RE: Six Months To Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months

I was wondering what today’s post should be about when this email came through from a reader of my book…

When people ask me why I do certain things… This is the reason.  Indulge me :)

Greetings Dr. Cinéas,

Now that the dust has settled and this feeling is finally sinking in I had to take a moment to thank you for your book Six Months to Doctor. I started my Ph.D. journey more than a decade ago, but with life and so many setbacks it seems like I was on breaks more than I was enrolled in my program. It was dragging so much that it started to become a joke around my family. Two years ago my husband and I were talking about this again and I told him that I would one day get that degree. When your book arrived last spring I thought he was being sarcastic by ordering it, but I soon realized that he found the tool I needed all these years. My first step after reading Six Months to Doctor was to set a deadline. I went to work regrouping and organizing and following your advice as closely as applicable. The qualifying paper that was hanging over my head for 2 years was done before the start of the fall semester. I immediately got to work on the dissertation and got it done just in time to make the summer graduation. Your book was so helpful and beyond inspirational all through this journey.

I know I didn’t do it in six months, but considering the years I spent just trying to rise to doctoral candidacy, this was a very big deal. Having my family there to see me hooded was an amazing feeling. I thank my husband constantly for getting me your book and I thank you for making this resource available to us. I could wish you wrote it sooner, but I guess we had to wait for you to complete your own Ph.D.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ann

Dissertation Made Easy –18– Getting Out of Revision Junction

Lately I’m hearing a lot about the struggles of students stuck in eternal revision junction. Generally if you are having trouble getting your work approved by your committee there is something that is missing. Nine out of ten times it’s a gap in communication. Either they don’t get your ideas or you don’t get their instructions. Sit down and hash it out. Set appointments with them to discuss what they expect from you as well as what you need from them. It’s much easier to gain a clear understanding when the parties converse. If a face to face is not an option yes, you can settle for a telephone meeting, but the key is that you MUST meet. No matter how smart you are you cannot know what’s in another person’s head. So instead of hitting your head against a wall trying to get through to the other person’s thoughts, just ask them. It’s easier, much less painful and did I mention a great time and energy saver which reduces frustration?

Most of the time your committee wants to help you and they will when you ask. In the off chance you have someone who’s really just looking to run you through the coals, all you do is use their words to back you up. If you ask what they want, and then provide that, their only recourse is to accept it. Stop beating yourself up trying to guess things that could be answered through a single conversation. Save your energy for where it’s needed.

 

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

 

Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy –17– The Waiting Game

Waiting is one of the most nerve wracking and potentially time consuming parts of the dissertation journey. You hurry to get your document in and now have to wait for someone to get back to you. The first thing you need to do to help you through this part is know your school’s policy. Most institutions allow faculty two weeks to review and return your submissions, but you should be able to find your program’s from the student handbook. Follow up with them before that time. Your follow up time line should include an email or call at the half way point and if they have not responded by the school’s set timeline, and another contact a couple of days after a missed turn around due date. Checking in- Seeing if they have any concerns- Something to keep your name and your submission relevant. If you submitted a document to someone who has to submit it to another person, make sure you know who that person is- by name. When you follow up, mention the person’s name – “I’m looking forward to Dr. ___’s feedback” goes a long way. If the person forgot, or did not know the step was to take place they will be prompted to investigate or at least ask you.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

 

Feel free to ask questions.

