Literature Worries

 

From Johnathan:

The Dissertation Handbook says to limit the Lit Review to 5 years, but what if the main, most comprehensive theory published on the topic was written 15 years ago? Is it appropriate to include that, or do we assume that readers know? Also, I'm terrified of the idea of parallel development. In High School I wrote a paper on how I thought the universe worked. My teacher accused me of plagiarizing it from another theory that was published in the 1930's that I'd never heard of before. How do we ensure that the ideas that we're presenting or researching aren't already covered by other people who use different names or terms for the same concepts? Thanks! 

Great questions, Johnathan! Regarding the 5 year rule- it turns out this is not a very clear rule! Actually, I don't see the 5 year idea mentioned in the Dissertation Guidebook. I couldn’t find an official mention of it anywhere, so I wrote to Martha King, a manager in the Writing Center and this what she reported: 

Hi, Lee,

This question pops up from time to time from faculty across programs. To my knowledge, there is a general guideline based on the intent of the literature review, but no written rule, about the majority of sources in a dissertation from peer-reviewed sources within the last 5 years; there is no guidelines or written rule I know of stating a percentage for older publications such as seminal works. I’m going to quote Lou Milanesi’s [Director of Research Center] response when I consulted with him the last time this question was raised: 

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to confess that I’m not a proponent of an excessively rule-based approach to scholarship. The intent of the literature review is to provide an extensive or exhaustive review of existing knowledge surrounding a given research question. The sources of such information may vary across academic (PhD) and applied (EdD, DBA, DNP, etc) inquiry to extend either knowledge or practice. My basic approach is to ask

What is the purpose of this research?

What are the most reliable and current sources of information to guide it? 

In answer to your first question, you should concentrate on more recent literature, but you can certainly discuss the history of a specific concept. 

Regarding the issue of parallel development, this is really less of a concern at the doctoral level. You want to do a very complete literature search, and see what has been done. If you take a historical approach, discussing where the idea came from and how it has evolved, you will probably catch any related ideas. If you are proposing any new theory or concept, you might want to be even more fussy about using as many possible terms as you can, to make sure you find anything related. Occasionally, you may find a study that is similar to yours- but typically yours and theirs will differ in significant ways. You will ask different questions, have a different population, etc.  

I hope this reduces your worries! If not, please let me know. Next time we will consider – are you on the right path?

Sabotage*

 

 Are you sabotaging your dissertation progress? Do you find everything in the world to do other than writing? Just have to clean that thing that has been sitting there for 6 months, and can’t wait a moment more? How about convincing yourself that it is ok to visit your favorite websites instead of the library?  

How to get back on track? First, I suggest some self-reflection. It is worth taking some time and thinking about why you are doing these delaying tactics. What it is that you are really avoiding? Is it facing an empty page? Or maybe it is the reality that you may get done with your doctorate and have to figure out the rest of your life? Only you can understand the issues.  

Consider for a moment, all of the years you have spent working toward your degree, all of the money you have spent. Are you willing to let a paper stop you from reaching your goal? If it is the post-graduation steps that are worrying you, than begin doing some research in that area (but limit it, writing is more important!). One strategy that many find helpful is to set aside 15 minutes a day as official “worry time.” Set an alarm so you know it won’t last long and make a list of everything worrying you. If there is something that can be done now – write out a brief action plan and time table for it. Then set the worry list aside knowing it will be there tomorrow, so you don't need to spend any more time on it. 

A few recommendations for specific issues. If the dissertation process is concerning you, read: 

Rudestam, K, J. & Newton, R.R. (2007). Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process. 

If it is the writing process, read:  

Saltzman, J. (1993). If You Can Talk You Can Write  

If you want to know about post graduate jobs, see the apa.org website. They have an entire career section, including job postings.  

Only you can make your goal happen, take control of the path to get there. 

*This is a repeat post from my research blog The Transparent Lab http://transparentpsylab.blogspot.com/

 

Come, Look over My Shoulder: Organizing the Paper

As you may recall from my previous post on 6/3, I have been asked to write an article on the relationship between maternal and child obesity for a journal. In the earlier post, I showed you how I do literature searches. Today I will set up my paper and decide where I am going with it.

