References

The banes of every researcher's existence are reference articles. You have to have them and you have to find a way to organize them. I suggest you think carefully about how you like to read articles- in paper or electronic forms. Use that method when you set up your organization. 

If you like to print out the articles, there are two common organizational methods. One is to have a file box (or cabinet) and file the articles in folders; it is often done by authors' names. A second method is to create reference 3-ring binders; these they can be organized by topic, or author. 

If you prefer to read electronically on the computer, I have some free software to suggest: ReadCube http://www.readcube.com/, Zotero <zotero.com>, and Mendeley <mendeley.com>. these were designed for researchers. They let you access all of your pdf files, organize them by topic, search the files, write comments and highlight articles. They do not tend to not provide a way to write the reference in your paper. An option for that is bibliography software such as Endnote. I don’t use this, because I am terrible about entering them in the database. You will have to decide such things for yourself. 

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? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

The Research Journal

What will you write in your research journal? Anything you do on the project each day. To whom did you talk about the project, what did they say? What articles did you read, what are the important points from them? What ideas do you want to consider later? You can even get fancy and color code such things. You need to be able track the evolution of your thinking on the project and keep track of the day-to-day info that will cross your desk/ computer/ mind. 

There are many ways to approach this- both high and low tech; the main thing is to be consistent with using it. You can certainly use a paper notebook and write things in it. Another alternative is to use Word or One Note (for Microsoft fans). Again more important is consistency of use. I have recently discovered some software that I have been recommending: The Journal <http://www.davidrm.com/> (costs about $50). It is not the easiest software to set up, but is great once you do. It has a daily journal as well what it calls notebooks, in which you can easily document your progress. You can set up multiple notebooks and diaries for different topics/projects. You can also copy from other programs into it, allowing you to keep track of emails, citations, etc. 

Next time, I will discuss keeping references organized. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu 

New researcher interview!

Check out the new researcher interview with Walden's Dr. Diana Jeffery!
http://jsbhseditorblog.blogspot.com/

Keeping Organized

One of the toughest parts of doing research is keeping track of the many pieces of information you collect. You not only want to find things the first time, but be able to find them months later. You also want to be able to recall your rationale for making the decisions that you made along the way and a timeline of when things were done.  

First, let's think about your computer documents. (A warning- I am a windows person, so all of my software info is based on that). It is a really bad idea to just save everything into a single folder, like My Documents. I can guarantee that before long you won't be able to find anything! Instead, create some folders within My Documents. Personally, I would have one folder called Dissertation, within that folder I would have subfolders for Literature, Paper Drafts; later add IRB, and any other major categories you can think of.  I strongly advise saving every paper draft with the date it was written in the name of the file (don’t overwrite your old file – save the draft as a new file). Yes, that means you will have a huge number of files eventually, but (and here is why it is important) if your chair comes back and says – I think you should put back in that section you had on fish guts (or whatever), you still have it and don’t have to rewrite it. You also have a very nice record of the history of the project, and always know what is the most recent draft. 

Always, always back up your files. Get an external hard drive, a flash (or thumb) drive, or a subscription to a cloud backup system and back up your dissertation files at least once a week. You can set your computer to backup automatically. Disasters occur. I have seen several students have their hard drive crash with no backup, losing whatever was on it.  

I propose that you need (at least) three separate organizing systems, which I will discuss over the coming posts: 1) A research journal that keeps track of your day-to-day thoughts on your project. 2) Some way to keep track of references. 3) A future research ideas journal where you can keep track of ideas for future studies.

Next time, I will discuss keeping a research journal. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

The Dissertation Process

A quick overview of the dissertation process. I suggest printing out this list and putting it near your computer. 

Prospectus. This is usually 10-12 pgs. It lays out your study, your chair, committee member, and program director must approve the prospectus. 