 

Dissertation Made Easy –16– Narrowing Down to The research Question

Most people start off with a general idea of what they want to study but nothing concrete. Wanting to do some big save the world project that encompasses everything under and above the sun the ideas seem to get broader instead of narrower. There is one very easy starting step to coming to your research question- What do you want to know. It’s great if you have a theory that you want to prove, but that can get fuzzy as passion clouds objectivity and next thing you know you are looking at a 10 year study. If you can figure out what you most want to know about your topic you are off to a great start. Take the time to ask yourself some questions and the answers you need for your proposal will be in there. Ask the questions and listen to the responses.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy –15– Not Neglecting Family & Friends

If you are a doctoral Candidate or even if you are still in classes and have not risen to candidacy yet, there is no doubt that you are busy. If you are working at the time that complicates matters even more. Since you don’t get additional hours in your day spending time with family and friends which doesn’t come with a deadline are often neglected. As much as you can, avoid making that mistake. As people who love you, yes they do need to be understanding of the fact that you are on this doctoral journey. Many will and others you will have to bring to that understanding. Take the time to do it. Friends, spouses, children and other relatives still want to be an active part of your life, even when time does not permit. To prevent completely neglecting them, schedule them into your weeks. Plan a date night with the hubby. Organize an outing with the children. GO TO Sunday dinner at your parents’ home (notice I said GO TO Sunday dinner- don’t get caught up hosting it because you don’t have that kind of time). Meals are always an ideal way to get together because no matter what you still have to eat, so if planned right you hit 2 birds with one stone. Incorporate them in the things that you have to do anyways ie: food, church, exercise, ect., that allows you to stay in the loop while meeting you self-care needs.  This, like all journeys, will eventually come to an end, and you will have more time available to do everything. You just don’t want to walk across that stage and realize that you’ve missed the last 2 years.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy –14– Summer Funner or Bummer?

Summer has arrived and some decision will have to be made about accommodating life and dissertation.  The first thought is to take the summer off to relax- That’s not exactly the best idea.  When you start taking a semester off you start to fall out of your groove of productivity. That makes it much more difficult to get back on task when you return, and the temptation to take one more semester gets even stronger because you “have sooo much to do”.  Another option is to dive into the work all summer and try to catch up or get ahead- That’s not really your best option either. You don’t want to just miss out on the summer. If you have kids they are around more, schedules are flexible and they are eager to get up and go. Even if you don’t have children in your home there is still a great deal of life happening around you that you will feel cheated if you miss it all.

The key is to balance it all. As the season begins you already know of many of the things that are coming up, so plan accordingly. Schedule a couple of trips and a few outings that you know will help you capture your summer fun. Scatter them so that you are not gone so long you fall out of your routine or working so long that you need to include additional  breaks. Events will continue to come up, and as much as you may want to do it all, you may need to say no sometimes, and that is certainly ok.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy –13– Quantitative or Qualitative?

Study design is a very important component of the dissertation journey. The decision between qualitative and quantitative can be challenging but it does not need to be. The question that students ask often is which is easier. The answer is: Both and Neither. They both had the potential to be as easy as they can be a nightmare.

A quantitative study can be very easy if you have ready access too your sample and can get them to willingly participate in your study. At the same time a quantitative study requires many more participants to gain validity. If you can’t get enough people, then that’s a problem.

When you have ready access to conduct in-depth interviews with a small group of participants, a qualitative study a breeze of a task. If the experiences are so different that you can’t really see the trends or draw conclusions, that level of difficulty can quickly increase.

Instead of which one would be easiest, look to see which one would be more effective in helping you get the information you need. Then look at the level of accessibility of your population. You’ll likely find the answer to the question you really mean to ask- Which one would be easiest for MY study?

Design your methodology around your research. Not the other way around.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy –12– When Enough is Enough For Your Lit Review

If you follow my advice, you’ve been working on your lit review way before you completed your coursework. Now that it’s crunch time the question many students have is how long should the lit review be? Most schools don’t have a limit. If there is a limitation set, it would be on the minimum number of pages that it should be. No worries! By the time you complete a thorough review of the literature, you will have left the minimum behind. Now here are my tips for knowing when:

