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Dissecting The Literature Review

Dissecting The Literature Review

The foundation of a dissertation is a thorough review of the current literature related to the problem so you can develop a plan for further investigation. Reviewing the literature should start early in doctoral studies, expand during coursework, and continue until you defend the dissertation. All the chapters in the dissertation depend on a solid grasp of the literature. Even writing a problem statement is difficult to do without understanding what is already known about the topic. The literature review…

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Looking for a way to quickly develop outlines for your writing?

Looking for a way to quickly develop outlines for your writing?

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We all have great ideas but sometimes can’t get them on paper. Start With Brainstorming to Get Those Ideas Out! Brainstorming has different meanings for different people. For me, I take the term literally. It is a storm in my brain and storms aren’t really controllable. That meshes with the purpose of brainstorming, to record as many thoughts as possible without any analysis or screening. That comes later. What will I miss if I stop and try to categorize everything…

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So You Want to Finish Your Dissertation?

So You Want to Finish Your Dissertation?

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How to Get Your Dissertation Rolling Doctoral programs end with a dissertation but almost half of students who do the coursework never finish the dissertation. Why do you want to complete a dissertation? I wonder sometimes if students entering the process ever really ponder this question. Why is it important to know your reasons? Simply put, the more motivated you are, the more likely you are to make the sacrifices needed to succeed. Reasons like, “my friend decided to do…

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Finding Time

Finding Time

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One of the concerns I frequently hear in a graduate program is not having enough time to get all the research, reading, and writing done. Students working full-time jobs, having family responsibilities, and taking classes experience high-stress levels at best and at worst, will drop out of their online education programs because of it. How many hours each week does it take to do quality academic work? That may seem like a loaded question but really, how much time does…

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The Dissertation Process- Seeing the Big Picture

The Dissertation Process- Seeing the Big Picture

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Do you want to maximize your time and hard work completing your dissertation? That will take some planning but it is difficult to plan without understanding some things about dissertation activities and how they overlap. The dissertation process can be overwhelming to many students – actually to most students – because it is such a different process than anything else that has been done in coursework. It is a longer-term process and requires careful long-term planning and short-term planning besides…

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Are You Interested in Finishing Your Dissertation?

Are You Interested in Finishing Your Dissertation?

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  I love birding (most people call it bird watching). For me, there is nothing equal to an afternoon sitting around feeders or walking in the open spaces to see what species are there. I can identify many birds by their calls and flight patterns. Each species has its peculiar behaviors that persist even when at a feeding station. A nuthatch will land on a pole and skitter down it to get a seed from the feeder, then go back up only…

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Developing Your Study Purpose

Developing Your Study Purpose

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Outlining the Purpose of the Study Developing a purpose for your research can be a bit confusing. There are so many pieces that need to be arranged in a logical flow. Finding the specific problem that will be the research question is a critical part of developing the dissertation proposal because it tells you where you want to go with your research. Equally important is clearly and concisely presenting your plan to address the problem; this is the purpose of…

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Ideas for Using Evernote

Ideas for Using Evernote

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To follow up on the post about Evernote, here are some possible uses based on my personal experience. There will be much more not shown here. There is still time to take advantage of the student discount for Evernote Premium. If you are a student, now is the time to give Evernote a try. Until September 30, 2016 you can get a year of Premium for 75% off! [Check it out!] If you have other uses not shown in the…

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Ever Feel Like the Only Clown in a 3-Ring Circus??

Ever Feel Like the Only Clown in a 3-Ring Circus??

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This is probably one of the most accurate analogies for you as you move through your dissertation. I imagine that you have felt that way many times if you are focused on completing your dissertation or thesis. So many things need to be done and of course, all at once! The dissertation process can overwhelm many students because it is so different from traditional coursework. It requires careful long-term planning and short-term planning besides setting a good solid work schedule….

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Evernote As an Indispensable Research and Writing Tool

Evernote As an Indispensable Research and Writing Tool

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Evernote is one of those applications that just keeps evolving as the need arises. It would be impossible to describe all of its features in a single review and some of the material would be outdated by the time I finished. In my previous post about Evernote, I mentioned several features but in this post, will focus on the app’s value in research and writing. What Evernote Can Do? Where do I begin? For saving data, Evernote does almost anything…

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