support for dissertation research

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Thesis and Dissertation Support

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The Grad Center is here to help you get started, make steady progress, and complete your thesis or dissertation on time. 

Workshops and Events 

Writing Programs and Support 

Penn Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

Thesis and Dissertation Resources

We offer workshops and information sessions throughout the year designed to support productive research, writing, and degree completion.  

Popular workshops include: 

Publishing Workshop Series  Curious about publishing but not sure where to start? Join the library staff and the Graduate Student Center for workshops on different aspects of the publishing process!

Reference Management Tools  Reference management software can save researchers considerable time and energy in compiling and formatting references for publications. One-hour workshop demonstrating the most widely-used citation management tools. 

Setting Writing Goals We recognize that depending on where you are in your Masters, PhD, or professional program, it may be challenging to find the motivation to write or to establish a routine that is balanced with your personal tasks and obligations. Join the Weingarten Center and Graduate Student Center for our writing goals workshops to learn effective strategies for setting and keeping clear, achievable writing goals and a balanced schedule. 

See all upcoming events

Whether you need intensive writing time or are looking for ongoing writing motivation and feedback, we work with campus partners to provide range of academic writing support. 

Dissertation Boot Camp   Looking for an environment where you can focus solely on writing your dissertation? The Graduate Student Center's popular Dissertation Boot Camp is your two-week writers' retreat. Dissertation Boot Camp was  created at Penn in 2005  to help students progress through the difficult writing stages of the dissertation process. By offering an environment and support for intense, focused writing time, the Camp provides participants with the structure and motivation to overcome typical roadblocks in the dissertation process.   Boot Camp is a two-week long, bi-annual event.  Drop-in Writing Consultations   Weekly drop-in writing consultations with experts from the  Weingarten Center , held throughout the academic year. Weingarten staff can discuss work at every stage, and help you move past difficult roadblocks in the process. Writing Accountability Groups  Whether you’re working on a dissertation, journal article, or other writing project, forming a group with other students working on writing projects is a great way to help one another make progress and meet deadlines, by providing accountability and encouragement along the way. Check out our resources for existing writing groups or fill out the group matching form below and we will help connect you with a writing group or partner!  Writers Retreats & Graduate Writers Rooms  The Grad Center collaborates with campus partners to provide graduate students with the space, structure, and encouragement to make progress towards completing major research-related writing projects. 

See all Academic Writing Programs

Penn Libraries : Offers a great many  workshops  to help in the research and dissertation process. In addition,  subject librarians  are standing by to support teaching, research, and learning. The  Using Electronic Resources  guide provides information on accessing e-resources, optimal browser settings, as well as common connection problems and solutions. They also maintain lists of free or reduced-price  online journals & ebooks  and  streaming video ! 

Office of Regulatory Affairs : Helps to assure that all research conducted at Penn honors Penn's standards for the treatment of people and animals .

Office of the Vice Provost for Research : Provides information on funding opportunities and links to graduate student resources.

Penn Electronic Research Administration (PennERA) : PennERA is a full life-cycle system for research project development, support, and management.

Weigle Information Commons : Supports study groups and collaborative learning and offers training, equipment, and support for digital media. Several support services are provided for students as they work to improve their effectiveness in writing, speaking, and original inquiry. 

Research Tools and Websites  

Penn Libraries guide to  Statistical Software  

Bibliomania : Provides free online literature with more than 2000 classic texts.

Elements of Style Online book : the classic reference book for all writers.

Library of Congress Online research center : provides free educational materials including access to the Library of Congress archives.

Bibliographic & Reference Management Software

BiblioScape : Free Download

Endnote  works well for the health sciences and for large collections of articles, despite some technical and installation issues. Available for a discount at  Penn Computer Connection

Mendeley  is a cloud-based proprietary system that includes Facebook-style social networking, PDF annotation, a platform for self-promotion and crowd-sourcing of citations and annotations. Mendeley has a wide range of functionality but suffers from performance and accuracy issues.

RefWorks  is a stable, well-established platform, but has limitations in terms of working with PDF files. Provided by and integrated with the  Penn Library

Zotero  is an open-source software program that is notable for its ease of use, its ability to grab screenshots, and its capabilities for archiving website content for local storage.

For more details and a handy comparison chart, check out the Penn Libraries'  Citation Management Tools Guide . 

Print Resources  

Wayne C. Booth, Joseph M. Williams, Gregory G. Colomb,  The Craft of Research, Third Edition  (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), (Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 2008)

Carol M. Roberts,  The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and Defending Your Dissertation  (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2004) -  Google Books

Kiel Erik Rudestam, Rae R. Newton,  Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process  (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007) -  Google Books

Dissertation Process

Writing and revising .

The Weingarten Center provides writing consultations to help you organize and make progress on your writing through their Learning Consultations.

LaTeX Fundamentals Tutorials from Penn Libraries: If you're new to using LaTeX to format your thesis or dissertation, check out these short video tutorials from Penn Libraries that include examples and practice exercises!

Defending your Thesis/Dissertation 

Preparing for the Oral Defense of the Dissertation by Marianne Di Pierro  (PDF, opens in new tab)

CWiC : Provides courses and workshops for students to improve speaking abilities.

Productivity

PhinisheD : Discord server group for people working on their dissertations.

Print Resources 

Joan Bolker,  Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis  (New York: Holt, 1998) -  Google Books

Sonja Foss and William Waters,  Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2007) -  Google Books

Jane Burka with Lenora M. Yuen,  Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now  (Cambridge, Mass: Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2008)

Guidelines and Policies

Most academic polices and procedures at Penn are school-based. Students should consult with their school or graduate group with questions or for help in understanding academic policies and procedures.

See our complete list of academic policies in our resource guide or search for university policies by topic in the Graduate Catalog .

Academic Rules for Research Programs

• Academic Rules for PhD Programs
• Academic Rules for Research Master's Programs

Academic Integrity All members of the Penn Community are responsible for upholding the highest standards of honesty and complying Code of Academic Integrity  at all times. 

• Guides on how to properly cite materials included in your document

Research Policies and Guidelines

• Fairness of Authorship Credit in Collaborative Faculty-Student Publications for PhD, AM, and MS Students
• Guidelines for Research in the Community
• Guidelines for Student Protection in Sponsored Research Projects
• Patent and Tangible Research Property Policies and Procedures
• Policy Regarding Human Subject Research in the Sociobehavioral Sciences
• Procedures Regarding Misconduct in Research for Nonfaculty members of the Research Community

Leaves of Absence PhD students will be granted a leave of absence for military duty, medical reasons, or  family leave ; any of these may require documentation. Read more in the PhD Student Leave of Absence Policy .

Dissertation Guides The University's requirements for preparing, formatting, and submitting the dissertation are documented on the Provost's Graduate Degrees website . The website also includes helpful resources, a graduation calendar and checklist, and links to external resources. 

Submission and Graduation

Preparing and filing your thesis/dissertation are the key final steps leading to the awarding of your degree. 

Preparation and Formatting 

University Style Guide for Master's Theses

Dissertation Formatting Guide  (DOCX, opens a download window) The University's requirements for preparing, formatting, and submitting the dissertation are documented in the Dissertation Formatting Guide. The manual also includes helpful resources, a graduation calendar and checklist, and links to external resources. 

Graduation Requirements

The  Office of the Provost  oversees the graduation process for all PhD and Research Master's degrees as well as PhD dissertation and research master’s thesis deposits . The University of Pennsylvania confers degrees in May, August, and December. Commencement and diploma ceremonies are held in May.

Degree candidates must apply to graduate by the date listed in the  Graduation Calendar  to be eligible for the conferral of their degree and issuance of their diploma in a given term. The specific deadlines for deposit and graduation for each degree term are listed in the  Graduation Calendar .

Please note  the deadline to complete all degree requirements and sign up for graduation is several weeks in advance of the graduation date.  

Dissertation Submission At the University of Pennsylvania, each doctoral student presents the dissertation publicly, defends it, and, with the approval of the dissertation committee, submits the final manuscript for publication.

To successfully deposit a PhD dissertation, the University's requirements for formatting the dissertation must be followed, per the  Dissertation Formatting Guide (DOCX, opens a download window) . Research Master's students must follow the Master's Thesis Style Guide . Please read the Formatting FAQs for assistance with formatting your work, as proper formatting may take more time than you anticipate. 

Additional Resources

Penn resources and support.

Office of Student Disabilities Services : Provides comprehensive, professional services and programs for students with disabilities.

Weingarten Center : Offers instruction in academic reading, writing, and study strategies.  The Weingarten Center offers access to  academic support resources  and advising. Students can schedule 50-minute virtual or in-person meetings or sign up for 25-minute virtual or in-person drop-in sessions with a learning instructor  via the MyWeingartenCenter portal  to discuss their study strategies and approaches to a variety of academic assignments and assessments.

Counseling Services : Offers counseling and graduate student specific support groups.

Funding your research : Visit our Graduate Funding page 

Graduate Group Review Student Feedback Form Graduate Groups are periodically reviewed by the Graduate Council of the Faculties (GCF) in order to identify strengths and weaknesses within each program, and to recommend any changes that may help to improve the Graduate Group. This feedback form is intended to solicit general information and impressions about your graduate school experiences to share with GCF. If there is a specific incident you would like to report, please use the University’s  Bias Incident Reporting Form .

Global Resources

Penn Global  Before going abroad for academic work, be sure to check out Penn Global's International Travel Guidance page, which provides help during an emergency abroad, research concerns when abroad, travel arrangements, visa information and more. Be sure to register your trip  to stay connected to Penn resources in the event of an emergency and pre-authorize any necessary medical insurance coverage. 

Perry World House  Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania (PWH) is a global policy research center that aims to advance interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research on the world’s most urgent global affairs challenges. At a time of increasing ideological division and highly politicized of policymaking, PWH draws on the wide range of expertise found across Penn’s 12 Schools, connecting Penn with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from around the world to develop and advance innovative policy proposals.  

Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement  The Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania is founded on the principle that a democratic, open, secure, tolerant, and interconnected world benefits all Americans. Based in Washington, D.C., the Penn Biden Center engages more of our fellow citizens in shaping this world, while ensuring the gains of global engagement are widely shared.  

Penn Abroad Penn Abroad serves as the hub for student global opportunities at the University of Pennsylvania. Each year Penn Abroad sends more than 1,000 Penn students to over 50 countries around the world on semester study abroad, summer internships, and embedded Global Seminars. Explore our website to find information about the many global opportunities available to Penn students. 

International Student and Scholar Services International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) aims to provide immigration assistance as well as a sense of community for the international population at Penn.  In addition to answering your technical questions about immigration, ISSS also offers student programs and leadership opportunities for students, such as Forerunner and the Intercultural Leadership Program (ILP), to foster meaningful engagement throughout their journey with Penn. 

Resources in Print

Robert L. Peters,  Getting What You Came for: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or a Ph.D.  (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997)

Emily Toth,  Ms Mentor's New and Ever More Impeccable Advice for Women and Men in Academia   (Philadelphia, U Penn Press, 2008)

Penn's Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an annual, university-wide competition for doctoral and research students to develop and showcase their research communication skills through brief, 3-minute presentations. 

Learn more 

Have suggestions for more helpful resources? Let us know !

Graduate Student Center University of Pennsylvania 3615 Locust Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 215-746-6868

[email protected]

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Thesis and Dissertation: Getting Started

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The resources in this section are designed to provide guidance for the first steps of the thesis or dissertation writing process. They offer tools to support the planning and managing of your project, including writing out your weekly schedule, outlining your goals, and organzing the various working elements of your project.

Weekly Goals Sheet (a.k.a. Life Map) [Word Doc]

This editable handout provides a place for you to fill in available time blocks on a weekly chart that will help you visualize the amount of time you have available to write. By using this chart, you will be able to work your writing goals into your schedule and put these goals into perspective with your day-to-day plans and responsibilities each week. This handout also contains a formula to help you determine the minimum number of pages you would need to write per day in order to complete your writing on time.

Setting a Production Schedule (Word Doc)

This editable handout can help you make sense of the various steps involved in the production of your thesis or dissertation and determine how long each step might take. A large part of this process involves (1) seeking out the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding specific document formatting requirements, (2) understanding research protocol limitations, (3) making note of deadlines, and (4) understanding your personal writing habits.

Creating a Roadmap (PDF)

Part of organizing your writing involves having a clear sense of how the different working parts relate to one another. Creating a roadmap for your dissertation early on can help you determine what the final document will include and how all the pieces are connected. This resource offers guidance on several approaches to creating a roadmap, including creating lists, maps, nut-shells, visuals, and different methods for outlining. It is important to remember that you can create more than one roadmap (or more than one type of roadmap) depending on how the different approaches discussed here meet your needs.

Dissertation Strategies

What this handout is about.

This handout suggests strategies for developing healthy writing habits during your dissertation journey. These habits can help you maintain your writing momentum, overcome anxiety and procrastination, and foster wellbeing during one of the most challenging times in graduate school.

