Your dissertation prospectus is the first formal document you submit to your dissertation committee outlining your intended study. It’s a short document; usually around 10-20 pages. It should be submitted fairly soon after establishing candidacy. I recommend discussing your prospectus with your Chair and committee members before writing it. They’ll Read more…
If you are wondering how to write your dissertation acknowledgments, that means you are basically finished. Congratulations! You have done the hard work and are just putting the finishing touches on your masterpiece and deciding who to thank. Everyone. Seriously though, deciding whom to acknowledge and how to do it Read more…
Just think, two months ago you were blissfully finishing up classes, starting on your dissertation path, or collecting data for your research. Then the COVID-19 crisis hit. How quickly things have changed. You may be reeling from the massive shifts and unsure about how they will affect your ability to Read more…
The path to the doctoral degree is not straight. It inevitably takes twists and turns that test our fortitude and our willingness to sacrifice. Sometimes delays in the process affect our ability to provide for loved ones or require us to postpone important family milestones. When you get to one Read more…
With the news of Jefferey Epstein and his systematic attempts to buy credibility by becoming associated with academic institutions and charities, we need to pause to look at the insatiable need for money at colleges and universities. I was an undergraduate student in the 70s and a graduate student in Read more…
Are you dating a PhD student, or married to one? Watching your spouse go through the PhD process can be confusing at best and downright terrible at worst. Your partner may have to be away for hours (or days) at a time. And even when they are home, they have Read more…
Anyone who has a doctorate or who knows someone who went through the process knows that it can take over your life. But it shouldn’t take away from your life–at least not the core of passion that makes it worth living. Unfortunately, is not uncommon to see graduate students go Read more…
What should you name your dissertation? This is an important question as your dissertation title will stay with you forever. You can’t go back and change it after the fact. It will be part of your legacy, so you want to take some time and make sure that it communicates Read more…
The dissertation journey can be a lonely one. Even if you are in a close cohort of people, there are still many times when you are on your own. Your dissertation committee may be helpful, but they are responsible for many students and may not be able to give you Read more…
How long does it take to write a dissertation? The most accurate (and least helpful) answer is, it depends. Since that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for, I’ll use the rest of the article to address the realities of how long it takes to write a dissertation. How Long Read more…