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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE™ The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide™ focuses on ways to help its readers more readily overcome the roadblocks that often seem to stand in the way of completing the dissertation. It is read throughout the world. Want to become a coach?New MentorCoach Training Programs launching. Subscribe to our other no-cost ezines: Visit Ben Dean's Live Coaching Workshops in Dallas, Austin, St Louis & Detroit. INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - February 13, 2008
3. The Dissertation as Training Bike
Marcy Marinelli, Ph.D.
4. Gratitude Class Begins Wednesday, February 27, 2008
February 13, 2008
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
As I write this, Valentine's Day is fast approaching. If you are like many ABDs, you may realize that your most intimate relationship--for better or for worse--is with your dissertation. You certainly spend a lot of time together…How's the relationship going these days? Are you flowing together or stagnating?
If your relationship with your dissertation could use a tune-up, be sure to read Dr. Marcy Marinelli's article in this issue. She surveyed successful doctoral candidates and faculty members to learn their best tips for academic success. Use these tips wisely and work toward dissertation bliss (not breakup)!
Inspirational Quotes by Anne Lamott
(author of Bird by Bird - a wonderful book about writing)
"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor."
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up
and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and
work: you don't give up."
The Dissertation as Training Bike
Marcy Marinelli, Ph.D.
Remember when you were a kid and just learning to ride a bicycle? Almost all of us started out with training wheels on our first bikes. These training wheels, along with the guiding hand of dad or mom, taught us how to move forward, stay balanced, keep pedaling, and steer in order to reach our goal without falling. The more adept we became at riding our bikes, the less we needed our training wheels (or mom and dad's helping hand). The day finally arrived when the training wheels came off and we were riding solo! We can all remember the thrill of coasting down the street, wind in our hair, balancing on our own.
This simple analogy can be used when thinking about the purpose of the doctoral dissertation. The dissertation is our training bike for our future as an academic or researcher. It is here where we learn the process and craft of developing a question, researching it, and writing up our findings. This is the foundation for the research that we will be expected to do as a tenure-track professor.
Obviously as doctoral students, we've done lots of research and writing during
our graduate school years. But for many doctoral students, the dissertation
presents new challenges. The sheer size and solitary nature of the task, the
need to create one's own structure, and the pressure to produce a contribution
to one's field can cause even the most able student to doubt his or her ability
to complete the dissertation. But by reframing the purpose of the dissertation
and thinking about it as our training bike, we can start to learn how to be
an effective and productive writer. Developing the attitudes and skills that
will help you become a successful writer while working on your dissertation
is a major investment in your future as a successful academic.
So what are some of these attitudes and skills and how can we develop them
while writing our dissertation? I surveyed a number of successful doctoral
candidates as well as faculty members to come up with some of their best tips
for success. We can think of these, along with the guidance of our advisor
and committee, as our training wheels.
1) Break the task down; set goals and deadlines. The most successful PhD students and junior faculty are those who are good at analyzing the task and setting goals and deadlines for themselves. The dissertation is a massive project that needs to be broken down into manageable chunks. Creating a master to-do list of your dissertation tasks will improve organization and focus.
There will be those days when you don't feel like writing, but if you have some other dissertation task that needs to be done, you'll stay productive. Additionally, the ability to set goals and deadlines is crucial to your success. As Diana Scharf Hunt reminds us, "…goals are dreams with deadlines."
Most of us work better with a deadline, but too often we don't treat our own deadlines seriously. Successful writers are not only good at setting the deadlines; they are impeccable in meeting those deadlines. Part of the problem with the dissertation is that there is usually no firm, hard and fast deadline (unlike that set for a paper written for one of your courses). So unless you set your own deadlines and accept responsibility for them, it becomes all too easy to let days, weeks and even months slip away.
By learning how to set your own goals, you are setting yourself up for future success. Visualize your goals, make them realistic, and be specific in what you want to achieve each writing session.
2) Set A Structure. Closely related to breaking down the task and setting goals and deadlines is creating a structure in which you work best. This structure can be environmental as well as psychological: Where do you work best? Do you have a dedicated space at home in which to work? Do you find that you work better in the library? In your office? There's value in developing the "work place habit" so that you associate the particular place with the task of writing.
Also consider the time. When do you work best? Are you the morning lark who can start working early in the morning before heading off to work? Or are you a night owl, working better when the day is winding down? Determine what time you are most productive and you will get more done in less time. Stick to a writing schedule and make the dissertation a daily part of your life.
Finally, what attitudes help you work effectively? Do you believe in your ability to successfully complete your dissertation? Do you believe in the importance of your topic? Are you willing to postpone more pleasurable activities in favor of working on your dissertation? Having a positive mindset and self-discipline can be part of the structure that will allow you to successfully complete your dissertation.
3) Expect to edit, edit, and edit again. Perfectionism runs rampant among doctoral students and assistant professors. Many of us expect that we should be able to write perfectly polished prose the first time we sit down at our computers.
I remember attending a workshop offered by Ben Dean on writer's block in which he talked about our inner critic. That's the voice in our head that tells us that this sentence, this paragraph, this whole chapter isn't good enough. This inner critic can block our ability to write. If you are able to silence your inner critic as you are composing ideas, you will be far more productive.
Accept the fact that editing is a natural part of the writing process and don't expect perfection the first time! As you start to submit your articles to journals, you'll find that the editing process continues. Often an article goes through two, three or even four revisions before it is ready for publication. By training yourself in this model as a doctoral student, you'll be setting yourself up for future success.
4) Build on what works for you. I have always believed that the dissertation process is a journey of self-discovery. We learn as much about ourselves as we learn about our topic. Be open to the lessons that are in the process. What can you learn about your strengths? What are the issues that challenge you? What procedures help you streamline your researching and writing? By engaging in honest self-reflection along the road, you'll be setting yourself up to remove your training wheels and ride confidently as a successful academic!