I have read the literature that I downloaded earlier and am now aware that there are several key issues: The effects of obesity on the mother in pregnancy and childbirth, the effects on the fetus and newborn, and long-term effects on the child. There is evidence from both human studies and animal studies related to the child issues, so I want to make sure I address both of these areas. My initial plan, depending upon how long the paper is at this point, is to end the paper with a brief discussion of weight gain in pregnancy and summarize the research concerning interventions to reduce maternal weight gain during pregnancy in obese women. 

I like to begin writing a paper with a title- that way I can keep focused on where I am going. My starting title is: The Effect of Maternal Obesity on the Development of Child Obesity. I then do an initial outline:

I. The effects of obesity on the mother in pregnancy and childbirth

II. The effects on the fetus and newborn

                A. Human Studies

                B. Animal Studies

III. Long-term effects on the child

                A. Human Studies

                B. Animal Studies

(Maybe)

IV. Weight gain in pregnancy

V. Interventions  

A first look, tells me I am going to be way over the 12 pages I am allowed if I include all of this. So I think I will add a very short discussion of weight gain to the mother topic and leave out interventions. I will concentrate on human studies, but may mention a few animal ones. My starting outline then for writing is:

 

I. The effects of obesity on the mother in pregnancy and childbirth

                A. Weight gain in pregnancy

II. The effects on the fetus and newborn

                A. Human Studies

                B. Animal Studies

III. Long-term effects on the child

                A. Human Studies

                B. Animal Studies 

I like to set up my paper in APA format before I actually start writing, it lets me feel like I am not staring at a blank page. So next, I'll write out the cover page info, add page numbers, label the Abstract page (I will write this last), and add the title to my page 3, which will be the first page of the manuscript. I also add in my references as I write, so I set up a page for that. 

My next step is to write an introduction, which I know I will probably change later. I want something that will grab the reader's attention and also give me focus as I write. I end up with this intro paragraph.  

Marie is pregnant with her first child, at a weight of 200 pounds and with a height of 5'6" her body mass index (BMI) is 32, which is considered obese according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC; 2011). How could her obesity affect her health during pregnancy? How could her weight affect her baby and are there long-term implications for her child? This article will explore these issues. 

I'm going to stop here for today, but I will let you know when I am ready to work on the body of the paper and you can join me again. 

How does the process we went through relate to the writing of your dissertation? You need to decide what the key issues are before you begin writing; otherwise, the temptation will be to wander away from the topic. Most people have this problem (including me!), so put guides in place to keep you on track. This is the purpose of doing an outline, and thinking about the topics to cover before you start writing. The penalty for not doing this is that you may write many pages only to realize that they have absolutely nothing to do with your topic. Setting up your paper in advance, may help you avoid the paralysis of a blank page. Writing an interesting introduction grabs your reader and lets them know where you are going in your paper. Finally, I find it helpful to keep reminding myself that nothing is permanent when I am writing, I can and probably will change it later. 

Next time we will take a look at how you may be sabotaging your progress.

Committee Members

 

Could you please address the formal process for asking faculty to be on your committee?  I am under the impression that you first must develop your prospectus, then write prospective faculty a letter, preferably a couple of quarters prior to the date you expect to begin your dissertation.  However, I've tried to register for the prospectus class for 3 quarters and it hasn't been offered; I'm afraid I'm falling behind and can't seem to find clear information, with a timeline, anywhere!  Thank you!

Joanna 

There are a couple of issues here that need to be separately addressed. First, only students that came in under (or transferred into) the newest catalog are eligible for the prospectus class. So that is probably why you have not been able to get into the class.  

Let's define terms- the premise is the short idea paper (see blog post 4/17) that is used to recruit your chair (and maybe committee member). You work on this on your own. I am willing to read it and give suggestions as the health psych program coordinator. You must have a premise done before you will be allowed to register for the dissertation class. 

The prospectus is a more formal version of your project ideas (see blog post 4/19). This is often done during your first quarter in the dissertation class. There is info on it available in the research center. By the time you have the prospectus done, you will need to have a second committee member. They must complete a rubric on it. 

The timeline for recruiting committee members is: 

Work on premise

During the quarter before you are ready to start dissertation class:

·       Finalize premise.

·       Write to Dr. Elisha Galaif elisha.galaif@waldenu.edu she maintains the current faculty availability list. Keep in mind that the list changes quickly, do not use an old list.

