When Dr. Stadtlander asked me
to guest host the blog, I wondered what in the world I could write about that
she hasn’t already covered in such marvelous detail……… For those of you
following the blog, you know she has described each section of the dissertation
with great care. What could I offer you?
Then I remembered the two
overarching themes that students ask me about all the time: How long does it take and is there an easy
way to do it? My trite answers are “it takes as long as it takes” and
“dissertation is hard work.” But there
really is more to these themes than just the trite answers. So, I will share with you what I see as ways
to make the process easier and shorter.
Think back to your
classes. You ordered your books before
the start and maybe even looked them over, maybe even read a chapter or
two. You downloaded, or at least skimmed
the syllabus. You looked over your
instructor’s information. You found out
what papers were due and when. And you
may even have checked which weeks had two discussions and which had one.
Now, in the process of doing
your dissertation, have you read a previous, recent, dissertation? Have you downloaded the dissertation
checklist and reviewed what goes in each written section? Have you set a timeline for yourself? Have
you downloaded and read all the IRB forms?
In other words, have you done all your due diligence?
I find that when my students
are not completing things in a timely fashion, it is due to them being very
prepared to write, but not knowing what to write. They send me things that are fascinating to
read but missing many of the required elements.
They want me to correct grammar and APA format, and have never gone to
the writing center and used either “Grammarly” or the editing help. Please do not get me wrong, I am more than
willing to help with all of these issues… BUT.. it may take me a week to get to
the draft, a couple of days to figure out what the issues are and then I send
it back saying: please run through Grammarly, please use to checklist, please
include the missing elements, etc. This
certainly adds days and weeks to the process.
So, how can one write a
dissertation “fast” and have it be an “easy” process? By using the tools that you are paying
for. All the tools that the school has
to offer are available for no extra cost to you; unlike hiring an editor when
you have not read a dissertation. If you
use the tools, it cuts down the time that your chair has to spend reminding you
to use them and ultimately it saves you time, money, and frustration. Let’s spend a minute here on frustration…. If
one keeps getting drafts sent back with suggestions about APA format, elements
missing, grammar, etc. One is bound to
feel disheartened and a bit out of control.
I believe that as the primary researcher, you should be in control. This means that you have to be prepared to
use all the tools in your arsenal to make each draft as well written as it can
be. If you start by being prepared, as
you were in your courses, you can make the process shorter and easier.
Next time I will post an updated blog index. 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
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