Tackling a giant project

Because dissertations are, of course, big projects, it’s no surprise that planning, writing, and revising one can pose some challenges! It can help to think of your dissertation as an expanded version of a long essay: at the end of the day, it is simply another piece of writing. You’ve written your way this far into your degree, so you’ve got the skills! You’ll develop a great deal of expertise on your topic, but you may still be a novice with this genre and writing at this length. Remember to give yourself some grace throughout the project. As you begin, it’s helpful to consider two overarching strategies throughout the process.

First, take stock of how you learn and your own writing processes. What strategies have worked and have not worked for you? Why? What kind of learner and writer are you? Capitalize on what’s working and experiment with new strategies when something’s not working. Keep in mind that trying out new strategies can take some trial-and-error, and it’s okay if a new strategy that you try doesn’t work for you. Consider why it may not have been the best for you, and use that reflection to consider other strategies that might be helpful to you.

Second, break the project into manageable chunks. At every stage of the process, try to identify specific tasks, set small, feasible goals, and have clear, concrete strategies for achieving each goal. Small victories can help you establish and maintain the momentum you need to keep yourself going.

Below, we discuss some possible strategies to keep you moving forward in the dissertation process.

Pre-dissertation planning strategies

Get familiar with the Graduate School’s Thesis and Dissertation Resources .

Learn how to use a citation-manager and a synthesis matrix to keep track of all of your source information.

Skim other dissertations from your department, program, and advisor. Enlist the help of a librarian or ask your advisor for a list of recent graduates whose work you can look up. Seeing what other people have done to earn their PhD can make the project much less abstract and daunting. A concrete sense of expectations will help you envision and plan. When you know what you’ll be doing, try to find a dissertation from your department that is similar enough that you can use it as a reference model when you run into concerns about formatting, structure, level of detail, etc.

Think carefully about your committee . Ideally, you’ll be able to select a group of people who work well with you and with each other. Consult with your advisor about who might be good collaborators for your project and who might not be the best fit. Consider what classes you’ve taken and how you “vibe” with those professors or those you’ve met outside of class. Try to learn what you can about how they’ve worked with other students. Ask about feedback style, turnaround time, level of involvement, etc., and imagine how that would work for you.

Sketch out a sensible drafting order for your project. Be open to writing chapters in “the wrong order” if it makes sense to start somewhere other than the beginning. You could begin with the section that seems easiest for you to write to gain momentum.

Design a productivity alliance with your advisor . Talk with them about potential projects and a reasonable timeline. Discuss how you’ll work together to keep your work moving forward. You might discuss having a standing meeting to discuss ideas or drafts or issues (bi-weekly? monthly?), your advisor’s preferences for drafts (rough? polished?), your preferences for what you’d like feedback on (early or late drafts?), reasonable turnaround time for feedback (a week? two?), and anything else you can think of to enter the collaboration mindfully.

Design a productivity alliance with your colleagues . Dissertation writing can be lonely, but writing with friends, meeting for updates over your beverage of choice, and scheduling non-working social times can help you maintain healthy energy. See our tips on accountability strategies for ideas to support each other.

Productivity strategies

Write when you’re most productive. When do you have the most energy? Focus? Creativity? When are you most able to concentrate, either because of your body rhythms or because there are fewer demands on your time? Once you determine the hours that are most productive for you (you may need to experiment at first), try to schedule those hours for dissertation work. See the collection of time management tools and planning calendars on the Learning Center’s Tips & Tools page to help you think through the possibilities. If at all possible, plan your work schedule, errands and chores so that you reserve your productive hours for the dissertation.

Put your writing time firmly on your calendar . Guard your writing time diligently. You’ll probably be invited to do other things during your productive writing times, but do your absolute best to say no and to offer alternatives. No one would hold it against you if you said no because you’re teaching a class at that time—and you wouldn’t feel guilty about saying no. Cultivating the same hard, guilt-free boundaries around your writing time will allow you preserve the time you need to get this thing done!

Develop habits that foster balance . You’ll have to work very hard to get this dissertation finished, but you can do that without sacrificing your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Think about how you can structure your work hours most efficiently so that you have time for a healthy non-work life. It can be something as small as limiting the time you spend chatting with fellow students to a few minutes instead of treating the office or lab as a space for extensive socializing. Also see above for protecting your time.

Write in spaces where you can be productive. Figure out where you work well and plan to be there during your dissertation work hours. Do you get more done on campus or at home? Do you prefer quiet and solitude, like in a library carrel? Do you prefer the buzz of background noise, like in a coffee shop? Are you aware of the UNC Libraries’ list of places to study ? If you get “stuck,” don’t be afraid to try a change of scenery. The variety may be just enough to get your brain going again.

Work where you feel comfortable . Wherever you work, make sure you have whatever lighting, furniture, and accessories you need to keep your posture and health in good order. The University Health and Safety office offers guidelines for healthy computer work . You’re more likely to spend time working in a space that doesn’t physically hurt you. Also consider how you could make your work space as inviting as possible. Some people find that it helps to have pictures of family and friends on their desk—sort of a silent “cheering section.” Some people work well with neutral colors around them, and others prefer bright colors that perk up the space. Some people like to put inspirational quotations in their workspace or encouraging notes from friends and family. You might try reconfiguring your work space to find a décor that helps you be productive.

Elicit helpful feedback from various people at various stages . You might be tempted to keep your writing to yourself until you think it’s brilliant, but you can lower the stakes tremendously if you make eliciting feedback a regular part of your writing process. Your friends can feel like a safer audience for ideas or drafts in their early stages. Someone outside your department may provide interesting perspectives from their discipline that spark your own thinking. See this handout on getting feedback for productive moments for feedback, the value of different kinds of feedback providers, and strategies for eliciting what’s most helpful to you. Make this a recurring part of your writing process. Schedule it to help you hit deadlines.

Change the writing task . When you don’t feel like writing, you can do something different or you can do something differently. Make a list of all the little things you need to do for a given section of the dissertation, no matter how small. Choose a task based on your energy level. Work on Grad School requirements: reformat margins, work on bibliography, and all that. Work on your acknowledgements. Remember all the people who have helped you and the great ideas they’ve helped you develop. You may feel more like working afterward. Write a part of your dissertation as a letter or email to a good friend who would care. Sometimes setting aside the academic prose and just writing it to a buddy can be liberating and help you get the ideas out there. You can make it sound smart later. Free-write about why you’re stuck, and perhaps even about how sick and tired you are of your dissertation/advisor/committee/etc. Venting can sometimes get you past the emotions of writer’s block and move you toward creative solutions. Open a separate document and write your thoughts on various things you’ve read. These may or may note be coherent, connected ideas, and they may or may not make it into your dissertation. They’re just notes that allow you to think things through and/or note what you want to revisit later, so it’s perfectly fine to have mistakes, weird organization, etc. Just let your mind wander on paper.

Develop habits that foster productivity and may help you develop a productive writing model for post-dissertation writing . Since dissertations are very long projects, cultivating habits that will help support your work is important. You might check out Helen Sword’s work on behavioral, artisanal, social, and emotional habits to help you get a sense of where you are in your current habits. You might try developing “rituals” of work that could help you get more done. Lighting incense, brewing a pot of a particular kind of tea, pulling out a favorite pen, and other ritualistic behaviors can signal your brain that “it is time to get down to business.” You can critically think about your work methods—not only about what you like to do, but also what actually helps you be productive. You may LOVE to listen to your favorite band while you write, for example, but if you wind up playing air guitar half the time instead of writing, it isn’t a habit worth keeping.

The point is, figure out what works for you and try to do it consistently. Your productive habits will reinforce themselves over time. If you find yourself in a situation, however, that doesn’t match your preferences, don’t let it stop you from working on your dissertation. Try to be flexible and open to experimenting. You might find some new favorites!

Motivational strategies

Schedule a regular activity with other people that involves your dissertation. Set up a coworking date with your accountability buddies so you can sit and write together. Organize a chapter swap. Make regular appointments with your advisor. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that you’ll feel good about showing up for–and will make you feel good about showing up for others.

Try writing in sprints . Many writers have discovered that the “Pomodoro technique” (writing for 25 minutes and taking a 5 minute break) boosts their productivity by helping them set small writing goals, focus intently for short periods, and give their brains frequent rests. See how one dissertation writer describes it in this blog post on the Pomodoro technique .

Quit while you’re ahead . Sometimes it helps to stop for the day when you’re on a roll. If you’ve got a great idea that you’re developing and you know where you want to go next, write “Next, I want to introduce x, y, and z and explain how they’re related—they all have the same characteristics of 1 and 2, and that clinches my theory of Q.” Then save the file and turn off the computer, or put down the notepad. When you come back tomorrow, you will already know what to say next–and all that will be left is to say it. Hopefully, the momentum will carry you forward.

Write your dissertation in single-space . When you need a boost, double space it and be impressed with how many pages you’ve written.

Set feasible goals–and celebrate the achievements! Setting and achieving smaller, more reasonable goals ( SMART goals ) gives you success, and that success can motivate you to focus on the next small step…and the next one.

Give yourself rewards along the way . When you meet a writing goal, reward yourself with something you normally wouldn’t have or do–this can be anything that will make you feel good about your accomplishment.

Make the act of writing be its own reward . For example, if you love a particular coffee drink from your favorite shop, save it as a special drink to enjoy during your writing time.

Try giving yourself “pre-wards” —positive experiences that help you feel refreshed and recharged for the next time you write. You don’t have to “earn” these with prior work, but you do have to commit to doing the work afterward.

Commit to doing something you don’t want to do if you don’t achieve your goal. Some people find themselves motivated to work harder when there’s a negative incentive. What would you most like to avoid? Watching a movie you hate? Donating to a cause you don’t support? Whatever it is, how can you ensure enforcement? Who can help you stay accountable?

Affective strategies

Build your confidence . It is not uncommon to feel “imposter phenomenon” during the course of writing your dissertation. If you start to feel this way, it can help to take a few minutes to remember every success you’ve had along the way. You’ve earned your place, and people have confidence in you for good reasons. It’s also helpful to remember that every one of the brilliant people around you is experiencing the same lack of confidence because you’re all in a new context with new tasks and new expectations. You’re not supposed to have it all figured out. You’re supposed to have uncertainties and questions and things to learn. Remember that they wouldn’t have accepted you to the program if they weren’t confident that you’d succeed. See our self-scripting handout for strategies to turn these affirmations into a self-script that you repeat whenever you’re experiencing doubts or other negative thoughts. You can do it!

Appreciate your successes . Not meeting a goal isn’t a failure–and it certainly doesn’t make you a failure. It’s an opportunity to figure out why you didn’t meet the goal. It might simply be that the goal wasn’t achievable in the first place. See the SMART goal handout and think through what you can adjust. Even if you meant to write 1500 words, focus on the success of writing 250 or 500 words that you didn’t have before.

Remember your “why.” There are a whole host of reasons why someone might decide to pursue a PhD, both personally and professionally. Reflecting on what is motivating to you can rekindle your sense of purpose and direction.

Get outside support . Sometimes it can be really helpful to get an outside perspective on your work and anxieties as a way of grounding yourself. Participating in groups like the Dissertation Support group through CAPS and the Dissertation Boot Camp can help you see that you’re not alone in the challenges. You might also choose to form your own writing support group with colleagues inside or outside your department.

Understand and manage your procrastination . When you’re writing a long dissertation, it can be easy to procrastinate! For instance, you might put off writing because the house “isn’t clean enough” or because you’re not in the right “space” (mentally or physically) to write, so you put off writing until the house is cleaned and everything is in its right place. You may have other ways of procrastinating. It can be helpful to be self-aware of when you’re procrastinating and to consider why you are procrastinating. It may be that you’re anxious about writing the perfect draft, for example, in which case you might consider: how can I focus on writing something that just makes progress as opposed to being “perfect”? There are lots of different ways of managing procrastination; one way is to make a schedule of all the things you already have to do (when you absolutely can’t write) to help you visualize those chunks of time when you can. See this handout on procrastination for more strategies and tools for managing procrastination.

Your topic, your advisor, and your committee: Making them work for you

By the time you’ve reached this stage, you have probably already defended a dissertation proposal, chosen an advisor, and begun working with a committee. Sometimes, however, those three elements can prove to be major external sources of frustration. So how can you manage them to help yourself be as productive as possible?

Managing your topic

Remember that your topic is not carved in stone . The research and writing plan suggested in your dissertation proposal was your best vision of the project at that time, but topics evolve as the research and writing progress. You might need to tweak your research question a bit to reduce or adjust the scope, you might pare down certain parts of the project or add others. You can discuss your thoughts on these adjustments with your advisor at your check ins.

Think about variables that could be cut down and how changes would affect the length, depth, breadth, and scholarly value of your study. Could you cut one or two experiments, case studies, regions, years, theorists, or chapters and still make a valuable contribution or, even more simply, just finish?

Talk to your advisor about any changes you might make . They may be quite sympathetic to your desire to shorten an unwieldy project and may offer suggestions.

Look at other dissertations from your department to get a sense of what the chapters should look like. Reverse-outline a few chapters so you can see if there’s a pattern of typical components and how information is sequenced. These can serve as models for your own dissertation. See this video on reverse outlining to see the technique.

