{"id":260,"date":"2011-06-10T11:37:01","date_gmt":"2011-06-10T18:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=260"},"modified":"2011-06-10T14:41:26","modified_gmt":"2011-06-10T21:41:26","slug":"how-to-write-a-dissertation-tips-and-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/?p=260","title":{"rendered":"How to write a dissertation: Tips and tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently I was chatting with some of my fellow grads about how intimidating it can be to get started with \u2013 and continue \u2013 writing a dissertation.\u00a0 In fact, it can be so intimidating that many postpone it, sometimes indefinitely.<\/p>\n

Eleven months ago I started drafting my dissertation.\u00a0 To date I\u2019ve written seven chapters totaling roughly 90,000 words, or 200 pages of text.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t a fast work pace \u2013 colleagues of mine have written as much in far less time.\u00a0 It\u2019s not an especially long manuscript, either. \u00a0In fact, I\u2019d say it\u2019s about average for a qualitative\/ethnographic study of communication.\u00a0 I\u2019m now getting ready to revise and finalize the manuscript.\u00a0 I can finally see the finish line looming ahead.<\/p>\n

Looking back my assessment of the writing process is that it was surprisingly manageable.\u00a0 How so? How do you get started writing a dissertation and then keep going until it is done?<\/p>\n

These are the tips and tricks that have worked for me.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t very original, and they may not work for everybody, but they\u2019ll give you an idea of potential strategies for tackling the process of dissertating.\u00a0 At the very least, I hope they\u2019ll show you that writing a dissertation can be a much more approachable task than you might imagine.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Have a model.<\/strong> What do completed dissertations written under the direction of your committee chair look like?\u00a0 How long are they?\u00a0 What sort of chapters do they have?\u00a0 How many pages are dedicated to the literature review, the methods, and the findings?\u00a0 What sources did they cite?\u00a0 How did they present their data?\u00a0 What strategies did they use for writing persuasively about the findings?\u00a0 I spent about a week reading dissertations that had been successfully defended by students in my department working with my chair.\u00a0 It gave me a very good idea of would be expected from me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think this is a substitute for talking directly with your chair about his\/her expectations, of course, but it\u2019s a good preliminary step.<\/li>\n
  2. Have a plan<\/strong>.\u00a0 Before drafting a single chapter of the dissertation I sat down and wrote up a project plan.\u00a0 The format I used was very simple \u2013 at the top of the page I wrote my desired defense date.\u00a0 I then worked backwards to the present day, noting the milestones leading up to the target defense date and the dates by which I wanted to reach each milestone.\u00a0 Under each milestone I noted the various tasks involved.\u00a0 As I figured out how long the entire project would take I took into account how many hours I\u2019d have per week for writing, the amount of time my chair would need to read each chapter draft and provide me with feedback, the time I\u2019d need to incorporate feedback into my manuscript, time for additional revisions, time for additional data analysis, time lost (over holidays, during periods when my extra work duties would prevent me from writing, etc.), and so on.\u00a0 Not only did this project plan help me organize my attack on the dissertation, it also helped me devise a realistic and feasible idea of how long it would take me to complete it.\u00a0 This gave me a lot of confidence in the project even before I started writing. \u00a0Although I didn\u2019t use a formal template for my project plan, I think that these ones here<\/a> look useful.<\/li>\n
  3. Think small<\/strong>.\u00a0 Remember that project plan?\u00a0 I often wrote up mini plans for each academic quarter, each week, and sometimes each day.\u00a0 It helped me tremendously to see my project as a large collection of many small, manageable tasks rather than one monumental job.\u00a0 I never sat down at my computer and thought, \u201cnow I need to write a chapter.\u201d Instead, I asked myself what little things I\u2019d need to do to get that chapter done.\u00a0 These would be things like:\u00a0 organize my notes; read more sources on topic X; write up the chapter outline; write the first section of the chapter (as noted on my outline), made of paragraphs addressing a, b, and c.\u00a0 Being able to focus on and complete these small components was also a confidence-booster.<\/li>\n