Proposal. This consists of Chapter 1 (Introduction), Chapter 2 (Literature Review), and Chapter 3 (Research Methods and Analyses) of your dissertation; typically, these three chapters together are approximately 75-125 pgs. Your chair will work with you on these three chapters. When he or she approves your proposal, you need to complete the checklist (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods as appropriate; available in Research Center). Your proposal and checklist will be sent to your committee member by your chair. You will need to update and send the checklist with each proposal revision to your committee member. When both your chair and committee member are happy with the proposal, your chair sends it to your University Research Reviewer (URR, faculty member appointed by University to double check the paper) for approval, with the checklist. You will need to update and send the checklist with each proposal revision to your URR.  

Oral defense of proposal (1 hr. recorded conference call with chair and committee member), you will need to send a power point presentation of your study to your committee, prior to the call. 

Institutional Review Board (ethics board, IRB), you will need to complete the IRB application (with all of the required materials as indicated on IRB website) and receive their approval. You will also need to complete ethics training online, see the IRB site for the application and info on training. 

Collect data using the steps approved by IRB. If there are any changes to your methods, you need to get approval from the IRB. Your committee and URR should approve any major changes in methods. 

Analyze data, as laid out in chapter 3. Your committee and URR should approve any major changes in analysis. 

Chapter 4 (Results) and Chapter 5 (Summary and Recommendations), are typically another 40-50 pgs. with the full dissertation being all 5 chapters. When your chair approves your dissertation, you need to complete the checklist (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods as appropriate; available in Research Center). Your proposal and checklist will be sent to your committee member by your chair. You will need to update and send the checklist with each revision to your committee member. When both your chair and committee member are happy with the dissertation, your chair sends it to your University Research Reviewer (URR, faculty member appointed by University to double check the paper) for approval, with the checklist. You will need to update and send the checklist with each revision to your URR. 

Form & Style. The full dissertation is sent by the Research Center to Form & Style review (in Writing Center). Since the dissertation will be published, this review makes sure it is in correct publication format and APA formatting is correct.

Oral defense of dissertation (1 hr. recorded conference call with chair and committee member), you will need to send a power point presentation of your study to your committee, prior to the call. 

URR. Chair sends the dissertation back to the URR for a review of any changes since he/she last saw it.

CAO. Abstract is sent by the Research Center to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for approval 

Next time, I will discuss keeping organized. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Spring break!

It is spring break, what are your plans? Many dissertation students tell me they are planning to work on their paper the entire time. While I applaud continuing to work on your paper, I also would like you to consider taking some away from it. Give yourself some time to reconnect with family and friends, catch up on sleep (as Mandy is demonstrating for you!), or just read a trashy novel. A break can give you a chance to recharge and allow you come back to your project with a fresh enthusiasm. 

Next time, I will review the dissertation process. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Next steps

 

Something I would like you to think about is that once you have your doctorate (like recent Dr. GiGi Van Ostrand, in the photo) you will be in a position to make a difference in your community and profession through service. Like what? You could be on the Board of Directors for a nonprofit you like. These are typically unpaid positions, where you get to influence the direction the group will go in the future. You may also be asked to do fundraising, so check on that before you agree; know what is involved. Also, ask about "fiduciary responsibility" (being responsible for money problems) and if the board has some type of liability insurance for its members (they should!). 

Another type of service is using your skills that you have learned in your doctoral program as a volunteer in a nonprofit. Here is an example that I am currently doing. My local no-kill animal shelter collects a great deal of information about each animal and its new adopted owner, but they have not done anything with the data. I am entering all of the data into SPSS and analyzing a year of it for them. They can then use the analyses to better understand their programs and make future changes. I am hoping to publish this data, so I discussed it with the nonprofit's administrators in advance and got IRB approval from my university. This way I have cleared any obstacles for future publication opportunities. 

As a researcher and doctoral scholar, you will have opportunities to make a difference in your community. I hope that you will step up and create change on this local level! You may also want to consider being an officer/ member of the board of directors for state and national professional organizations. Use your expertise for things beyond your own advancement, help your profession and community. 

Next time, we will celebrate spring break. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu