How long does a dissertation take?

One of the most common questions I receive is "how long will it take me to do a dissertation?" Of course, my answer is it is very individual, it depends on how good of a writer you are, the type of study you do, and what problems you encounter. 

Let us go a little deeper. Some students become convinced they should be done with their dissertation within the program stated requirement. However, this number has little to do with reality; it is simply the academic requirement. Dissertations do not go according to schedule; it will take however long it takes. Yes, I have seen students finish in one year, but I have also seen others take 2-3 years.  

Why does it take so long?? There are a number of reasons. (a) Students may not write well, requiring many revisions and they must work with an editor. (b) There are many waiting times; each person who reviews your paper must be given a reasonable amount of time to complete it. Therefore, if you have to do many revisions, the time adds up. (c) Different research methods take different time periods. The fastest is doing an archival (a data set previously collected in the past) or secondary data (data collected by someone else, may be from an institution or organization) analysis. Probably qualitative and mixed methods take the longest. (d) Problems arise; in fact, expect them. You may not be able get the required number of participants, your computer crashes, you or family members get sick, or your boss insists you work overtime. Things happen, which delay the process. (e) Chair or committee issues, sometimes personalities clash, committee members get sick or even die. There is no way to predict such things and they too slow you down. 

What are characteristics of students who are done quickly? They tend to be excellent writers, work every day on their paper, and the dissertation gods grant them minimal outside problems. Promise yourself today, however long it takes, you will keep working on it. That will get you done. 

Next time, I will consider being one of many. 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 

The Macro Level Review

We now move to a macro level of writing review in which you make sure the chapters and the paper as a whole are consistent. As you write over time, it is easy for your paper to deviate in your methodology and approach. If you have ever read a new novelist's first book, you may have experienced the situation in which the details in how they describe a character or scene changes throughout the book ("Mary" may change from being "an auburn haired beauty" to a woman named "Marie, with golden hair" by the end). This is a lack of good editing. The next stage of your self-review should be as an editor. 

To do this, you need to read the entire paper in one sitting. You need to keep track of any inconsistencies or changes in methodology descriptions; I like using track changes' comments for this, but you can also use your journal for note taking. Do not change things during the reading just note the problem areas. It is important that you are able to read the paper without interruptions, because you want to be able to remember details. Things to check carefully include the description of theories throughout the paper, are you always using the same terms? Check your research questions and hypotheses; are they the same in Chapter 1 and in Chapter 3? Are your descriptions of your methodology the same in Chapter 1 and Chapter 3? Are the topics introduced in Chapter 1 discussed in Chapter 2? 

When you review the full five chapters of your final dissertation, it is even more important to double-check the details. Are Chapters 1, 3, 4, and 5 all consistent? Did you do the methods and analyses in Chapter 4 you discussed in Chapters 1 and 3? If not, explain why they changed. Read Chapter 1 and then read Chapter 5 make sure everything is consistent; particularly look at theory issues. Make sure you have discussed all of your results in Chapter 5 you mention in Chapter 4. Each of your key findings need to be discussed in terms of the literature and the implications in Chapter 5. Compare the headers listed in the Table of Contents with your document to make sure they are all accurate. 

A final check is to print out your references, then go through the paper and cross off each reference as it is cited. They should come out even. Make sure citations with 3-6 authors list all the authors the first time cited, and then use et al. When in doubt, check the APA manual for the correct citation. Make sure you have a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), for each article. These are 10-digit numbers unique to each article. They can be found on the first page of electronic articles, near the copyright notice. They are also listed in library databases for each article. Keep in mind some articles, particularly medical ones do not have a DOI. 

All of these self-reviews will take you some time, but you truly will save yourself a great deal of waiting time in the end. In addition, you will be a much better writer for doing it. Eventually, you will do these reviews as you go and it will take much less time. 

Next time, I will consider how long a dissertation takes to complete. 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

The Micro Level Writing Review

How do you review your own writing? Why should you spend time on this? Doing a good review of your writing before you send it to your chair or other committee member can save you a great deal of time in the end. Remember, every time a faculty member reads your paper they are allowed a reasonable time to review it, if you can reduce the number of reviews needed, it can save you months! 