Managing your advisor

Embrace your evolving status . At this stage in your graduate career, you should expect to assume some independence. By the time you finish your project, you will know more about your subject than your committee does. The student/teacher relationship you have with your advisor will necessarily change as you take this big step toward becoming their colleague.

Revisit the alliance . If the interaction with your advisor isn’t matching the original agreement or the original plan isn’t working as well as it could, schedule a conversation to revisit and redesign your working relationship in a way that could work for both of you.

Be specific in your feedback requests . Tell your advisor what kind of feedback would be most helpful to you. Sometimes an advisor can be giving unhelpful or discouraging feedback without realizing it. They might make extensive sentence-level edits when you really need conceptual feedback, or vice-versa, if you only ask generally for feedback. Letting your advisor know, very specifically, what kinds of responses will be helpful to you at different stages of the writing process can help your advisor know how to help you.

Don’t hide . Advisors can be most helpful if they know what you are working on, what problems you are experiencing, and what progress you have made. If you haven’t made the progress you were hoping for, it only makes it worse if you avoid talking to them. You rob yourself of their expertise and support, and you might start a spiral of guilt, shame, and avoidance. Even if it’s difficult, it may be better to be candid about your struggles.

Talk to other students who have the same advisor . You may find that they have developed strategies for working with your advisor that could help you communicate more effectively with them.

If you have recurring problems communicating with your advisor , you can make a change. You could change advisors completely, but a less dramatic option might be to find another committee member who might be willing to serve as a “secondary advisor” and give you the kinds of feedback and support that you may need.

Managing your committee

Design the alliance . Talk with your committee members about how much they’d like to be involved in your writing process, whether they’d like to see chapter drafts or the complete draft, how frequently they’d like to meet (or not), etc. Your advisor can guide you on how committees usually work, but think carefully about how you’d like the relationship to function too.

Keep in regular contact with your committee , even if they don’t want to see your work until it has been approved by your advisor. Let them know about fellowships you receive, fruitful research excursions, the directions your thinking is taking, and the plans you have for completion. In short, keep them aware that you are working hard and making progress. Also, look for other ways to get facetime with your committee even if it’s not a one-on-one meeting. Things like speaking with them at department events, going to colloquiums or other events they organize and/or attend regularly can help you develop a relationship that could lead to other introductions and collaborations as your career progresses.

Share your struggles . Too often, we only talk to our professors when we’re making progress and hide from them the rest of the time. If you share your frustrations or setbacks with a knowledgeable committee member, they might offer some very helpful suggestions for overcoming the obstacles you face—after all, your committee members have all written major research projects before, and they have probably solved similar problems in their own work.

Stay true to yourself . Sometimes, you just don’t entirely gel with your committee, but that’s okay. It’s important not to get too hung up on how your committee does (or doesn’t) relate to you. Keep your eye on the finish line and keep moving forward.

Helpful websites:

Graduate School Diversity Initiatives : Groups and events to support the success of students identifying with an affinity group.

Graduate School Career Well : Extensive professional development resources related to writing, research, networking, job search, etc.

CAPS Therapy Groups : CAPS offers a variety of support groups, including a dissertation support group.

Advice on Research and Writing : Lots of links on writing, public speaking, dissertation management, burnout, and more.

How to be a Good Graduate Student: Marie DesJardins’ essay talks about several phases of the graduate experience, including the dissertation. She discusses some helpful hints for staying motivated and doing consistent work.

Preparing Future Faculty : This page, a joint project of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the Pew Charitable Trusts, explains the Preparing Future Faculty Programs and includes links and suggestions that may help graduate students and their advisors think constructively about the process of graduate education as a step toward faculty responsibilities.

Dissertation Tips : Kjell Erik Rudestam, Ph.D. and Rae Newton, Ph.D., authors of Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process.

The ABD Survival Guide Newsletter : Information about the ABD Survival Guide newsletter (which is free) and other services from E-Coach (many of which are not free).

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Dissertation Help

For more than a decade, Precision Consulting has been the premier, full-service academic consulting firm for master’s and doctoral candidates completing thesis, dissertation, capstone, and project study research . Over the years, we’ve refined and expanded our dissertation and thesis help services to provide the most comprehensive support available throughout the research process. Our team of dedicated academic consultants, statisticians, qualitative research experts, and analysts can offer you whatever support you might require to ensure you receive approval faster from your chair and university reviewers throughout your graduate research journey.

Unlike other dissertation consulting firms, which tend to focus on targeted assistance for one aspect of academic research or dissertation assistance–whether that’s statistical analysis or dissertation editing –at Precision, we can help you from the earliest stages of identifying and developing your topic , and continue to help you with your dissertation as you develop your full study. Unlike independent dissertation consultants or editing services, we can help you identify recent studies to support your research gap for your literature review , finalize a compelling research design, and assist you with your analysis to ensure you have robust results to your research questions. Then, once your dissertation or thesis writing is complete, we remain with you to ensure that your work is clear, concise, and follows all style and formatting guidelines, before helping you prepare for a smooth final defense .

There are 3 ways to initiate contact with us:

• Please review and submit the following form. Someone from our team will contact you within 1 hour (during business hours), or at your requested time.
• Alternatively, our consulting team is available via telephone Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M Eastern Time (5:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M Pacific Time), and from 8:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time on Saturday (5:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M Pacific Time). Feel free to call us on (702) 708-1411 !
• We also pride ourselves on our very prompt and in-depth e-mail responses, 365 days per year. We normally answer all urgent queries very promptly, including late-night and weekend requests. You can email us at [email protected]

Please be prepared to discuss the specifics of your project, your timeline for assistance, and any other relevant information regarding your proposed consultation. We respect the confidentiality of your project and will, at your request, supply you with a Non-Disclosure Agreement before discussing specifics.

Dissertation Help – Alignment

Our academic consulting is truly client-focused and based on each researcher’s goals for his or her study. This personalized approach to dissertation assistance guarantees that you’ll have one individual working with you throughout the process, so that you can feel confident that our assistance will be tailored to your specific needs and preferences at every stage. Here are some typical questions we ask new clients in order to provide a detailed individual plan and quote:

What is your field of study, and have you selected a topic?

At Precision, we’ve worked with doctoral candidates and academic researchers in almost every subject, from marketing analytics, to alternative pharmacology, to parental involvement, which means we can guarantee your work will be reviewed by someone knowledgeable in your topic.

That being said, for over a decade, we have developed a particular expertise in four core research areas. Please click on your topic below for a more detailed discussion:

• Qualitative exploration of post-traumatic growth related to participation in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy among women who have experienced intimate partner violence
• Phenomenological exploration of patients’ experiences of betrayal trauma and development of alcohol addiction
• Quantitative examination of mindfulness meditation for reduction of stress and anxiety in veterans
• Qualitative descriptive study of therapists’ experiences developing a therapeutic alliance with patients with bipolar disorder
• Quantitative investigation of the relationship between family support and occupational functioning in persons with schizophrenia
• Qualitative case study on communication and conflict in the context of group problem-solving in small organizations
• Quantitative examination of the mediating influence of organizational justice in the relationship between leadership style and organizational citizenship behaviors
• Qualitative case study exploration of stress, burnout, and employer-provided coping programs among paramedics
• Quantitative investigation of work group diversity, employee autonomy, and innovation
• Qualitative phenomenological exploration of women’s experiences of mentoring and leadership attainment in male-dominated industries
• Quantitative examination of age-related stereotyping among young adults with social networks of varied diversity
• Qualitative exploration of meanings of violence in popular culture as interpreted by adolescent males
• Mixed methods investigation of perceptions of in-group versus out-group bias and bullying behavior among graduate students
• Qualitative content analysis of persuasive techniques used in online recruitment communications related to hate groups
• Quantitative examination of church membership, social identification, and psychological well being in retired adults
• Quantitative longitudinal examination of special education students’ emotion regulation and academic progress from elementary to middle school
• Qualitative descriptive exploration of married couples’ perceptions of attachment style and marital conflict
• Quantitative investigation of math intervention effects on achievement among low-SES, urban high school students
• Quantitative examination of resilience in adolescents who have experienced multiple foster care placements
• Qualitative exploration of social adjustment and well being among young adults following transition from high school to college
• Qualitative ethnographic exploration of African American adolescents’ experiences of exclusionary discipline in high school
• Qualitative phenomenological exploration of marginalization and empowerment experiences of formerly incarcerated adults as they re-entered the workplace
• Mixed methods program evaluation of an information-based health and wellness program for low-SES Latinx and African American adults
• Participatory action research on social supports that facilitate housing stability in individuals who have experienced homelessness
• Qualitative interpretative phenomenological exploration of drug addiction recovery experiences of individuals living in high-crime neighborhoods
• Corporate social responsibility and investment strategies
• Determinants of small business success in emerging economies
• Socioeconomic inequality and access to healthcare in the United States
• Gender and unemployment in the context of recession
• Protestantism (including, but not limited to, Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican, Wesleyan, Evangelical, and Pentecostal)
• Roman Catholicism
• Eastern Orthodoxy
• Oriental Orthodoxy
• DNP topic: Effects of an intervention to improve patient literacy regarding lifestyle choices and heart disease
• DNP topic: Quasi-experimental assessment of staff education program related to metabolic syndrome and diabetes
• PhD topic: Qualitative case study on the role of nurse educators in developing a culture of civility and respect among nursing students
• PhD topic: Quantitative examination of factors related to caregiver burnout in long-term care facilities
• Quantitative examination of PTSD prevalence, risk factors, and treatments within residential facilities for children and youths with disabilities in a rural region of a state in the Southwestern U.S.
• Quantitative investigation of opioid abuse indicators before and after marijuana legalization in a Western state
• Mixed methods case study of a peer-led school intervention to prevent tobacco or e-cigarette use among high school students
• Quantitative examination of sleep quality and quantity as it relates to accidents and injuries in manufacturing facilities
• Quantitative examination of engagement and performance in STEM classes among middle and high school girls
• Qualitative case study on a middle school schoolwide bullying education and prevention program
• Qualitative phenomenological exploration of novice teachers’ lived experiences with classroom management
• Quantitative examination of teacher characteristics, self-efficacy, and student engagement in urban high schools
• Qualitative case study on use of visual communication systems to support high school students with autism with classroom tasks and routines
• Quantitative quasi-experimental evaluation of a video-based instructional program in math for students with intellectual disabilities
• Qualitative descriptive exploration of special education teachers’ preferred methods of coping to prevent burnout
• Quantitative investigation of teacher qualifications and student performance in self-contained special education classrooms
• Quantitative examination of a social skills training program for high school students with severe disabilities
• Quantitative investigation of technology-assisted learning for students with learning disabilities
• Quantitative quasi-experimental evaluation of blended versus face-to-face learning outcomes for community college psychology students
• Quantitative examination of student characteristics related to academic performance in online versus face-to-face college courses
• Qualitative case study of a problem-based learning approach for a high school persuasive writing project
• Qualitative case study exploration of student perceptions of instructor and peer interaction in an online college course and engagement with course material
• Quantitative examination of principal leadership style in relation to teacher performance, teacher retention, and student performance
• Qualitative case study of teachers’ perceptions of benefits and barriers to implementation of new school wide multi-tiered system of supports
• Qualitative phenomenological exploration of mentoring experiences among African American leaders in college and university settings
• Quantitative investigation of factors associated with burnout and attrition in both novice and experienced middle school teachers
• Qualitative descriptive study of teachers’ experiences with effective and ineffective principal leadership
• Cross-national comparison of millennial employee engagement
• The relationship between operational effectiveness and leadership styles
• Corporate responsibility marketing campaigns and improved profitability
• Project management metrics for large-scale construction
• Accounting fraud and government responses in emerging markets
• Tourism and consumer loyalty in developing countries
• Africana Studies The inclusion of African intellectuals, scientists, activists, and leaders who have made significant contributions, is a relatively new addition to academia. Through social reform, perseverance and time, African voices who were relatively unknown with their achievements being understated for a significant portion of the 21st century are getting more of the acknowledgment that they deserve. Since we work with clients internationally and often partner with researchers at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), at Precision, we know that the HBCU fight for educational equality is one side of the coin of acknowledgment sought by those of African descent throughout the United States and around the world. At Precision, we are honored to help graduate researchers of all backgrounds who are looking to understand complex relationships between different ethnic groups existing inside relatively new European-made borders on the African continent. We also work hand-in-hand with researchers examining the lingering psychological and social implications that exist for those of the African diaspora in the United States. Often, this research has applications to the fields of social justice and gender equality. Social Justice: The concept of social justice can be much more than merely an academic concept as African Americans and those of African descent around the world work to achieve Na’im Akbar’s dream of “breaking the chains of psychological slavery”. Part of the path to psychological healing is by honoring and better understanding the literary and social impact of authors like Wole Soyinka, Alain Mabanckou, and Chinua Achebe. By shining a light on the realities of social mores, social perceptions of Africana, and day-to-day interactions, whether satirically or with candor, key discussions about economic, political and social equality for those of African descent can be established. Even though colleges and universities no longer limit or bar access to enrollment on the basis of race or ethnicity, there are other barriers to entry for many students of African descent. Obstacles to receiving a higher education are especially pronounced for first-generation college students from low-income families. HBCUs continue to represent an important avenue of higher education for hundreds of thousands of students across the United States in spite of the social progress that has been made since the 60’s. There is still ground to cover in order to achieve educational equality, and HBCUs, when compared with PWIs, have higher graduation rates for low-income African American students. Some HBCUs, like Howard, even boast significantly higher retention rates than the national average. Social justice in the field of Africana Studies helps to tell the story of perseverance through segregation, discrimination, and blatant violence in order to overcome prejudice. The HBCU’s that we partner with understand that social justice is an integral part of the African American struggle to first, be seen as humans with rights and then to be seen as equal citizens rather than as expendable, marginalized, second-class citizens. To this day, HCBUs are a core part of the fight to elevate quality education for African Americans by refusing to accept a forced ignorance stemming out of educational inequity. For example, Howard University’s Center on Race and Wealth focuses on research and policy related to racial disparities in areas including wealth accumulation, poverty, and law enforcement. Morehouse College’s School of Medicine has worked to address racial health disparities through ongoing research and policy recommendations. Xavier University of Louisiana’s Division of Education and Counseling has committed to improving outcomes of diverse learners through its program of research, which attends to the role of race, ethnicity, poverty, gender, and disability in academic achievement. HBCUs continue to provide an excellent platform for expanding the possibilities and nurturing the potential of African American students in an environment that naturally applies a culturally relevant pedagogy. Gender Equality: Gender equality in Africana Studies often intertwines with concepts of social justice, but is such an important field of study that it stands on its own merits. At Precision, we often participate in research that focuses on gender equality. The use of theories such as Feminist Standpoint Theory and research designs such as phenomenology align well with this type of research. We’re proud to assist with studies highlighting African contributions to STEM and women’s rights by partnering with researchers building studies that are only possible thanks to the efforts and accomplishments of people like Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai, the first female professor in Kenya as well as the first African female Nobel Peace Prize winner and Dr. Margaret Mungherera who was the first female president of the World Medical Association. The diversity of experience across the continent of Africa is reflected in the broad scope of research and innovation seen from one country to the next. All of these accomplishments provide a foundation for researchers around the world to continue uncovering new paradigms and understandings for what concepts like social justice and gender equality, and at Precision we believe that they must not be overlooked. Social Justice and Gender equality often affect public policy. Research in Africana Studies plays a vital role in working to empower and improve the lives of African descendants from one generation to the next. Precision is honored to assist graduate researchers at HBCUs and other institutions with such impactful research by examining core issues through both qualitative and quantitative lenses. Since we are well versed with the types of methodologies, constructs, and theories that lend themselves well to Africana Studies based research we often assist with the exploration of the particular viewpoints and interpretations that participants have to share. The qualitative explorations of the experiences of marginalized persons is an important aspect of respecting that these individuals are the experts on their own experiences. Although qualitative methods are ideal for capturing the first-hand thoughts, perspectives, and stories of participants, quantitative methods are essential for understanding broader patterns that relate to marginalization or discrimination. For example, we have assisted graduate researchers from HBCUs to develop quantitative investigations of African American student achievement gaps as well as disparities in school discipline that underlie the school-to-prison pipeline. We have also assisted with quantitative examinations of variables related to African American health disparities and disparate treatment within the legal system. Within the field of Africana Studies, developing the literature and theoretical context for social justice research also requires an appreciation of key concepts and theories. For example, we often assist graduate researchers at HBCUs to develop theoretical framing for their studies using critical race theory, which emphasizes the systemic nature of racism and the regularity with which African American individuals experience racism and prejudice. Critical race theory contributes key concepts to research on the marginalization of African American citizens, bringing to light the adverse cumulative effects of racial microaggressions and the importance of counter-stories to challenge cultural narratives that reflect white privilege. Along with critical race theory, there are concepts espoused by lecturers like Chloé Valdary we have assisted graduate researchers at HBCUs with developing theoretical frameworks using theories such as fundamental cause theory and feminist standpoint theory. Both theories help to provide an aligned and meaningful theoretical context for social justice research on various topics. Fundamental cause theory is a useful framework for the examination of poverty in relation to health disparities, and the key proposition is that poverty itself is the fundamental cause of disparate outcomes. Feminist standpoint theory is another useful framework for social justice research, as it positions the participants as the ultimate experts on their own lives, acknowledging that one’s perspectives derive from one’s own particular experiences. Having lived with comparative privilege, the powerful may not necessarily relate to the perspectives of those who have lived through marginalization. Hence, feminist standpoint theorists contend that we must recognize the authority of participants to speak about and interpret their lives when endeavoring to understand their lived realities. Our assistance to graduate researchers attending HBCUs has also prominently involved use of constructs such as intersectionality and assets- versus deficits-based thinking, as these concepts are important to consider when conducting research related to social justice. Intersectionality refers to the intersection of individual characteristics (e.g., race, class, gender) that together may create a specific experience of multiple marginalization. For example, we cannot assume that a wealthy Black woman would have the same experiences of discrimination as a Black woman living in poverty. Researchers working within a deficits-based model might examine these two groups of women’s experiences with an inherent assumption that poor Black women experience more challenging conditions as a result of their own failings or shortcomings. Deficits-based thinking is often eschewed in social justice research, as it essentially blames the victims of systemic or institutional injustice.

