New beginnings

Today is the first day of fall quarter and a new beginning. Think about your elementary school days and the excitement of a new box of crayons and jar of paste. Just like those beginnings, you too have the chance to begin again with a fresh commitment to your dissertation and new resolve.

Start with laying out your quarter week by week and make yourself a specific goal for each week. Be sure to include any family or work commitments. Consider, given your weekly commitments what can you get done in a given week? How many articles can you read and take notes on? How many pages can you write? If you are new to the dissertation process, talk to your chair about what he or she thinks is reasonable. If you do this planning carefully, you will have a realistic quarter plan. Think of it as syllabus, of things you need to accomplish each week for your course. Follow your plan, make it a priority, and make some great progress this quarter!

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

Resilience

Have you heard of the concept of resilience? It is defined as reflecting the characteristics of inner strength, competence, optimism, flexibility, and the ability to cope effectively when faced with adversity (Wagnild & Young, 1990).

How does resilience apply to a dissertation? This is a long-term project often taking more than a year to complete, it will push you to your limits… in a sporting metaphor this is an ultra-marathon not a sprint. You will need to be tough – enduring criticism, learning new concepts, and coping with adversity when it arises. You will need to be optimistic and stay focused on the positives not the negatives. You will need to believe in yourself.

Take a few moments now and think about why you are getting your doctorate. To get a better job? Fulfill a lifetime goal? How important is it to you to do this? You are tapping into the basis of your resilience. That feeling of commitment will help carry you through the rough times. How to remember it? I suggest getting a photo or small token that reflects your goal. I remember for me it was a little red sports car that symbolized making my own money and choosing my own car. No, I didn’t get a sports car when I was done, but I did get a red Saturn sports coupe that I dearly loved.

What symbolizes your goal and commitment for you? Find something and put it where you will see it every day. Remember resilience: inner strength, competence, optimism, flexibility, and the ability to cope effectively when faced with adversity. I know I believe in you. You can do this!

Next time we take a look at what a it means to do a complete literature 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

Wagnild, G.M & Young, H. (1990). Resilience among older women. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 22, 252–255.

Commitment

"There's no abiding success without commitment." Anthony Robbins

What does commitment mean in terms of a dissertation? My guess would be that everyone would have his or her own views on this, but I will share with you mine. To me, dissertation commitment means first thinking beyond the paper itself. You want to think about why you are getting your doctorate and what that means to you. I truly believe it is that level of thought that will provide the drive to get the paper done.

On a more immediate level, I think commitment is showing up and being involved- which translates to communicating with your chair, reading the literature, and working on the paper. Getting done doesn't happen at the last moment, getting done is a day to day plodding along, doing something on your dissertation every day. You have to recognize that it is not going to be easy, some days it is very painful, you will feel rejected at times, and wonder if you can really do this. It is the commitment to keep going that will see through the process.

In many ways, making the decision to get your PhD and making the commitment to get it done are the most important aspects of the dissertation process. Once these decisions are made, the inertia will carry you through.

Returning to the quote, what does success mean in the dissertation context? I believe there are many aspects of this, finishing the dissertation, attending graduation, being called "doctor" for the first time, and getting a job. Believe it or not, that is only the beginning of a new process requiring new goals and new commitments. If you go into academics, there will be the goals of teaching your first classes, conducting more research, and moving up the organizational ladder. These elements are the "abiding success" of the quote.

Commitment. Day to day goals of writing a little more, reading another article. These will get you done!

Next time, we will look at how to link ideas and literature in your writing. 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

A new faculty interview!

Check out the new interviewer with faculty member, Dr. Jay Greiner at http://jsbhseditorblog.blogspot.com/

What should a lit review include?

From Judi: What exactly does a literature review entail to arrive at a description of the current state of the literature regarding your area of study?