·       Write to several faculty that list your methodology as their area of expertise and ideally have some related interests. Keep in mind that methodology expertise is more important than content expertise. Include your premise with the email.

o   Pay attention to how long they take to get back to you – if they take a long time with this, they may also do so with paper drafts.

·       Pick a chair, complete committee form and send to him/her.

·       Your chair should submit their committee form and your premise to research center – this will lead to your being registered in the dissertation class the following quarter.

·       Start working on prospectus

First quarter of dissertation class

·       Complete prospectus

·       Write to Dr. Elisha Galaif elisha.galaif@waldenu.edu and get the current faculty availability list.

·       Write to several faculty about being your committee member. Include your prospectus and committee form.

·       The committee member chosen will submit the committee form to the research office. 

These are not firm rules; you can recruit a second committee member earlier using your premise. However, the above guidelines give you the timeline of requirements. 

I have also received questions on what exactly does the second committee member do and how often should you be contacting him or her? I like to have my students contact their committee member once a quarter, just to update them on the student's progress. Technically, the committee member does not need to be involved in the process until the proposal (first 3 chapters of the dissertation) is approved by the chair. However, if you have questions on methodology (if he or she is your methods expert) or content (if your content expert) you should write and ask them. 

They will review your proposal and give you feedback on it – they are another set of eyes, and will see the paper fresh- after all your chair has read it many times and may no longer see problems. They complete the rubric for the proposal and will be at your defense. 

If the committee member is your methods expert, you may be more in touch with them as you complete your IRB application and begin to collect and analyze your data. I encourage you to use them as a resource. You may want to run chapters 4-5 by them, for their input. 

They will be sent a copy of your final paper and will complete the rubric when they approve it. They will also be at your final defense. 

Next time we will return to the article I am writing and take a look at organizing the paper.

 

When Life Happens

 

A side trip today, from the planned topic. Today (I am actually writing this one, Wed. 6/5) I am dealing with a very sick dog. Maggie (age 7) is very special to me- we have done pet therapy together, she is my baby, so it is hard to see her sick. She is having a kidney removed today due to cancer. Her photo is below :)

Sometimes life happens… there are births, weddings, friends or family get ill (or pet family), people die… how do you handle this when you are working on a dissertation? 

It is difficult to write when you are worried, depressed, etc., even happy events such as births or weddings can make concentration tricky. But another way to look at your writing is that it can also be an escape. You are creating a small safe world that you can go to and get away from the problems/ distractions. Some things I want you to keep in the back of your mind when life happens to you, and it will at some point… 

First, get some support (I say this a lot don’t I?). Reach out to people and share what is happening, it makes a huge difference to have someone say “I understand, you are in my thoughts.” Particularly, reach out to your chair, let him or her know what is going on – work together to come up with a plan while you are going through this. Perhaps, you can discuss reducing your workload for a quarter.  

You can also take a leave of absence if the pressure just feels too much – talk to academic advising about it, if you think you need this. The biggest thing is -do NOT follow the temptation to hide in your cave and not tell your chair what is happening. The absolutely worse thing to do is wait until the end of the quarter and then tell your chair about it. They may be kind, particularly if you have been able to do something on your paper, and pass you. But realize that if you have not made any progress, they may have to give you an unsatisfactory (2 consecutive Us or 3 Us ever, gets you dropped from the program). 

Treat your dissertation as you would if it were your job that you were getting paid to do – you would certainly inform your supervisor of any issues that would affect your work, wouldn’t you? Do the same with your doctoral work. 

I just talked to my Maggie’s surgeon and all is well, she did great with the surgery. (I highly recommend having pet insurance – it will cover most of the costs!) Next time we will get back on task and return to the topic of the 2^nd committee member.

"A-motivation"*

*My thanks to Cathy F for her suggestion of this topic 

A-motivation, paralysis. A time during a project when you can't take that next step, sitting down at the computer seems impossible. Whether your paralysis is due to a fear of failure, lack of belief in yourself, learned helplessness or a lack of belief in the value of what you are trying to achieve, it feels hopeless. How to get out of this slump?? 