In addition to psychology, education, nursing, and business, our team includes expert analysts who can provide extensive assistance with a wide variety of specialized topics. These areas range from electrical engineering, wine biochemistry, and veterinary science to music theory, theology, and rhetoric & composition. As a result of our long experience providing complex statistical analysis support, we also have a high degree of expertise in economics, econometrics, and mathematical finance topics and analyses. Our team’s expertise truly encompasses a broad range of disciplines and highly specialized knowledge, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for dissertation assistance even if your topic or field isn’t explicitly noted above.

Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Dissertation Methods

Precision started out as a statistical analysis firm, and that’s still one of the primary services we offer to academic researchers and corporate clients alike. Since then, we’ve expanded to provide the most comprehensive qualitative research support available, and work regularly with several major research institutions to analyze their qualitative data . Regardless of the scale and complexity of your quantitative or qualitative research–or if you have selected a mixed methods approach –we have a talented team of experts with PhDs across the social sciences, STEM fields, and humanities who can provide comprehensive dissertation assistance to you throughout your doctoral journey.

Are you completing your degree at an online university?

While our academic consultants are experienced in working with brick and mortar institutions as well as online master’s and doctoral programs (in the US and around the world), we have a particular depth of experience providing dissertation assistance to candidates attending the major online universities. We work with more clients from Walden, Grand Canyon University, University of Phoenix, Capella, and Northcentral (among others!) each year, –which means we’re intimately familiar with their rubrics and procedures, from developing the key foundational elements for the initial prospectus, research plan, or concept paper , to the unique review process, checklists, and templates for each university’s full dissertation, project study, or capstone deliverable. We’re also highly familiar with the frequent and ongoing review process at the majority of these programs, and can absolutely draw on our expertise to provide comprehensive dissertation help for even the most demanding chair or university reviewer feedback.

Dissertation Help on a Deadline

Many of our clients, especially doctoral candidates attending programs at the major online universities, come to us with specific deadlines for dissertation editing to be completed before the end of the current term. Others often reach out as the clock winds down on their doctoral journeys and they must complete all remaining steps of their dissertation or thesis writing before a final end date in order to finish their doctoral degree. Still others seek us out for dissertation help at the early stages of their research and drafting so that they have full and ongoing support to stay on target (and on budget!) throughout the process. Whatever your specific deadline–whether it’s two days from now, or two months from now–we can draw on our extensive resources and dedicated staff to ensure your work is completed on time and ready for approval.

Per-project Quotes and Budget for Dissertation Assistance

Our support for you will be very much based on your goals for the research to come, and your priorities for dissertation assistance throughout the process. This is precisely why we develop quotes on a per-project basis, so that we provide you with exactly the level of assistance you need at every step of your journey, and a quote that precisely reflects the scope of work. While others might charge on a per-page or per-hour basis, we find that these models create incentives on the part of other services to spend either a great many pages or a great many hours on a given project, but without the need to be particularly successful in the process.

This is also why we remain with you through any necessary revisions to our dissertation assistance and editing. Unlike smaller and less established dissertation consulting services, we guarantee our work until approval, and include additional support to address feedback in our initial quote. This is because we understand the highly iterative process of dissertation review and approval, particularly at the major online universities, which often involve multiple rounds of feedback at each stage. We’re here as your teammate to help you address any and all feedback–and celebrate your research and graduation once your journey is complete!

In addition to the individualized support and industry-leading expertise outlined above, we also include the following in our promise to you:

• Guaranteed Fast Approval. For any dissertation help we provide, we guarantee approval by your reviewer or institution, almost always on the first submission. Of course, in the rare case of any revision requests, we work on any requested revisions immediately and without extra cost.
• Security. We are the industry leader in dissertation consulting and editing services for a reason. As proven academic consultants and dissertation editors for more than a decade, we have thousands of satisfied clients, are a member of the Inc 500 (one of the 500 fastest growing companies in the country), and consequently have top positioning for most dissertation help and dissertation editing terms throughout Google. Your precious work, money, and time are safe with us.
• Personalized Attention. You will work with one dissertation consultant who will be constantly available to you via phone or email during and after your time working with us. We’re easy to reach, always happy to speak to you, and don’t disappear when the work is done (in case you need us for revisions or after-support).

Check Out Our In-depth Guide to Writing a Dissertation!

Let’s keep it a secret….

In this first video, we’ll talk about a key characteristic of all well-designed research, which is alignment. [does some funny little voice while enunciating the individual syllables of “a-lign-ment” while gesturing in a left-to-right line to set the stage for the visual presentation of alignment that is to come] Whether you are a beginning researcher, conducting your earliest research projects for your master’s or doctoral degrees, or a seasoned researcher conducting studies for publication, achieving alignment in your study is super important. It’s an area that we find our clients need lots of help with when doing their dissertations. So, I’ll be talking with you today about alignment to provide you with a clear and more concrete understanding of what alignment means, as well as with an understanding of how to achieve alignment in your study and why this is so important.

Creating alignment is a key part of developing your topic, and if you’re still looking to more fully develop your own topic, we can provide help with your dissertation focus and other elements for you. Check out our video on topic development for more!

Alignment is an essential characteristic of a well-designed study, and yet it can be quite difficult to achieve for novice researchers. In fact, we often provide dissertation help to clients who are struggling to align their studies. And, we commonly find that alignment issues are truly the root problem that reviewers often mislabel as editing issues at the dissertation prospectus, concept paper, or proposal stage.

So before you focus your efforts on APA editing needlessly, let’s talk first about how to achieve alignment in your study, starting with what alignment means. When your study is appropriately aligned, this means that all of the core pieces of your research plan follow logically from the problem that you have constructed from your review of the research literature. Following your problem statement, you must craft the subsequent pieces of your research plan so that they all match one another in terms of the language that you use to discuss variables or phenomena of interest, and the plans you construct for collecting and analyzing your data. As I mentioned previously, we often find that master’s and doctoral candidates, as novice researchers, need some dissertation help when different pieces of their studies don’t quite fit together as well as they should. When we provide this form of dissertation consulting, here are the areas that we ensure are aligned:

The key features of the study that must be aligned are the problem statement, the purpose statement, the research questions, the theoretical framework, the method and design, the data collection and analysis procedures, and the significance of the study.

You might visualize these different key pieces of your study as boxcars on a train that must all be linked together for your study to function successfully as a process for gaining new insights or understanding of your topic.

If any of these cars are not linked to the car preceding it, then clearly your study will be a nonfunctional collection of segments that don’t work well with one another. In other words, the train falls apart and never gets to its destination! We don’t want that, do we? To clarify how these different segments of your study fit together, let’s move on to discuss each of these in more detail.

The problem statement is essentially the centerpiece of your study, or the engine that drives the train forward. Although this statement is usually fairly brief, at about 350 words or so, the information contained within the statement defines the direction the entire study will follow.

Your problem statement must define the exact nature of the problem as derived through a thorough review of all current research in the peer-reviewed literature related to your topic. The problem statement must also describe the research gap, which refers to a specific topic that has not been studied sufficiently and requires further examination through research.

As an example, your problem statement might revolve around high school students who engage in aggressive behaviors at school in spite of the presence of a schoolwide positive behavior support program. Maybe there have been several quantitative studies that document the overall positive effects of this type of schoolwide program on student challenging behavior, but the researchers who conducted these studies found that in spite of widespread improvements in behavior in response to such programs, many students continue to exhibit aggressive behavior, leaving us to ask: Why is this? Why is it that certain kids keep fighting and yelling at school, even under a behavior support program that has been so helpful to so many other students?

The lack of understanding of continued aggressive behavior by some students within schools that use schoolwide positive behavior supports would be the gap that these researchers argue must be better understood if we are to effectively address aggressive behavior across all students.