  4. Be consistent.<\/strong> Once I had my plan I was very diligent about working regularly, even it if was only for a limited amount of time each day.\u00a0 I quickly noticed that if I spent long periods of time away from my dissertation I lost touch \u2013 the gist of my arguments faded, my citations went stale, and I\u2019d have to spend extra time re-familiarizing myself with my work.\u00a0 By spending time with my project each day, it stayed fresh in my mind, and I could dive in much more easily.\u00a0 I even went so far as to schedule writing times into my calendar<\/em>.\u00a0 Not only did this help me maintain a consistent working pace, but it also helped me allot priority to my writing time. <\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. Be accountable to someone.<\/strong> When you\u2019re writing a dissertation there aren\u2019t any external deadlines to follow.\u00a0 Nobody breathes down your neck, telling you when to hand each piece in.\u00a0 This may sound liberating, but for some it can actually slow or even halt productivity.\u00a0 This is why I think it\u2019s a great idea to be accountable to someone.\u00a0 Remember that project plan?\u00a0 Share it with someone \u2013 your chair, a fellow grad, a writing partner, a friend, a family member, a colleague.\u00a0 Tell people when you are planning to have things done, and ask them to check in on you, even informally, to see that you\u2019ve followed through.<\/li>\n
  6. Get extra writing support<\/strong>. \u00a0It can be very beneficial to talk through your writing with someone, whether for feedback or simply a pep talk.\u00a0\u00a0 For these purposes, writing groups can be a great resource.\u00a0 My impression is that writing groups are best when structured.\u00a0 For more information see the Phinished<\/a> website as well as this article written by Chris Golde<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  7. Choose your workplace strategically<\/strong>.\u00a0 Think about where<\/em> you can write productively, and under what conditions.\u00a0 I know that I can\u2019t write any old place \u2013 I need somewhere very quiet with minimal external distractions, so I make sure that I get to these places for my writing hours.<\/li>\n
  8. Fight distraction<\/strong>.\u00a0 Even in the quiet, semi-isolated places I search out for writing, I still find myself bombarded by distractions.\u00a0 To fight temptation I keep my phone and sometimes even my wifi switched off.\u00a0 I use a stopwatch and make myself write for blocks of 45-50 minutes before taking a little break.\u00a0 I also keep a notepad and pen next to my computer, so that I can jot down any ideas and\/or tasks not related to writing that suddenly pop into my head.\u00a0 At the end of the day I allow myself to go back to that list and follow up on what I\u2019ve noted down \u2013 half of which turns out not to be very important after all.\u00a0 One of my colleagues goes so far as to maintain multiple desktops using Spaces<\/a> (he\u2019s a Mac user).\u00a0 On his work desktop he has no access to his personal email account, no Internet browser, and no documents except those related to his project.<\/li>\n
  9. Finally, keep on keeping on<\/strong>.\u00a0 Every little bit of work that you do gets you that much closer to the goal.\u00a0 At some point it\u2019s more about stamina and determination than anything else.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I\u2019ll finish with the best words of advice I got from my friends and colleagues when I announced that I was starting to write my dissertation.<\/p>\n

    Kate D. said:<\/p>\n

    This is the stage where I reminded myself that it’s not about being smart, it’s about the will to hit the next key.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ML said:<\/p>\n

    One page a day. That’s all you need to do. Once you’ve done that, amp it up to two. It’s like exercising. A marathon seems less impossible once you’ve managed a mile.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Dale C. said:<\/p>\n

    Remember that the best dissertation is a *done* dissertation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    And Tom G. said it best of all:<\/p>\n

    Fight that blank page. You can do it! Choose words. Make sentences. Build paragraphs. Construct chapters. It’s a sinch…it’s a cinche…it’s a singe… It’s easy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Recently I was chatting with some of my fellow grads about how intimidating it can be to get started with \u2013 and continue \u2013 writing a dissertation.\u00a0 In fact, it can be so intimidating that many postpone it, sometimes indefinitely. Eleven months ago I started drafting my dissertation.\u00a0 To date I\u2019ve written seven chapters totaling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":275,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tabithahart.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}