Unfortunately, that is not an easy question, Judi! One of the best ways to approach the literature review is to take an historical approach. In this approach, you trace the development of the concept through time. So let's say you are interested in resilience in the elderly; you would want to see first when resilience begins showing up in the literature as a variable, then when it begins to be applied to the elderly. You would then want to discuss the various ways it has been examined in the population and what the research has reported. By the time you are done, it should be clear to the reader what the current state of the literature is.

One additional aspect that students don't consider is to include how your study will be addressing the issues. Let's say your lit review finds that the topic of resilience has not been applied to the oldest old (people over the age of 85), you would want to point out in your lit review that your study will be adding this element to the literature.

One thing to keep in mind as your write c. 2, by the end of the chapter the reader should be convinced that your study is the next logical step. To get the reader to this point it is important to be pointing out as you go what your study adds, then in the summary you can remind them of these points.

One final reminder, you need to be an expert in your area of study. This means you need to read everything you can find on the topic, even if it is not included in your paper.  Next time, we consider the topic of commitment. 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

Resilience

Have you heard of the concept of resilience? It is defined as reflecting the characteristics of inner strength, competence, optimism, flexibility, and the ability to cope effectively when faced with adversity (Wagnild & Young, 1990).

How does resilience apply to a dissertation? This is a long-term project often taking more than a year to complete, it will push you to your limits… in a sporting metaphor this is an ultra-marathon not a sprint. You will need to be tough – enduring criticism, learning new concepts, and coping with adversity when it arises. You will need to be optimistic and stay focused on the positives not the negatives. You will need to believe in yourself.

Take a few moments now and think about why you are getting your doctorate. To get a better job? Fulfill a lifetime goal? How important is it to you to do this? You are tapping into the basis of your resilience. That feeling of commitment will help carry you through the rough times. How to remember it? I suggest getting a photo or small token that reflects your goal. I remember for me it was a little red sports car that symbolized making my own money and choosing my own car. No, I didn’t get a sports car when I was done, but I did get a red Saturn sports coupe that I dearly loved.

What symbolizes your goal and commitment for you? Find something and put it where you will see it every day. Remember resilience: inner strength, competence, optimism, flexibility, and the ability to cope effectively when faced with adversity. I know I believe in you. You can do this!

Next time we take a look at what a it means to do a complete literature 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

Wagnild, G.M & Young, H. (1990). Resilience among older women. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 22, 252–255.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Sometimes research feels like you aren’t really making progress… you read over the paragraph from yesterday and wonder “what was I thinking?” You discover an article with a study almost exactly like yours. Your chair (committee member, URR) wants yet another revision. How to keep going?

First, realize that while these are maddening, they are also a normal part of the process. It happens to everyone. The difference between the person with an ABD (all but dissertation) and a Ph.D. is the second one keeps going. Yes, you will have days that feel like you are going backward, but you will also have days when you plunge ahead and make progress. Keep going.

Second, know that you are not alone, you have help available- just reach out. Your committee, the writing center and your peers are all available. Let’s consider for a moment how best to approach them. Despite the strong temptation, don’t whine, complain, and blame the world. Say what is going on and what you are looking for from the person. Here’s an example to a peer:

Hi Mindy,

Like you, I am working on my dissertation. I find I am really having problems keeping motivated, would you be interested in being a dissertation buddy with me? I am thinking that perhaps we could commit to contacting each other once a week or so and offering encouragement. It might help me if I felt accountable to you to get something specific done each week. What do you think?

Recognize that they may say no, and that is ok. But if they do say no, have someone else in mind to ask. Keep going until you find the person that you need. You are the only one who can find you the support that you need. It is an important element that may make the difference between your being ABD or having that Ph.D. after your name.

Third, I find it really helpful to set a goal for the week and each day with my writing. What is realistic? Maybe 5 pages a week? Only you know what would be reasonable for you. But make yourself a commitment and stick to it. You will be shocked at the progress you will make. Be sure to allow time for editing, it a very important element of writing and will save you time in the long run.

Next time we will examine the concept of resilience and how it relates to your dissertation. 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