Now, following from this problem and research gap is the purpose of the study, or the purpose statement. The purpose is a very concise statement that basically says, “This is what I’m trying to do here in this study, and here’s how I’m going to do it.” In order to achieve alignment, the purpose must match what has been stated in the problem statement, which is accomplished through use of the same language to describe your variables or phenomena of interest. The purpose statement must also specify the method and design and must use language that “fits” this approach.

Using the example of the problem and research gap from above, an appropriate purpose statement might be: “The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore middle school teachers’ perspectives on underlying causes of continued aggressive behavior in students within schools that use schoolwide positive behavior supports.”

Let’s have a look at the key pieces of this purpose statement.

So, we have a qualitative case study, the word “explore,” middle school teachers’ perspectives, continued aggressive behavior in students, and schools that use schoolwide positive behavior supports. So, those are all the key pieces of the purpose statement.

What you’ll notice here is that this purpose statement specifies an intent to examine the very same problem that is described in the problem statement. This is essential for achieving alignment.

Also, the qualitative method is aligned with the problem because we are seeking to understand a phenomenon that is somewhat rare, and that might require perspectives of those who have witnessed this problem first-hand to understand fully. Note also the use of the word “explore” in the purpose statement. This is a deliberate choice of words as qualitative studies are largely exploratory, and aimed at using such exploration to better understand complex processes.

The link from the problem to the purpose is essential to establishing an aligned study. We often find that doctoral candidates need some assistance with their dissertations here as the phrasing used in the purpose statement must be extremely concise and yet precisely aligned with each key concept, variable, or phenomenon as presented in the problem statement.

This is something that many of our clients struggle with, and if you are also finding yourself struggling to align your problem and purpose, give us a call or send an email to see how we can help you out with this major step in crafting your dissertation. No matter where you attend, we can definitely help you out with alignment.

But, we have particularly extensive experience with all of the major online universities, and are very familiar with their formats, review processes, and the types of alignment problems that often arise for individuals at these universities. And, if we help you with establishing alignment in your dissertation, we’ll provide unlimited revisions to our work with no extra charge as needed to obtain approval of your work.

Next in the alignment chain are the research questions, which must align with your purpose in terms of the variables or phenomena of interest that you plan to study. You must also use phrasing in these questions that is consistent with the method and design for your study. In the working example I have been using, an appropriate research question might be, “How do middle school teachers working in schools that implement schoolwide positive behavior supports perceive the causes for continued aggression in students in their schools?” Note that this question maintains consistent focus on the perceptions of middle school teachers, that the question specifies that schoolwide positive behavior supports are in place, and continues with the focus on causes for continued aggression in some students.

Next is the theoretical framework, which must be appropriate for guiding inquiry and developing research questions that suitably address your problem. It must also fit your study in terms of its applicability for interpreting or explaining the ultimate findings or results of the analysis. In the current example, it would be important to pick a theory that is relevant to student behavior and the causes for different types of behavior. So, picking a theory like Observational Learning Theory or Ecological Systems Theory would work, as these are theories that explain human behavior in terms of different types of social and environmental influences.

Aligning the theoretical framework to the purpose statement and RQs can also be a bit tricky for new researchers. Choosing a useful TF requires seeing how the different variables or phenomena of interest in your study might interact with regard to your specific RQs or outcomes of interest; this can sometimes require piecing together existing knowledge on your topic and making a reasonable guess as to the theory or combination of theories that might ultimately be helpful in explaining your findings. Sometimes this process can be quite confusing, especially when you are examining RQs that are unique or groundbreaking. In this case, you might find that you need help reworking this part of your dissertation to identify the most fitting theory or combination of theories to frame your study and interpret its findings.

Moving forward, the method and design must be appropriate for examining the specific problem articulated, and for generating knowledge that will truly shed light on the problem as described. As I mentioned previously, the qualitative method would be appropriately aligned to this study because of your aim of exploring a poorly understood phenomenon, which is the continued aggression in certain students in spite of schoolwide positive behavior supports.

The case study design is also aligned with this focus, because this design is great for building understanding of complex processes as they naturally occur in specific groups or settings. You can see how exploring teachers’ perceptions of the causes of aggression within certain schools would turn out to be a very complex study, which would be concerned with how the complexities of student behavior unfold on a daily basis within schools that use positive behavior supports. For these reasons, the qualitative case study design is nicely aligned with the overall study.

Also, keep in mind that we are unique among data analytics companies in that we also specialize in qualitative research and analysis, so if you are planning a qualitative study and are having problems with alignment, I am 100% sure that we can help you to resolve these problems.

To maintain alignment, your data collection procedures must be developed to obtain data of a type that is appropriate given the method and design. Similarly, the data analysis plan must be appropriate given the nature of the data, variables, research design.

For a qualitative case study design, you would want to use data collection approaches like interviews, observations, and review of relevant documents. You would want to draw up an analysis plan that identified common themes and facilitated triangulation across your different data sources. If you put together a data collection plan that used quantitative measures, this would result in misalignment, as the data you collected would be numerical rather than text-based.

Aligning your methods to your problem, purpose, and research questions is essential for ensuring that the results or findings you ultimately obtain truly address the problem that you have identified. Creating an aligned method requires not just attention to consistent phrasing related to your variables or phenomena of interest, but also a thorough understanding of statistical analysis or qualitative analysis. We often provide dissertation help to clients to develop thorough methods sections that are perfectly aligned with the overall aims of their studies.

We have extensive experience with all of the major online universities, and are very familiar with their formats, review processes, and the types of alignment problems that often arise for individuals at these universities. Also, we are the only academic consulting firm that specializes in qualitative research. If you are planning a qualitative study and are having problems with aligning the various components of your qualitative methodology, we can definitely help you out. Also, we provide unlimited revisions to our work with no extra charge as needed to obtain approval of your work.

Finally, the significance refers to the potentially positive outcomes of your study, if all goes well. To maintain alignment, your significance of the study section must logically flow from the problem, and cannot overreach the bounds of what is possible to accomplish given the potential findings of the study.

Given our running example, an aligned significance section would point out that gaining understanding of teachers’ perceptions of the causes for continued aggression in students within a schoolwide positive behavior support program might be helpful in effectively addressing challenging behavior in students whose behavior is resistant to change.

Ensuring that your proposed study is perfectly aligned is important for obtaining approval of your study. But, the reasons for seeking out dissertation help around alignment issues in your proposed study are really much more important than this. If you move forward with collecting your data in a proposed study that is not well aligned, you can run into some serious problems down the road.

To help explain the vital importance of alignment in your study, it will be helpful to ask: Why is it a problem if elements of my study are not aligned?

If your study is out of alignment, this means that one or more of these key pieces aren’t linked with the pieces around them.

There are some pretty serious consequences of moving forward with an improperly aligned study. For one, it could result in collecting data that do not address your problem, or that cannot actually answer your research questions. Also, this could result in conducting data analysis that results in unreliable, invalid, or untrustworthy findings. Lastly, a misaligned study could result in findings that cannot be soundly interpreted within the explanatory theoretical framework for the study.

These are clearly problems that no researcher wants to deal with, especially when you are just getting started. This is definitely where a dissertation consultant can come in handy, and if you would like some help with your dissertation proposal or prospectus to resolve alignment problems, give us a call or send an email — we’d love to help you out!

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Discover UCL support for dissertations and research projects

23 April 2024

Library Services joins forces with other teams in UCL to support you during your dissertation or research project.

A dissertation or research project gives you the opportunity to focus in detail on a topic of real interest to you. Although rewarding, the process of researching and writing on a topic at length can also feel isolating, but you are not alone - there is plenty of support at UCL to help you.

In addition to support available within your department, UCL Library Services, the UCL Academic Communication Centre (ACC) and UCL Digital Skills all provide support for the various stages of your dissertation or research project. They have jointly developed a visual tool to direct you to the support you need.

It is primarily aimed at taught postgraduate students but may be of use to anyone undertaking research writing.

Areas covered include the writing process, academic integrity, literature searching, systematic reviews / literature reviews, referencing, evaluating information, working with data and getting help.

Access the Support for dissertations and research projects visual tool

Support for dissertations and research projects visual tool.

Library support highlights include:

• Support for dissertation and research projects guide , where you will find information on planning your search, finding suitable resources, evaluating and critically engaging with those resources, and referencing.
• NEW! Good academic practice in the use of sources online, self-paced tutorial, which introduces considerations when selecting, using and citing sources to inform your research.
• Guides to citing sources in major referencing styles, including our popular Harvard guide , which had over one million views in the last year.
• NEW! Which reference management software should I use? Tool providing recommendations on which software might be most suitable for your purposes, based on applications supported at UCL.
• LibrarySkills@UCL training sessions on literature searching, getting started with your systematic review, referencing and reference management software.
• LibrarySkills@UCL : Online guidance and self-paced tutorials to help you refine your skills in finding, evaluating, and using information.

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Dissertation Structure & Layout 101: How to structure your dissertation, thesis or research project.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Reviewed By: David Phair (PhD) | July 2019

So, you’ve got a decent understanding of what a dissertation is , you’ve chosen your topic and hopefully you’ve received approval for your research proposal . Awesome! Now its time to start the actual dissertation or thesis writing journey.

To craft a high-quality document, the very first thing you need to understand is dissertation structure . In this post, we’ll walk you through the generic dissertation structure and layout, step by step. We’ll start with the big picture, and then zoom into each chapter to briefly discuss the core contents. If you’re just starting out on your research journey, you should start with this post, which covers the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis .

*The Caveat *

In this post, we’ll be discussing a traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout, which is generally used for social science research across universities, whether in the US, UK, Europe or Australia. However, some universities may have small variations on this structure (extra chapters, merged chapters, slightly different ordering, etc).

So, always check with your university if they have a prescribed structure or layout that they expect you to work with. If not, it’s safe to assume the structure we’ll discuss here is suitable. And even if they do have a prescribed structure, you’ll still get value from this post as we’ll explain the core contents of each section.  

Overview: S tructuring a dissertation or thesis

• Acknowledgements page
• Abstract (or executive summary)
• Table of contents , list of figures and tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Literature review
• Chapter 3: Methodology
• Chapter 4: Results
• Chapter 5: Discussion
• Chapter 6: Conclusion
• Reference list

As I mentioned, some universities will have slight variations on this structure. For example, they want an additional “personal reflection chapter”, or they might prefer the results and discussion chapter to be merged into one. Regardless, the overarching flow will always be the same, as this flow reflects the research process , which we discussed here – i.e.:

• The introduction chapter presents the core research question and aims .
• The literature review chapter assesses what the current research says about this question.
• The methodology, results and discussion chapters go about undertaking new research about this question.
• The conclusion chapter (attempts to) answer the core research question .

In other words, the dissertation structure and layout reflect the research process of asking a well-defined question(s), investigating, and then answering the question – see below.

To restate that – the structure and layout of a dissertation reflect the flow of the overall research process . This is essential to understand, as each chapter will make a lot more sense if you “get” this concept. If you’re not familiar with the research process, read this post before going further.

Right. Now that we’ve covered the big picture, let’s dive a little deeper into the details of each section and chapter. Oh and by the way, you can also grab our free dissertation/thesis template here to help speed things up.

The title page of your dissertation is the very first impression the marker will get of your work, so it pays to invest some time thinking about your title. But what makes for a good title? A strong title needs to be 3 things:

• Succinct (not overly lengthy or verbose)
• Specific (not vague or ambiguous)
• Representative of the research you’re undertaking (clearly linked to your research questions)

Typically, a good title includes mention of the following:

• The broader area of the research (i.e. the overarching topic)
• The specific focus of your research (i.e. your specific context)
• Indication of research design (e.g. quantitative , qualitative , or  mixed methods ).

For example:

A quantitative investigation [research design] into the antecedents of organisational trust [broader area] in the UK retail forex trading market [specific context/area of focus].

Again, some universities may have specific requirements regarding the format and structure of the title, so it’s worth double-checking expectations with your institution (if there’s no mention in the brief or study material).

Acknowledgements

This page provides you with an opportunity to say thank you to those who helped you along your research journey. Generally, it’s optional (and won’t count towards your marks), but it is academic best practice to include this.

So, who do you say thanks to? Well, there’s no prescribed requirements, but it’s common to mention the following people:

• Your dissertation supervisor or committee.
• Any professors, lecturers or academics that helped you understand the topic or methodologies.
• Any tutors, mentors or advisors.
• Your family and friends, especially spouse (for adult learners studying part-time).

There’s no need for lengthy rambling. Just state who you’re thankful to and for what (e.g. thank you to my supervisor, John Doe, for his endless patience and attentiveness) – be sincere. In terms of length, you should keep this to a page or less.

Abstract or executive summary

The dissertation abstract (or executive summary for some degrees) serves to provide the first-time reader (and marker or moderator) with a big-picture view of your research project. It should give them an understanding of the key insights and findings from the research, without them needing to read the rest of the report – in other words, it should be able to stand alone .

