Here is the first book a prospective doctoral candidate should read. Updated to reflect both modern technological advances and the realities of contemporary academia, it serves as an excellent overview of the dissertation process in most academic fields. Advice starts with selecting an advisor and a dissertation committee, then covers problems connected with selecting a dissertation topic, submitting the proposal, working with an advisor, and writing and defending the dissertation.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Excellent read:
As I'm preparing my doctoral dissertation, I've read a number of books on the topic. This is the only one from which I was actually able to learn something. Most remind you of the obvious. This text goes beyond, providing checklists, concrete examples, and the answers to questions that most would be too timid to ask.
Very practical, organized guide for dissertation-writing:
This is a very helpful little book. It is basic, and easy to read. It brings a sense of order and structure to the large concept of "go write your dissertation." This book will not do the dissertation research or writing for you, and it can't force you to complete each step of the project. But, it gives very practical, concise tips for each phase of the process. And excellent quick resource for those who are just starting the dissertation process. I think this book would appeal to linear thinkers--or people... more info
A decent overview, but not a text that stands alone.:
Although written in 1997, much of the information in this book still provides a good overview of how to manage the dissertation, or even the thesis process for traditional students. Davis and Parker start off good by providing case studies of doctoral students in the first chapter; however, it is only at this point where such easy to relate to scenarios are presented. It is clear that this book was written with conventional students in mind. If you are an individual enrolled in a nontraditional program, for... more info
This book sets out the basics, like "do what you need to do":
This book is helpful, if you have no idea about what it means to write a dissertation. It does provide an overview of all of the basics, like what it means to select a committee, and how many pages make an average dissertation. However, it is full of advice that boils down to, "do what you need to do" and "do it with integrity".
While it is a very compact book, and has lots of useful information, it's a bit like reading a style manual. Several books for social scientists are available (see Howard... more info
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