I recommend a several stage process of self-review; you can do the steps in any order that feels comfortable for you. Yes, it will take you time and it is not particularly fun, but it will save valuable time and it will teach you to write! First, review your writing at the micro level of individual paragraphs and sections. Make sure you have spell check and grammar check turned on in your paper. If you are not seeing some words/ sentences underlined in red or green in Word, go to the options menu (often listed under File)/ proofing and make sure spell and grammar check are turned on. Make sure the Exception boxes are not checked (these turn off spelling and grammar checks). Make sure that you then check all of the items in red (spelling) and green (grammar issues) underlining. 

Step 1 is to pick a small section of your paper; read the section aloud, carefully listening for grammatical errors and missing words. You may also wish to consider utilizing and submitting your work, or even small sections of your work to electronic/online academic writing aids such as Grammarly and/or Turnitin.

Step 2, read through the section again checking for APA errors. There are several common problems students have, for example, citations and use of the second person ("we," "our") or third person ("the researcher"). Read those sections of the APA manual and make sure you are doing them correctly. Make sure any jargon is defined (a good rule of thumb, would your grandmother or friend not in your field, understand the term? If not, define it).

Step 3 is the hardest one, check your content. Make sure you are only talking about one topic in each paragraph. Are your arguments clear? Does every fact or statement have a citation? Check the length of your paragraphs and break up long ones (there should be no page long paragraphs).  

Next time, I will consider the macro level of writing review. 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 

Data Collection Issues 5

Inappropriate disclosure. In interviews, you may have someone tell you things that are inappropriate, such scenarios include child or abuse, and disclosing medical or education information. 

What to do? As soon as you realize where they are going, stop them. Say that this is information you should not be told and move on with the study. The exception, is if you are a mandated reporter (check the laws in your state, some states say that everyone is a mandated reporter for child or elder abuse), in this case you are ethically required to report the incident to the appropriate authorities. I suggest first consulting with your committee and the IRB. Your status as a mandated reporter must be disclosed in the consent form. Such disclosures are unusual, but you need to be prepared in case they do happen. 

Whenever you run into something unexpected, know that you can contact your methodologist and/ or the IRB for help. Next time, we will consider issues in quantitative data analyses. 

Next time, I will consider reviewing your own work. 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

Data Collection Issues 4

Incomplete data. Thus far I have been addressing in-person research concerns, but one that is very common with online data collection is participants skipping questions. Some standardized surveys are invalid if questions are skipped.  

What to do? In person, you can do a quick check to see if any data is missing. Online is trickier. Most survey programs (like survey monkey) allow the option for requiring answers to the questions. There are some positives and negatives to consider with this. The positive is that your data will be complete, with no missing responses. The negative is some people will quit the survey if they can’t skip responses.  

Next time, I will finish issues in data collection. 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 

Data Collection Issues 3

Participant Withdrawal. Occasionally you may have participants indicate that they want to stop and do not want to continue in your study. This is most common with special populations, such as the elderly and ill.  

What to do? First, I suggest asking if a break might help (and if you can recognize the need for one early, all the better). Second, as frustrating as it may be, you should just thank them for coming and let them go. 

Next time, I will discuss more issues in data collection. 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

Winter Quarter

As we begin December and the start of winter quarter, it is time to consider your work habits. How can you be more productive with your dissertation? I strongly suggest you pick up my book: Finding Your Way to a Ph.D.: Advice from the Dissertation Mentor that takes you step-by-step through the dissertation process. It discusses dealing with committee members, tips on writing each chapter and getting through the IRB process. Some recent reviews on Amazon: 

"An excellent book for doctoral students who are working on their dissertation. The book provides a step by step guide in how to develop a prospectus to writing your final dissertation chapter. Tips on motivating self is worth reading multiple times. There are many books that try to explain the dissertation process, but fail to answer clearly the students questions. This book is easy to read and a book that should be kept on your desk in eye view, at all times. I encourage all dissertation students to add this book to your library. You will find the book is an excellent reference guide just like the APA Manual book."  

" For any student pursuing a doctorate, this book will be your guide. It is an easy read yet packed with practical and important information to help you achieve your goal of a "done" dissertation! Dr. Stadtlander utilized her wealth of knowledge and experience to create a text for the benefit of all who choose to pursue a doctorate. Thank you for such a reference! I strongly recommend this book. " 

Make yourself a commitment to do all you can to get your dissertation done! 

Next time, I will return to issues in data collection. 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