For it to stand alone, your abstract should cover the following key points (at a minimum):

• Your research questions and aims – what key question(s) did your research aim to answer?
• Your methodology – how did you go about investigating the topic and finding answers to your research question(s)?
• Your findings – following your own research, what did do you discover?
• Your conclusions – based on your findings, what conclusions did you draw? What answers did you find to your research question(s)?

So, in much the same way the dissertation structure mimics the research process, your abstract or executive summary should reflect the research process, from the initial stage of asking the original question to the final stage of answering that question.

In practical terms, it’s a good idea to write this section up last , once all your core chapters are complete. Otherwise, you’ll end up writing and rewriting this section multiple times (just wasting time). For a step by step guide on how to write a strong executive summary, check out this post .

Need a helping hand?

Table of contents

This section is straightforward. You’ll typically present your table of contents (TOC) first, followed by the two lists – figures and tables. I recommend that you use Microsoft Word’s automatic table of contents generator to generate your TOC. If you’re not familiar with this functionality, the video below explains it simply:

If you find that your table of contents is overly lengthy, consider removing one level of depth. Oftentimes, this can be done without detracting from the usefulness of the TOC.

Right, now that the “admin” sections are out of the way, its time to move on to your core chapters. These chapters are the heart of your dissertation and are where you’ll earn the marks. The first chapter is the introduction chapter – as you would expect, this is the time to introduce your research…

It’s important to understand that even though you’ve provided an overview of your research in your abstract, your introduction needs to be written as if the reader has not read that (remember, the abstract is essentially a standalone document). So, your introduction chapter needs to start from the very beginning, and should address the following questions:

• What will you be investigating (in plain-language, big picture-level)?
• Why is that worth investigating? How is it important to academia or business? How is it sufficiently original?
• What are your research aims and research question(s)? Note that the research questions can sometimes be presented at the end of the literature review (next chapter).
• What is the scope of your study? In other words, what will and won’t you cover ?
• How will you approach your research? In other words, what methodology will you adopt?
• How will you structure your dissertation? What are the core chapters and what will you do in each of them?

These are just the bare basic requirements for your intro chapter. Some universities will want additional bells and whistles in the intro chapter, so be sure to carefully read your brief or consult your research supervisor.

If done right, your introduction chapter will set a clear direction for the rest of your dissertation. Specifically, it will make it clear to the reader (and marker) exactly what you’ll be investigating, why that’s important, and how you’ll be going about the investigation. Conversely, if your introduction chapter leaves a first-time reader wondering what exactly you’ll be researching, you’ve still got some work to do.

Now that you’ve set a clear direction with your introduction chapter, the next step is the literature review . In this section, you will analyse the existing research (typically academic journal articles and high-quality industry publications), with a view to understanding the following questions:

• What does the literature currently say about the topic you’re investigating?
• Is the literature lacking or well established? Is it divided or in disagreement?
• How does your research fit into the bigger picture?
• How does your research contribute something original?
• How does the methodology of previous studies help you develop your own?

Depending on the nature of your study, you may also present a conceptual framework towards the end of your literature review, which you will then test in your actual research.

Again, some universities will want you to focus on some of these areas more than others, some will have additional or fewer requirements, and so on. Therefore, as always, its important to review your brief and/or discuss with your supervisor, so that you know exactly what’s expected of your literature review chapter.

Now that you’ve investigated the current state of knowledge in your literature review chapter and are familiar with the existing key theories, models and frameworks, its time to design your own research. Enter the methodology chapter – the most “science-ey” of the chapters…

In this chapter, you need to address two critical questions:

• Exactly HOW will you carry out your research (i.e. what is your intended research design)?
• Exactly WHY have you chosen to do things this way (i.e. how do you justify your design)?

Remember, the dissertation part of your degree is first and foremost about developing and demonstrating research skills . Therefore, the markers want to see that you know which methods to use, can clearly articulate why you’ve chosen then, and know how to deploy them effectively.

Importantly, this chapter requires detail – don’t hold back on the specifics. State exactly what you’ll be doing, with who, when, for how long, etc. Moreover, for every design choice you make, make sure you justify it.

In practice, you will likely end up coming back to this chapter once you’ve undertaken all your data collection and analysis, and revise it based on changes you made during the analysis phase. This is perfectly fine. Its natural for you to add an additional analysis technique, scrap an old one, etc based on where your data lead you. Of course, I’m talking about small changes here – not a fundamental switch from qualitative to quantitative, which will likely send your supervisor in a spin!

You’ve now collected your data and undertaken your analysis, whether qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. In this chapter, you’ll present the raw results of your analysis . For example, in the case of a quant study, you’ll present the demographic data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics , etc.

Typically, Chapter 4 is simply a presentation and description of the data, not a discussion of the meaning of the data. In other words, it’s descriptive, rather than analytical – the meaning is discussed in Chapter 5. However, some universities will want you to combine chapters 4 and 5, so that you both present and interpret the meaning of the data at the same time. Check with your institution what their preference is.

Now that you’ve presented the data analysis results, its time to interpret and analyse them. In other words, its time to discuss what they mean, especially in relation to your research question(s).

What you discuss here will depend largely on your chosen methodology. For example, if you’ve gone the quantitative route, you might discuss the relationships between variables . If you’ve gone the qualitative route, you might discuss key themes and the meanings thereof. It all depends on what your research design choices were.

Most importantly, you need to discuss your results in relation to your research questions and aims, as well as the existing literature. What do the results tell you about your research questions? Are they aligned with the existing research or at odds? If so, why might this be? Dig deep into your findings and explain what the findings suggest, in plain English.

The final chapter – you’ve made it! Now that you’ve discussed your interpretation of the results, its time to bring it back to the beginning with the conclusion chapter . In other words, its time to (attempt to) answer your original research question s (from way back in chapter 1). Clearly state what your conclusions are in terms of your research questions. This might feel a bit repetitive, as you would have touched on this in the previous chapter, but its important to bring the discussion full circle and explicitly state your answer(s) to the research question(s).

Next, you’ll typically discuss the implications of your findings? In other words, you’ve answered your research questions – but what does this mean for the real world (or even for academia)? What should now be done differently, given the new insight you’ve generated?

Lastly, you should discuss the limitations of your research, as well as what this means for future research in the area. No study is perfect, especially not a Masters-level. Discuss the shortcomings of your research. Perhaps your methodology was limited, perhaps your sample size was small or not representative, etc, etc. Don’t be afraid to critique your work – the markers want to see that you can identify the limitations of your work. This is a strength, not a weakness. Be brutal!

This marks the end of your core chapters – woohoo! From here on out, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

The reference list is straightforward. It should contain a list of all resources cited in your dissertation, in the required format, e.g. APA , Harvard, etc.

It’s essential that you use reference management software for your dissertation. Do NOT try handle your referencing manually – its far too error prone. On a reference list of multiple pages, you’re going to make mistake. To this end, I suggest considering either Mendeley or Zotero. Both are free and provide a very straightforward interface to ensure that your referencing is 100% on point. I’ve included a simple how-to video for the Mendeley software (my personal favourite) below:

Some universities may ask you to include a bibliography, as opposed to a reference list. These two things are not the same . A bibliography is similar to a reference list, except that it also includes resources which informed your thinking but were not directly cited in your dissertation. So, double-check your brief and make sure you use the right one.

The very last piece of the puzzle is the appendix or set of appendices. This is where you’ll include any supporting data and evidence. Importantly, supporting is the keyword here.

Your appendices should provide additional “nice to know”, depth-adding information, which is not critical to the core analysis. Appendices should not be used as a way to cut down word count (see this post which covers how to reduce word count ). In other words, don’t place content that is critical to the core analysis here, just to save word count. You will not earn marks on any content in the appendices, so don’t try to play the system!

Time to recap…

And there you have it – the traditional dissertation structure and layout, from A-Z. To recap, the core structure for a dissertation or thesis is (typically) as follows:

• Acknowledgments page

Most importantly, the core chapters should reflect the research process (asking, investigating and answering your research question). Moreover, the research question(s) should form the golden thread throughout your dissertation structure. Everything should revolve around the research questions, and as you’ve seen, they should form both the start point (i.e. introduction chapter) and the endpoint (i.e. conclusion chapter).

I hope this post has provided you with clarity about the traditional dissertation/thesis structure and layout. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment below, or feel free to get in touch with us. Also, be sure to check out the rest of the  Grad Coach Blog .

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36 Comments

many thanks i found it very useful

Glad to hear that, Arun. Good luck writing your dissertation.

Such clear practical logical advice. I very much needed to read this to keep me focused in stead of fretting.. Perfect now ready to start my research!

what about scientific fields like computer or engineering thesis what is the difference in the structure? thank you very much

Thanks so much this helped me a lot!

Very helpful and accessible. What I like most is how practical the advice is along with helpful tools/ links.

Thanks Ade!

Thank you so much sir.. It was really helpful..

You’re welcome!

Hi! How many words maximum should contain the abstract?

Thank you so much 😊 Find this at the right moment

You’re most welcome. Good luck with your dissertation.

best ever benefit i got on right time thank you

Many times Clarity and vision of destination of dissertation is what makes the difference between good ,average and great researchers the same way a great automobile driver is fast with clarity of address and Clear weather conditions .

I guess Great researcher = great ideas + knowledge + great and fast data collection and modeling + great writing + high clarity on all these

You have given immense clarity from start to end.

Morning. Where will I write the definitions of what I’m referring to in my report?

Thank you so much Derek, I was almost lost! Thanks a tonnnn! Have a great day!

Thanks ! so concise and valuable

This was very helpful. Clear and concise. I know exactly what to do now.

Thank you for allowing me to go through briefly. I hope to find time to continue.

Really useful to me. Thanks a thousand times

Very interesting! It will definitely set me and many more for success. highly recommended.

Thank you soo much sir, for the opportunity to express my skills

Usefull, thanks a lot. Really clear

Very nice and easy to understand. Thank you .

That was incredibly useful. Thanks Grad Coach Crew!

My stress level just dropped at least 15 points after watching this. Just starting my thesis for my grad program and I feel a lot more capable now! Thanks for such a clear and helpful video, Emma and the GradCoach team!

Do we need to mention the number of words the dissertation contains in the main document?

It depends on your university’s requirements, so it would be best to check with them 🙂

Such a helpful post to help me get started with structuring my masters dissertation, thank you!

Great video; I appreciate that helpful information

It is so necessary or avital course

This blog is very informative for my research. Thank you

Doctoral students are required to fill out the National Research Council’s Survey of Earned Doctorates

wow this is an amazing gain in my life

This is so good

How can i arrange my specific objectives in my dissertation?

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How to Write a Dissertation Proposal | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on 14 February 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 11 November 2022.

A dissertation proposal describes the research you want to do: what it’s about, how you’ll conduct it, and why it’s worthwhile. You will probably have to write a proposal before starting your dissertation as an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

A dissertation proposal should generally include:

• An introduction to your topic and aims
• A literature review  of the current state of knowledge
• An outline of your proposed methodology
• A discussion of the possible implications of the research
• A bibliography  of relevant sources

Dissertation proposals vary a lot in terms of length and structure, so make sure to follow any guidelines given to you by your institution, and check with your supervisor when you’re unsure.

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Table of contents

Step 1: coming up with an idea, step 2: presenting your idea in the introduction, step 3: exploring related research in the literature review, step 4: describing your methodology, step 5: outlining the potential implications of your research, step 6: creating a reference list or bibliography.

Before writing your proposal, it’s important to come up with a strong idea for your dissertation.

Find an area of your field that interests you and do some preliminary reading in that area. What are the key concerns of other researchers? What do they suggest as areas for further research, and what strikes you personally as an interesting gap in the field?

Once you have an idea, consider how to narrow it down and the best way to frame it. Don’t be too ambitious or too vague – a dissertation topic needs to be specific enough to be feasible. Move from a broad field of interest to a specific niche:

• Russian literature 19th century Russian literature The novels of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky
• Social media Mental health effects of social media Influence of social media on young adults suffering from anxiety

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Like most academic texts, a dissertation proposal begins with an introduction . This is where you introduce the topic of your research, provide some background, and most importantly, present your aim , objectives and research question(s) .

Try to dive straight into your chosen topic: What’s at stake in your research? Why is it interesting? Don’t spend too long on generalisations or grand statements:

• Social media is the most important technological trend of the 21st century. It has changed the world and influences our lives every day.
• Psychologists generally agree that the ubiquity of social media in the lives of young adults today has a profound impact on their mental health. However, the exact nature of this impact needs further investigation.

Once your area of research is clear, you can present more background and context. What does the reader need to know to understand your proposed questions? What’s the current state of research on this topic, and what will your dissertation contribute to the field?

If you’re including a literature review, you don’t need to go into too much detail at this point, but give the reader a general sense of the debates that you’re intervening in.

This leads you into the most important part of the introduction: your aim, objectives and research question(s) . These should be clearly identifiable and stand out from the text – for example, you could present them using bullet points or bold font.

Make sure that your research questions are specific and workable – something you can reasonably answer within the scope of your dissertation. Avoid being too broad or having too many different questions. Remember that your goal in a dissertation proposal is to convince the reader that your research is valuable and feasible:

• Does social media harm mental health?
• What is the impact of daily social media use on 18– to 25–year–olds suffering from general anxiety disorder?

