Never "done"

I am often sent drafts from students saying that they are "done" with a chapter. It is so important to understand that you are not done with any part of the paper until the CAO (Chief Academic Officer) approves the final draft. Every time a faculty member reads a chapter or section, he or she is sure to spot something they missed on previous reads. Why does this happen? Every time it is read, the reader is in a different cognitive mode. They may have recently run into issues with other students on APA format or grammar, and will be more aware of the issue when they read your paper. They may be more awake than previously or just had a cup of coffee. 

Why is this important for you to remember? Because if you are in a mindset that you are done with a part of the paper you will tend to not reread it, and add in new thoughts or ideas. It also makes you resentful and defensive when a reader points out problems, which is never good. You are writing a book; therefore, you must keep checking that everything is consistent and written correctly. You would be very annoyed with a mystery writer who changes details between chapter 1 and the middle or end of the book. It is similar with your dissertation – it is a whole project; while it is written in parts, you must continue to think of it as whole project. The goal is to have the best dissertation that you can have, to reach this goal, graciously accept criticism, changes, and learn about writing as you do so. 

Next time I will talk about giving back.  Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu