?
 Use their work as a template.
 Study how they structure sentences, paragraphs, and
sections.
 Follow their introductions and methods sections.
 Analyze how they present complex points.
 Your writing style is developed after the study of
published works in your field.
Read before you write
 Use the electronic databases in our library to find
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dissertations and published research.
Ask your chair to help you select a good dissertation
model.
Read the dissertation.
Examine the organization of each chapter.
Discuss with your chair your “analysis” of the
dissertation.
Avoid writing as you might speak
 Use simple sentences.
 As you compose each sentence, ask yourself if it can be
made shorter. For example:
 made arrangements
 made the decision
arranged
decided
 Check for ambiguity or lack of clarity or specificity.
For example: Data from the department of education
revealed that students are either performing or
underperforming in (?) reading.
Avoid needless words
 (already) existing
 never (before)
 at (the) present





(time)
none (at all)
(basic)
fundamentals
now (at this time)
(completely)
eliminate
period (of time)
(continue to) remain
currently (being)
(currently) underway
start (out)
write (out)
done (previously)
(still) persists
introduced (a new)
mix (together)
Avoid complexity
 aforementioned
 individualized
 heretofore
mentioned
individual
previous
In Quant….Avoid “this writer” or
“this author”
It is not about you the writer***
 It is about the findings.
 It is about the data.
 It is about the research.
 It is about the recommendations.
 It is about the relationship and connection between
the chapters of your dissertation.
 It will confuse the reader regarding “who,” meaning
the actual authors of the research or author of the
dissertation.
In Qual… there is a choice of
authorial voice
 Realist
 Author narrates in third person; author almost absent;
conveys the view of those observed.
 Confessional
 Researcher is present; written in first person to reveal
researcher’s point of view.
 Impressionist
 Researcher uses metaphors, imagery to tell the story.
18
Avoid passive voice
 Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It is
a style issue that relates to clarity.
 “Experiments were conducted by the researchers to test
the hypothesis.”
Rewrite
 “It was determined by the committee that the report was
inconclusive.”
Rewrite
Avoid redundancies
 If you use the same phrase or concept in consecutive
sentences, either combine the sentences or delete the
redundancy.
Avoid
 Use of vague adjectives and adverbs…especially very,
quite, highly.
 Outcomes from the posttest were very impressive.
 Splitting infinitives
 Its five year mission is to explore new worlds, seek out
new life and new civilizations, to boldly go (?) where no
man has gone before.
Avoid your opinion… do not write an editorial
As a general rule, it is best to stick to the topic and resist the temptation to
sound “properly positive and enthusiastic.” Do not attempt to manipulate
the opinions of the reader in areas other than those essential to the
investigation. The simple test is to ask yourself this question, “does the
reader really need to consider this point in order to judge adequacy of my
thinking?” If the answer is “no,” then the decision to delete is clear, if not
always easy, for the author. (p. 120)
Locke, L. F., Spirduso, W. W., & Silverman, S. J. (1993). Proposals that work: A guide for planning
dissertations and grant proposals (3rd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Caution
 A sentence is not a paragraph.
 Pronouns could be confusing: it, they, them, he, him,
she, and her.
 A number of people support the new superintendent and
his cabinet. They (?) promise to increase organizational
effectiveness .
Caution
“Think of your research paper as a major motion picture.
Your thinking, perhaps your central idea, is the star; while the
sources you use are the supporting cast. The most important
part of a research paper is not the sources themselves but
what you do with them. You should use sources to support
your line of argument, your own conclusions your own ideas”
(Galvan, p. 6).
 Smith (2010) found that using graphic organizers for teaching
reading is an effective instructional strategy.
Instead
 Using graphic organizers for teaching reading is an effective
instructional strategy (Smith, 2010).
Caution
 When reporting comparative results (higher, greater,
slower, etc.), always include what the finding is being
compared to.
 The school board expressed its satisfaction with the
district adoption of the new science textbook series.
Members of the board stated that, since the adoption of
the new textbook series, the science scores are better (?).
Caution
 If you start a paragraph with the word similarly or a
transitional word, stop and think; maybe you do not
need a new paragraph.
 Use the word impact when you are describing hitting
a former friend with a bat.
 If you are planning to use the word affect or effect,
consult the literature. Effect is usually a noun (but not
always) and affect is usually a verb (but not always).
Let us read together!
Many students performed poorly in the state-mandated assessment. Teachers
and stakeholders alike are very concerned about the subpar performance. Current data
reveals that the performance of students in this country continues to decrease
(Cummings, 1999). It is imperative to call for action!
Alot of studies proof that the use of timed reading is highly effective in
increasing student performance. Timed reading is an instructional methodology that is
preferred by many districts. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prove that timed
reading is an excellent teaching method for all. The researcher will implement a timedreading program at the researcher’s school. Students will be tested before and after the
program using a pre- and posttest. Data will be collected and analyzed. Furthermore,
teacher’s perception will be collected via the use of a survey.
The aforementioned procedure will provide all stakeholders the possibility of
making data-driven decisions in the area of reading. It is anticipated that the findings
will show impressive outcomes on the assessment. The relative importance of this study
is the use of highly important information for making very good decisions about
academic instruction.
This research will look at these students while they are reading. Observations
will be taken while they read in a time-reading setting. While the results of similar
interventions might be a combination of mixed outcomes, the need for conducting
studies in this area is compelling.
Plagiarism is a CHOICE with
Serious Consequences
“Any determination of plagiarism on a practicum or
applied dissertation (concept paper, proposal, final
report), . . . may result in dismissal from the Abraham
S. Fischler School of Education without the possibility
of re-enrolling at any time.” - - from the 2011-2012
Catalog & Student Handbook Addendum of the
Abraham S. Fischler School of Education

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Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
And... don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
Avoid clichés like the plague.
Always avoid annoying alliteration.
Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are
(usually) unnecessary.
 Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
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Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
The passive voice is to be avoided.
Eliminate commas, that are not necessary.
Never use a big word when a diminutive one will suffice.
Understatement is always the absolute best way to put
forward earthshaking ideas.
Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when
its not needed.
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I
hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
Proof read carefully to see if you any words out.
From http://www.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/~norman/papers/good_writing/good_writing_index.html
ARC Resources to Assist With Technical
Writing
 http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/applied-
research/procedures_and_resources
Applied Dissertation Procedures Manual
Dissertation Templates: Quantitative, Qualitative,
Program Evaluation, Mixed Methods
PowerPoint Presentations from SC Presentations
And….
 http://www.fischlerschool.nova.edu/applied-
research/writing-and-preparing-the-dissertation
Style Guide for the Applied Dissertation
Format Review
APA Guidelines – provides link to APA Style website
Abstract Descriptors – links to Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors
Other Writing Resources (websites)
Resources
 Galvan, Jose. Writing Literature Reviews: A Guide for
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Students of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Hall, Chris. General Guidelines For Technical Writing
Harris, Robert. Using sources effectively .Glendale, CA:
Pyrczak , 2005.
Murdoch, Gabbay. The laws of writing a good dissertation
www.gabbay.org.uk.
Natchez, Meryl. Technical Writing Guidelines
Strunk, William. Jr. and White, E.B. The Elements of Style.
Longman 2000.
Tibbets, Arn. “Ten Rules for Writing Readably”. IEEE
TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL
COMMUNICATION VOL. PC-25, NO. 1.