Now that your topic is clear, it’s time to explore existing research covering similar ideas. This is important because it shows you what is missing from other research in the field and ensures that you’re not asking a question someone else has already answered.

You’ve probably already done some preliminary reading, but now that your topic is more clearly defined, you need to thoroughly analyse and evaluate the most relevant sources in your literature review .

Here you should summarise the findings of other researchers and comment on gaps and problems in their studies. There may be a lot of research to cover, so make effective use of paraphrasing to write concisely:

• Smith and Prakash state that ‘our results indicate a 25% decrease in the incidence of mechanical failure after the new formula was applied’.
• Smith and Prakash’s formula reduced mechanical failures by 25%.

The point is to identify findings and theories that will influence your own research, but also to highlight gaps and limitations in previous research which your dissertation can address:

• Subsequent research has failed to replicate this result, however, suggesting a flaw in Smith and Prakash’s methods. It is likely that the failure resulted from…

Next, you’ll describe your proposed methodology : the specific things you hope to do, the structure of your research and the methods that you will use to gather and analyse data.

You should get quite specific in this section – you need to convince your supervisor that you’ve thought through your approach to the research and can realistically carry it out. This section will look quite different, and vary in length, depending on your field of study.

You may be engaged in more empirical research, focusing on data collection and discovering new information, or more theoretical research, attempting to develop a new conceptual model or add nuance to an existing one.

Dissertation research often involves both, but the content of your methodology section will vary according to how important each approach is to your dissertation.

Empirical research

Empirical research involves collecting new data and analysing it in order to answer your research questions. It can be quantitative (focused on numbers), qualitative (focused on words and meanings), or a combination of both.

With empirical research, it’s important to describe in detail how you plan to collect your data:

• Will you use surveys ? A lab experiment ? Interviews?
• What variables will you measure?
• How will you select a representative sample ?
• If other people will participate in your research, what measures will you take to ensure they are treated ethically?
• What tools (conceptual and physical) will you use, and why?

It’s appropriate to cite other research here. When you need to justify your choice of a particular research method or tool, for example, you can cite a text describing the advantages and appropriate usage of that method.

Don’t overdo this, though; you don’t need to reiterate the whole theoretical literature, just what’s relevant to the choices you have made.

Moreover, your research will necessarily involve analysing the data after you have collected it. Though you don’t know yet what the data will look like, it’s important to know what you’re looking for and indicate what methods (e.g. statistical tests , thematic analysis ) you will use.

Theoretical research

You can also do theoretical research that doesn’t involve original data collection. In this case, your methodology section will focus more on the theory you plan to work with in your dissertation: relevant conceptual models and the approach you intend to take.

For example, a literary analysis dissertation rarely involves collecting new data, but it’s still necessary to explain the theoretical approach that will be taken to the text(s) under discussion, as well as which parts of the text(s) you will focus on:

• This dissertation will utilise Foucault’s theory of panopticism to explore the theme of surveillance in Orwell’s 1984 and Kafka’s The Trial…

Here, you may refer to the same theorists you have already discussed in the literature review. In this case, the emphasis is placed on how you plan to use their contributions in your own research.

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You’ll usually conclude your dissertation proposal with a section discussing what you expect your research to achieve.

You obviously can’t be too sure: you don’t know yet what your results and conclusions will be. Instead, you should describe the projected implications and contribution to knowledge of your dissertation.

First, consider the potential implications of your research. Will you:

• Develop or test a theory?
• Provide new information to governments or businesses?
• Challenge a commonly held belief?
• Suggest an improvement to a specific process?

Describe the intended result of your research and the theoretical or practical impact it will have:

Finally, it’s sensible to conclude by briefly restating the contribution to knowledge you hope to make: the specific question(s) you hope to answer and the gap the answer(s) will fill in existing knowledge:

Like any academic text, it’s important that your dissertation proposal effectively references all the sources you have used. You need to include a properly formatted reference list or bibliography at the end of your proposal.

Different institutions recommend different styles of referencing – commonly used styles include Harvard , Vancouver , APA , or MHRA . If your department does not have specific requirements, choose a style and apply it consistently.

A reference list includes only the sources that you cited in your proposal. A bibliography is slightly different: it can include every source you consulted in preparing the proposal, even if you didn’t mention it in the text. In the case of a dissertation proposal, a bibliography may also list relevant sources that you haven’t yet read, but that you intend to use during the research itself.

Check with your supervisor what type of bibliography or reference list you should include.

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UCL LIBRARY SERVICES

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Support for dissertations and research projects

• Introduction
• Literature searching
• Resources for your discipline
• Primary sources
• UCL dissertations & theses
• Can't access the resource you need?
• Research methods
• Referencing and reference management
• Writing and digital skills
• Further help

This guide is primarily aimed at taught postgraduate students, but may also be of interest to final year undergraduates. It highlights the extensive online library collections and services available to you, and also directs you to other academic support services that may be useful when undertaking your dissertation or research project.

See our FAQs for initial help and to steer you towards relevant information.

In this guide:

• Literature searching Online guidance and support on how to do a literature search.
• Sources and resources Guidance on different types of sources and resources, including for your subject, and how to find and access them.
• Research methods Subscribed and openly available resources on research methodologies.
• Referencing and reference management Guidance on how to reference your sources and reference management tools available to you.
• Writing and digital skills Support for writing skills and digital skills available from other UCL support services.
• Further help The best ways to contact us for help, including e-mail contacts and booking online appointments.

UCL support for dissertations and research projects

• UCL support for dissertations and research projects This visual tool draws together support from across UCL to help you with writing your dissertation or research project.

Related guides

• Subject guides Subject guides are a helpful starting point for identifying library collections and resources to support your discipline of study. Find a guide for your subject and find contact information for your liaison librarian.
• LibrarySkills@UCL: Essential search skills
• LibrarySkills@UCL: Searching for information

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Is there a book that will help support your research that you'd like to suggest we buy? You can request it below. The preference will be an e-book where possible.

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• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 6:08 PM
• URL: https://library-guides.ucl.ac.uk/dissertations

Graduate Student Resources & Services

• Introduction
• Help from Librarians
• Find, Borrow & Request Library Materials

Thesis & Dissertation Support

• Open Access & Scholarly Communication This link opens in a new window
• Teaching Support
• Classrooms & Study Spaces
• Technology Resources
• Library Jobs, News, Events

• Find Theses & Dissertations A guide to finding theses and dissertations.
• Citation Management Tools Tools and information about managing your citations and creating bibliographies, including Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote,
• Help with Copyright & Fair Use A guide that addresses the many ins and outs of copyright as they relate to your research, instruction, and publications.
• Microsoft Word for Dissertations A guide to using Microsoft Word for your dissertation. Topics include: formatting page numbers, using chapter templates, footnotes, images, and figures. Created by the Univ. of Michigan Library.

• Other Books Related to Thesis & Dissertation Writing

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• Recommend Item for Purchase Request an item for purchase to support your research or teaching. The library will buy books, eBooks, journals, DVDs, streaming video, datasets, or whatever you need.
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Dissertation Support: Getting Started

• Getting Started
• Research methods
• Preparing your literature review
• Where to look (UWS)
• Looking beyond the Library
• Managing your project
• Writing and referencing

Your dissertation or research study may be the biggest cohesive project you have ever undertaken.

This requires a different set of skills than you will have experienced during your taught modules.

Taught modules:

• Pre-defined reading.
• Guided approach
• Pre-determined quality assurance.

Research approach:

• Self-directed decision making related to individual topic.
• Extensive literature searching.
• Evaluation required.

Don't be overwhelmed - plan!

• Pick a topic of special interest to you - this is a large, frustrating, time-consuming process so your choice of topic is crucial to keep you motivated.
• Be aware of time management, other organisational skills and learn about the tools that can help.
• Plan your methodology with your supervisor.
• Compile your search strategy - choose your search terms, resources and selection criteria
• Be prepared to evaluate the quality of and reference your sources. 
• Develop your project.

Support - Searching

Use the pages in this guide to get tips and tools to help you:.

• Decide on your topic ,
• Learn about the research methods  which are prominent in your subject area,
• Develop your literature review search strategy ,
• Access resources through UWS Library and beyond .
• Manage your sources .
• Book an appointment with an Academic Librarian

Support - writing

Login (student or staff ID and password) to the Online Careers and Skills Centre for tips and tools you can use to:

• Improve your time management, presentation and writing skills.
• Access appointment options for meeting with an Academic Skills Advisor.

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• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2024 12:39 PM
• URL: https://uws-uk.libguides.com/DissertationSupport

Managing the Dissertation Writing Process

Materials from workshop.

• Slides:  https://z.umn.edu/dissworkshopslides
• Revision Memo:  https://z.umn.edu/revisionmemo
• Dissertation Analysis handout (PDF)
• "How to Read like a Writer" (PDF) by Mike Bunn (in  Writing spaces : readings on writing Vol 2 )

Finding Dissertations

• Dissertations and Theses Global This link opens in a new window Collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, offering millions of works from thousands of universities. Each year hundreds of thousands of works are added. Full-text coverage spans from 1743 to the present, with citation coverage dating back to 1637.
• Google Scholar (Setup connection to get to PDFs) Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. If you are using from off-campus access, change the "Library Settings" to University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access full text and PDFs. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
• University Digital Conservancy at the University of Minnesota A digital archive of M.A. and PhD theses at the University of Minnesota. The collection in this institutional repository can also be searched by keyword, date, authors and majors.

Sample of project management tools

Tool considerations:

• Devices -- “apps” vs. Laptop 
• Collaboration
• Fewer features vs. lots of features
• Learning curve
• Security/privacy 

More Options

• Open Project:  https://www.openproject.org/
• Redbooth:  https://redbooth.com/
• Notion:  https://www.notion.so/
• Freedcamp:  https://freedcamp.com/
• Smartsheet:  https://www.smartsheet.com/
• Click up:  https://clickup.com/
• Kanboard:  https://kanboard.org/

Student Writing Support from the Center for Writing

Student Writing Support (SWS) offers collaborative one-to-one writing consultations to help student writers develop confidence and effective writing strategies. SWS offers three kinds of consultations:

• walk-in consultations in 15  Nicholson Hall
• appointments in  Zoom
• appointments in  SWS.online

Our writing consultants will listen to your goals and concerns, read and respond to your written work, pose questions that help you clarify and articulate your ideas, and affirm the experiences and abilities you bring to your writing. We value your life experiences and languages, and we seek to provide a supportive space for you to share and develop your voice.

Sample of online books

• Restarting stalled research by Paul C. Rosenblatt ISBN: 9781483393551 Publication Date: 2016 Written for researchers and graduate students writing dissertations, this unique book offers detailed advice and perspective on many issues that can stall a research project and reveals what can be done to successfully resume it. Using a direct yet conversational style, author Paul C. Rosenblatt draws on his decades of experience to cover many diverse topics. The text guides readers through challenges such as clarifying the end goal of a project; resolving common and not-so-common writing problems; dealing with rejection and revision decisions; handling difficulties involving dissertation advisers and committee members; coping with issues of researcher motivation or self-esteem; and much more.

Get materials we don't own or from our print collection (Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery)

• InterLibrary Loan & Digital Delivery Interlibrary Loan (ILL) & Digital Delivery offers access to materials needed for courses and research, including materials not currently available within the University of Minnesota Libraries, AND digital copies of articles and book chapters from our print and microform collections. Free for currently-affiliated University students, faculty, and staff.

Citation managers

What is a citation manager.

A citation manager is a software tool used to create personalized databases of citation information and notes. They allow you to:

• import and organize citation information from article indexes and other sources,
• export your citations into Word documents or other types of publications,
• format citations for your papers and bibliographies using APA and many other styles, and
• include your own notes.

Choosing a citation manager

• Guide to Citation Managers at UMN
• Wikipedia's comparison of reference management software

Browse scholarly journals available from the UMN Libraries on your tablet device, iPhone, or via the web using BrowZine .

• Read journal articles on your preferred device. 
• Create personal libraries of your favorite journals. 
• Set up alerts for new issues of journals.

For a quick overview, see this one-minute video about BrowZine. For more information, see  the full BrowZine guide.

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Five things to know about… the three-minute thesis competition.

Left to right, Lihao Yan, Arya Ökten, Yanyu Zhao, Jenna Andrews, Ethan A.Lerner, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Lynn Cooley, Alicia E. Ellis, Laura Stevens, Meera Choi, Alev Baysoy, Theodoros Trochatos, and Leonardo de Siqueira Lima. (Photo by Stephanie Anestis)

Every year, Yale’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition provides Ph.D. students with an opportunity to step away from the fog of their dissertation research and tell the world exactly what it is they are trying to achieve.

In three minutes.

The competition, known as 3MT, requires students to present their theses in a succinct, clear, and compelling way before a panel of judges. Winners receive a cash prize and bragging rights. But everyone who competes likely comes away understanding their research better and feeling more confident about public speaking, said Suzanne Young, the assistant dean for graduate student professional development in the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), which sponsors the competition.