  1. Look for information that supports what you want to study, but does not mean you exclude what disputes your point. You want to know what research has been done on this topic because it not only helps you see what’s out there and where you want your research to fit in- It also gives you’re your reader some background so they get your study and findings.
  2. As you begin your research it’s good to focus on the most recent AND most relevant. This means that even if you are focusing on research from the past 10 years, you are still looking at significant literature from as far back as it exists. For example: You can’t do a lit review about psychoanalysis without including Freud.
  3. When you start the search, yes you are looking for everything. But as you go along, you will start noticing that some things are being repeated. Yes that tells you that this is something to think about, but it also screams enough. If you are going to the library and everything you find you’ve already read, you’ve done an exhaustive search. It’s time to move forward.
  4. Some studies do cover more than one item, and not all of them will pertain to your research. Learn to discriminate. Just because you had to read all 30 pages of the article doesn’t mean your readers have to know about it too. Stick with what is pertinent to your study and ditch the rest. Please don’t take this to mean not including differing view points because they do matter.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy –11– Conquering Your Lit Review

The literature review is one of the most trying parts of a dissertation. Keeping track of 50 plus articles is not an easy task, but there are ways to make the process easier on yourself. Many of us are used to researching, and then writing. This is one place that method should not be applied. As you are reading, start writing your literature review. Every time you read a new piece, fit it in with what you have already written. Whether it’s a new concept or one that supports or disputes existing points add it as you read it, and cite it immediately. As you go along you may need to go back to other things you’ve read, and having the citations there as an easy reference can be helpful.

There many be times that you can’t get to your Lit Review document right away or are not sure how you want present the information you just read. In those cases your first task is to include each of these pieces in a very through annotated bibliography. Be sure to put in as much of the information that you think is pertinent as possible, along with your thoughts on them. This way, when you are ready to include them, you don’t have to read through 30 page articles to figure out what you meant to say about them. Your next task is to include the new literature into you review document as soon as possible.

For more dissertation tips order your copy of Six Months to Doctor: How to Complete a Dissertation in Six Months today at http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my website for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Dissertation Made Easy -10- Getting Started With A Topic

Getting started on a dissertation topic is one of the most difficult parts of a doctorate program. It’s understandable that you want to study so many different things and publish cutting edge work on things you are passionate about. You have to remember that completing your dissertation is not the end of your scholarship but a new elevated beginning. You will have many more opportunities to research and publish your work after graduation. Find one thing that you are passionate about and go with it. If you want to know more about it, and have as many questions as you do, surely others will too. One way you can test the interest is by speaking with others in the field and your advisors. Once you complete the dissertation and get that Dr. before your name there will be many opportunities to conduct other research project, so do not feel you have to put everything you know and have ever thought about in this one project. The dissertation is just one assignment- A GYNORMOUS one, but still one assignment. Find the questions that you want answered and seek to answer them. Narrow down your topic so that you are conducting a single study. Trying to make a bunch of unrelated studies fit together is not necessarily the path to a great dissertation but I certainly is a shortcut to losing your sanity. Keep it focused.

Pick up Six Months to Doctor for more tools http://LakayPublishing.com

Stay tuned to my websites for more tips… www.DrJudiC.com.  Feel free to ask questions.

Feel free to ask questions.

1 2 3 4
  • Dr. Judi Cinéas

  • Dr. Judi Cinéas

  • I am Dr. Judi Cinéas (DrJudiC) the founder of Living The Dream, an organization providing Life Empowerment and Motivational Coaching to South Florida’s elite. With many years of experience as a psychotherapist, I use my counseling skills to help clients maximize their progress. Author of the book Six Months To Dr.: How To Complete A Dissertation In Six Months. I have also been working with doctoral candidates as to help them progress toward completing their theses and dissertations. I hold a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Social Work degree more than 12 years of experience working with individuals, families and organizations providing Counseling and Behavior Modification services in South Florida. After a rough start, I PHinisheD my dissertation in 6 months, and I wrote a book to show others how I did it. I even talk about the mistakes that caused my rough start so others won’t make it too. On this blog, I share some of the things I learned as well.