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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
Devoted to practical steps for completing
your doctoral dissertation.
www.ecoach.com
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To subscribe, visit www.ecoach.com
INDEX
1. Ben's Note
2. Literature Review Made Simple, Part I
By Barbara A. Kee, Ph.D.
3. Words of Wisdom
4. Inspirational QuoteSUMMARY
In this issue, Dr. Barbara A. Kee shares some
ideas for simplifying the literature
review process.We round it out with Words of Wisdom and an
inspirational quote.
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Ben's NoteNovember 25, 2003
Dear ABD Survival Guide Reader,
This week is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.,
and the focus of this note will be on
gratitude.There are so many pieces of my life that
I'm grateful for; and one of these,
definitely, is the opportunity to serve
all of you as you complete the journey
to obtain your Ph.D.Very often, we can get caught up in
focusing on all the aspects which are
not quite right- maybe your proposal
isn't completed yet, or the data
collection is not going that smoothly,
or, maybe you're having trouble deciding
on a topic.This week, I'd invite you to shift your
focus to all the things that are going
right- maybe you have a good friends,
or wonderful spouse, or terrific kids,
or a great job, or exciting possibilities,
good health- and maybe more besides.I know some of you will also be thankful
for this week's issue, as Dr. Barbara
Kee shares some tips for simplifying
the literature review process. Pulling
all the information together for this
section is often quite challenging,
and I expect that tips provided will
be helpful.To round it out, we offer some
new Words of Wisdom, and a new
Inspirational Quote.Enjoy, and see you in two weeks.
Warmly,
Ben=====================================
Lit. Review Made Simple, Part 1
by Barbara A. Kee, Ph.D.
=====================================The literature review is often a major hurdle
in the dissertation process. Ideally, you should
begin your search for articles and books before you
formulate your final thesis question or the theoretical
basis for your work. As you search, however, you
can become overwhelmed by the volume of ideas,
directions, and words.Once you have all your articles and books (either in
photocopy or electronic form) stacked around you,
what will you do with them? How do you organize a
mountain of information?The best method requires touching each article or
book only three times.First, read through each paper or book, highlighting
the paragraphs that directly relate to your topic. At
the top of every article, write a word or phrase that
identifies the general subject, which correlates to a
section in the theoretical overview. Then stack the
articles according to subject.The second handling of the article is when you are
writing the section of the literature review that
matches the section of the theoretical overview. As
you discuss the topic you refer to your various articles
but only to look at the highlighted areas. When you have
used that particular article in your literature review
you put a check mark at the top of the first page and
set it aside.The third handling of the article is when you are doing
your list of references. As you compile your references
indicate with a different type of check mark that you
have added that article to your references and then set
the article aside and do not handle it again. Do not
discard the article until you have successfully defended
the dissertation and the bound copy is in the university
library.As you write your literature review and try to make sense of
all the articles and books that you refer to in your writing,
it is very easy to become confused and unsure of what
you have used and what you have not used. By having
some sort of system of marking your articles you will
save yourself endless hours of checking and rechecking
the same articles.Not all citations are found only in your literature review.
There will be other sources that you include throughout your
dissertation. Just remember that if you have cited a
reference it needs to be in your reference list. If you
cite a reference in your reference list it probably has
been cited somewhere in your dissertation. Keeping
all of that straight and accurate is a challenge. A little
bit of extra organization of your articles and books
can ease the frustration of keeping it all together.=======================================
About Barbara A. Kee, Ph.D.
=======================================
Barbara A. Kee, Ph.D. is a Life Strategy Coach with
a specialty in working with All-But-Dissertation students.
She holds degrees from Syracuse University, Northeast
Louisiana University, Monroe, Louisiana, and a Ph.D.
from Texas Woman's University.
972-754-5353She can be reached:
By Email: BarbaraAKee@aol.com
On the web: www.BarbaraAKee.com/dissertation.htm======================================
Words of Wisdom from New Ph.D.'s.
=======================================
**The best piece of advice I got was the
observation/comment that every PhD student
has a unique experience. I took great
comfort in this, and often, because I
did very much experience a "one-of-a-kind"
journey. It helped me to feel comfortable to
do what *I* needed to do. I also felt better
following my own program, pushing my advisors
to help me with my ideas rather than feeding
me their ideas, saying "no" at times, etc.
It gave me a framework to be independent.=======================================
Inspirational Quote
=======================================
Several recent graduates have suggested that
we offer an inspirational quote or two to
further motivate and support you. If you
have any quotes that you find really helpful,
please send them to rachna@mentorcoach.com"First you have a dream. From where you now
stand, you can see the dream off in the distance.
Your task, if you chose to make your dreams
come true, is to begin to walk across the
reality that lies between you and your
dreams. This is best done one step at a time."
~~Barbara Alafat===================
Your Own Coach
===================
If you are considering whether to get your own coach
to help you reach your academic goals, send any email
to: ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
=============================
BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
===============================
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of
Texas at Austin. He is the founder of MentorCoach
(www.MentorCoach.com), a virtual university
training accomplished mental health professionals
to become extraordinary coaches. With
Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., Ben is also the founder of
Authentic Happiness Coaching
(www.AuthenticHappinessCoaching.com), a virtual
university training educators, consultants, trainers,
therapists, parents and other professionals to apply
the principles of Authentic Happiness in their own
lives and in the lives of their clients, students, and
children. Ben lives in suburban Maryland with
his wife and two young children, Walnut, their
hamster, and Rubin, their cocker spaniel.
==================================
RACHNA D. JAIN, Editor, ABDSG
==================================
I'm a dissertation coach and licensed psychologist
based in Maryland, with a doctorate from the
University of Denver. I'm the Editor of the
ABDSG, as well as the Author of "Get It Done!
A Coach's Guide to Dissertation Success"
If you'd like to learn more about me or my book, please
visit my website: www.ExcelWithEaseCoaching.com
If you have questions about this newsletter, you
can direct them to me: rachna@mentorcoach.com
I'm excited to be working with you to meet your academic
goals. You can do it!
================================================
THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE(tm)
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" The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide"(tm) focuses
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