A few suggestions. First, I strongly suggest that you get yourself a support group; it is very hard to do this alone. How do you do that? If you know anyone locally working on a dissertation, you could have an in-person group. You could ask people in your dissertation class or others you know at Walden to join with you in a virtual group. I have had a text support group for students in my class- you could form one too. Everyone in the group agrees to text when they think or work on the paper and to also offer support and encouragement to the group. A group seem too much? Then get a dissertation buddy - one other person who will agree to support you at least once a week by email or phone (and vice versa).  

Second, put together an "Achievement File". Sometimes we need to remind ourselves, that we are bright and capable. The Achievement file is for this. Include the successes you have had – those papers that you got an A on, maybe your transcript showing your great grades, the ribbon you won at the state fair, the photo of your kids, anything that makes you proud of your achievements. When you feel down, pull it out and remind yourself, you have done great things before and you can do it again! 

Third, perhaps it is time to tweak your project. Think about- what would make you excited about the topic again? Are you tired of thinking about children and eating disorders? Maybe moving it to adulthood would give you a fresh perspective and enthusiasm.  Maybe switching from eating disorders to another topic would help. Sometimes just switching chapters helps, a shift from literature to research methods may be all you need. 

If you have tried these and other ideas, and you still can't get interested, perhaps you need a break. You can take a leave of absence for a quarter, get your head together, and come back refreshed. If you go this route, I suggest really taking a break from school – read those trashy novels in your closet, go to the beach or mountains do something totally different from your regular life. Give yourself a chance to recharge and think about the bigger issues of life. What do you really want to be doing in 5-10 years? What do you love doing? What makes you excited to get up in the morning? Where does getting a doctorate fit in the picture? If you think a leave of absence may be your solution, contact academic advising for help on setting it up. 

Next time we'll look at issues related to committee members- getting that 2^nd member, and what do with them when you get them.

 

Do you have questions or ideas that you would like me to address in future posts? Please share them with me! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

 

Come and Look Over My Shoulder- Lit Review

 
I have been asked to write a literature review as an article in a journal for midwives and doulas. I thought you might find it helpful to "look over my shoulder" as I select a topic, do the literature search, and organize and write the paper. Today, I will talk about the topic selection and literature search, I'll save writing for a later time. 

The journal editor asked me to pick a topic on the subject of child obesity that would be relevant to childbirth educators (e.g., midwives, and doulas). Let's start by doing a search in the Walden library in Psycinfo, Cinahl (a nursing database) and Medline. I like to start searches as narrow as I can; I want to link child obesity closely to pregnancy – since that is the readers' interest - so I start with the search term of infant obesity. We find a variety of topics, many focused on interventions and assessments; we read through the titles and abstracts. One topic that particularly appeals to me is the relationship of maternal obesity to child/ infant obesity. Our next step, is to make sure there is sufficient literature in this area to write a literature review on the topic. Let's do a search using the terms maternal obesity and infant obesity, hmmm, only 3 articles. Let's try the terms maternal obesity and child obesity. There were a number of articles on this, so let's narrow it further and add in the term review- which will find us any previous literature reviews of the subject, and there are 3 recent ones.  

Our next step (at least my typical next step) is to go to Amazon.com and search for any reference books on the subject. Let's search using maternal AND child obesity. There are a couple of books on the topic, they have the tables of content available, so we double-check and yes, there are chapters on the topic (I add the books to my Amazon wish list to save them for now). I now know there is a reasonable literature available on the topic. Now let's double check that the editor is interested in the topic. I send her an email and yes, she likes the topic.  

Now we go back to the Walden library and extend the search to maternal obesity and long term effect. I also run the searches again in the Psychology Sage database. I download any articles that seem appropriate and save them on the computer, I end up with 10 articles. We also go back to Amazon and buy the best two books on the subject. I will probably need more articles when I start to write, but this is enough to get me started and familiar with the topic area.  

Now I need to go read what we have found. I'll let you know when I am ready to start writing, and you can join me again J 

How did the process we went through relate to your dissertation searches? Ours was a smaller version of your literature search. You can start with same basic search technique: 1) Discover whether there is sufficient literature for your proposed topic. 2) Start very narrow in the search and then broaden it. You will have specific variables that you are interested in, so include those as you broaden the search. 3) Download (or print) your articles and be sure to check if there are reference books available on the topic. Walden's library has some ebooks available, but they often are out of date and may not directly relate to your topic. 

Next time I will talk about ways to re-motivate yourself when you are on in a major slump.