“ This is really going back to the roots of public speaking, where it’s about you, your voice, your intelligence, and your quickness on your feet while presenting to people who might be reacting to you in the moment,” she said.

Yale News caught up with Young just before this year’s event on April 12. (See this year’s winners in accompanying box.) Here are five takeaways.

Yale’s 3MT competition is modeled after one founded by the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia.

The original 3MT was held at UQ in 2008. The concept gradually spread throughout Australia and then abroad. Competitions are now held at more than 900 universities in more than 85 countries, according to UQ’s 3MT website.

For Yale’s competition, which debuted in 2017, registration opens in January. Most years, about 35 to 40 students sign up. A first-round competition is held in late February. The 10 winners chosen during that round go on to the April finals.

The competition is not just for students in the STEM fields.

Students compete in one of five categories: biology, engineering, humanities, physical science, and social science. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the entrants tend to be weighted toward the sciences.

“ In biology, contestants are talking about different ways to attack cancer, and in astronomy, different ways to understand dark matter,” Young said. “The stakes of those questions are pretty straightforward and obvious. I think that helps STEM candidates come to this competition more eagerly.”

But humanities students stand to gain a lot from the preparation required for the competition, and Young encourages them to give it a try. She knows from her own experience writing an English dissertation that the long process involved in shaping a thesis — including questioning, researching, and reading — can at times make the project feel “a bit amorphous.”

“ Having to say, ‘here’s why this matters, here are the key central ideas, here’s what I hope to change about the field, here are the stakes of what I’m doing’ — that clarity can be really welcome and helpful,” she said.

Presentations must include a single PowerPoint slide, but the use of any other technology or prop is prohibited.

In such a technology-dependent culture, this rule might seem outdated. But prohibiting technological enhancements and other distractions keeps the focus on the speaker, Young said. The single slide is intended to be an adjunct to what the speaker is saying and not a focus itself.

“ We’ve all been to talks where you have to decide whether you’re going to listen to the speaker or read the slides,” she said. “We want this to be a live moment of public speaking and all the challenges that come with that.”

Coaching is available to all competitors.

All participants are encouraged to prepare for their presentations by pursuing the Certificate for Public Communication , through the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. As soon as they sign up for the 3MT, they receive an email link to the certificate page. They also have access to coaching and advice from Young, as well as staff in the Office of Career Strategy and the Graduate Writing Lab.

“ We really emphasize the power of preparation and feedback,” Young said.

The judges in the competition are Yale alumni.

The final round takes place before a panel of judges comprised of accomplished Yale GSAS alumni representing a mix of disciplines and Lynn Cooley, dean of the graduate school. After the presentations, the judges leave the auditorium to confer. The audience — both those in the auditorium and those watching via the live stream — is then invited to vote for two entrants to receive the “People’s Choice” award. And there is entertainment — this year, the graduate and professional school a cappella group, the Citations, performed.

Eventually, the judges troop back in and announce the first-, second- and third-place winners. Each poses with an oversized cardboard check (prizes range from $300 to $1,000 for first place).

“ We try to make it fun, and a bit of a spectacle,” Young said.

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The Clara Mayo Grants In Support of Masters’ Theses and Pre-Dissertation Research on Sexism, Racism, or Prejudice

The Clara Mayo Grant program was set up to support masters’ theses or pre-dissertation research on aspects of sexism, racism, or prejudice, with preference given to students enrolled in a terminal master’s program. Studies of the application of theory or the design of interventions or treatments to address these problems are welcome.

ELIGIBILITY

Individuals who are SPSSI members and who have matriculated in graduate programs in psychology, applied social science, and related disciplines. A student who is applying for a Grants-In-Aids may not apply for the Clara Mayo award in the same award year. Applicants may submit only one Clara Mayo grant application per calendar year.

AWARDS AND CRITERIA

Up to six grants will be awarded each cycle. The maximum amount of any grant is $1,000. Proposals that include a college or university agreement to match the amount requested will be favored, but proposals without matching funds will also be considered.

Deadlines: May 15; Oct. 15

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Alum Alexander Levine Honored with Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award

University of Maryland Department of Computer Science alum Alexander Levine (Ph.D. '23, computer science) has been awarded the Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award for his dissertation titled "Scalable Methods for Robust Machine Learning." Levine, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas at Austin , focused on developing machine learning models that maintain accuracy amid distortions. The award ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, at the Stamp Student Union. The award is for the dissertation he completed in 2023.

The Charles A. Caramello Distinguished Dissertation Award is given annually by the Graduate School to recognize dissertations that provide highly original contributions that make an unusually significant contribution to the discipline. Levine is among four recipients of the award this year.

Awardees receive an honorarium of $1,000. Additionally, they may be nominated for further recognition at the national level through the CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award competition, which selects outstanding dissertations from across the country to honor achievements in graduate research.

“I feel honored that my work has been recognized by this award,” Levine said. “I am deeply thankful for all of the support I received during my time at UMD from my advisor, my collaborators, my dissertation committee and the rest of the UMD computer science community. I am fortunate to have worked with such talented people on such interesting problems.”

Advised by Associate Professor Soheil Feizi , Levine's dissertation introduces innovative methods for ensuring the robustness of machine learning models, specifically in scenarios where input data may be subtly altered or distorted, including malicious tampering. This research is particularly relevant as machine learning applications become increasingly prevalent in areas requiring high reliability and security.

Levine explained that practitioners can implement these systems more confidently in safety-critical applications by developing machine learning techniques with well-understood robustness guarantees. He noted that the capabilities of machine-learning-based systems have expanded dramatically in just the last couple of years, increasing their use in various sectors. Levine emphasized the growing importance of ensuring these systems' robustness as their applications broaden.

Levine is currently expanding his research focus.

“At UT Austin, my research focus has shifted to representation learning for sequential decision-making tasks,” Levine shared. “In particular, I have been working on frameworks that allow deep learning to be used in combination with search-based planning techniques, so that we can benefit from both the powerful capabilities of modern deep learning and the interpretability, flexibility and efficiency of classical planning methods. ”

Levine received the Larry S. Davis Doctoral Dissertation Award in the Fall of 2023 . Named in honor of Computer Science Professor Emeritus Larry Davis , the award, given by UMD’s Department of Computer Science, highlighted dissertations that were exceptional in their technical depth and potential for significant impact.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications 

The Department welcomes comments, suggestions and corrections.  Send email to editor [-at-] cs [dot] umd [dot] edu .

Research presents at the 2024 National AERA Conference

You are here: american university school of education news & events soe presents at 2024 aera annual meeting.

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Dr. Francesca Smith Awarded Outstanding Dissertation Award by AERA Honor bestowed by AERA's Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group

By Lumumba Dunduza | April 21, 2024 School of Education (SOE) EdD program alum Dr. Francesca Smith , '23, was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Dissertation Award by AERA's Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group (SIG 12). The award is her second prestigious honor for the dissertation after winning the 2023 Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Dissertation in Practice of the Year Award.

"At my dissertation defense last year, my mom shared with me for the first time that when she was searching for a kindergarten program to enroll me in - as she and my dad were recent immigrants from Mexico - she was told by a school administrator that she needs to stop speaking to me in Spanish if she wanted me to enroll and succeed in their program," Smith reflected during her acceptance speech at AERA's 2024 Annual Meeting. "Thankfully, she did not enroll me there, and we continued to speak Spanish at home. Now, as a multilingual adult and educator, it's an honor to have my work acknowledged and share this space with so many inspiring individuals advocating for the gift of bilingual education and the assets of multilingualism."

A key consideration for her research agenda was whether dual-language schools in the U.S. – which attract students with linguistic, racial, and socioeconomic privilege – are intentionally supporting the specific needs and assets of emergent bilingual (EB) students from Latinx families.

The dissertation’s principal research examined how early intervention in a first-grade dual-language classroom could refocus EB students via both structured literacy instruction and parent partnership using cultural practices and bodies of knowledge that are embedded in the daily practices and routines of families, also known as funds of knowledge.

“The power of dual-language education is that students learn to read in two languages, which is a gift in and of itself, but is a particularly powerful gift for students from Latinx immigrant backgrounds and Spanish-speaking homes,” Smith said in 2023. “These students can use this gift to sustain their cultural roots but also to gain a research-proven academic advantage through learning in their native language. Maintaining this promise of dual-language education for equity and empowerment was at the center of my work.”

SIG 12 was exceptionally moved by Smith’s findings: an 11-week exploration of “how a teacher could build upon EB students’ Spanish language and literacy competencies within small-group English instruction at the beginning of their formal bilingual education” resulted in quantitative findings showing “that grounding early English reading instruction in the transfer and non-transfer of Spanish literacy skills supported students’ progress toward grade-level expectations for English decoding and letter sound knowledge” the group reported, among other significant findings.

"I am so grateful to the Bilingual Education Research SIG's recognition and the opportunity to connect with so many brilliant leaders in the bilingual education field at AERA. At past AERA meetings and, specifically, at the Bilingual Education Research presentations, I was able to connect with several scholars who provided the foundations of my research. It was exciting to be a part of the conversations in the field and have my work validated in that space," Smith said. "I also want express sincere gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee, Alida Anderson , Katarina Brito, and Amelia Tseng, as well as to the rest of my EdD and SOE community at American University." SOE’s EdD in Education Policy and Leadership program is becoming well-known in the field of education’s academic circles for its acclaimed award-winning dissertations. In addition to Dr. Smith’s wins, last year, program alum Dr. Cheyenne E. Batista , '22, received Outstanding Dissertation awards from both AERA (2023, Division A) and CPED (2022) for her dissertation, “’I Am Not Scary. I Am Strong. There’s a Difference.’ Disrupting Misogynoir and Transforming Interpersonal Conflict for Black Women Education Leaders: A Multiple Case Study.” __________________________

SOE Research Highlighted at 2024 AERA Annual Meeting SOE Faculty, Students, and Staff Presented

American University's School of Education was significantly represented among the 2,500 sessions that took place at the  American Educational Research Association's (AERA) 2024 Annual Meeting  in Philadelphia April 11-14. Themed "Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities: A Call to Action," the meeting was held entirely in-person this year.

Presentations from SOE faculty included ( view the entire program here ):

Thursday, April 11

9:00-10:30 a.m..

Dr. Amaarah DeCuir , Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Muslim Student Experiences of Anti-Muslim Racism: Stories From Elementary and Middle School " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 110A

Dr. Brian McGowan , Provost Associate Professor (pictured above, left), " Toward a Conceptualization of Mentoring for Black People in STEM: A Multigenerational-Multidirectional Approach " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 112A

10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m.

Dr. Rodney K. Hopson ,   Acting Co-Dean and Professor, " Teaching and Learning Black Studies: Towards an Evidence-Based Model for Curricular and Cultural Transformation in U.S. Schools and Systems " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Room 201B

2:30-4:00 p.m.

Dr. Asia S. Thomas Uzomba , Postdoctoral Fellow, " Where the Mirror Starts to Crack: Anna Julia Cooper, Womanist Teaching, and Sustainable Teacher Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 104A

4:20-5:50 p.m.

Assistant Professor  Dr. Kenjus Watson   was a panelist for the discussion " Forging a Research Agenda on the Role of Mental Health in Advancing Racial Equity " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 119B

Friday, April 12

9:35-11:05 a.m..

Dr. Toks S. Fashola , Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Undergraduate Teaching Assistants and STEM Gateway Courses in the Historically Black College and University Setting " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

Dr. Eugene Pringle , Senior Professorial Lecturer (pictured above, far left), " Teacher Preparation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as Transformative Incubators of Social Activism " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

11:25 a.m.-12:55 p.m.

Dr. Robert Shand , Assistant Professor (pictured above),  Dr. kecia hayes , Senior Professorial Lecturer, and  Dr. Reuben Jacobson ,   Director of Education Policy and Leadership Program and Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Reimagining Whole-School Reform: The Intersection of Community Schools and School Turnaround " at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Level 4, Franklin 10

3:05-4:35 p.m.

4:55-6:25 p.m.

Dr. Sarah Irvine Belson ,   Professor, and  Danielle G. Sodani , Director of the Institute for Innovation in Education, " Literacy Instruction Innovation in Special Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

5:30-7:00 p.m.

SOE Reception at AERA 2024 - Sonesta Philadelphia Riddenhouse Square Hotel

6:45-8:15 p.m.

Dr. Francesca Smith , EdD '23, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award at the Bilingual Education Research Special Interest Group business meeting - Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 109B

Saturday, April 13

7:45-9:15 a.m..

Dr. Jasmine Rogers , Adjunct Instructor, " An Exploration of Black Language in Structured Literacy Lessons " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 111B

Dr. Sung Ryung Lyu , Assistant Professor (pictured above, right), " Transformative Identity Formation: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Exploration of Womxn of Color Researchers' Experiences in Higher Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 104B

Dr. Toks S. Fashola,  Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Quantitative Research Shapes Educational Policy and Practice: Are You In? " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 204 AB

Dr. Rodney K. Hopson , Acting Co-Dean and Professor, chaired " The 27th Conversations With Senior Scholars on Advancing Research and Professional Development Related to Black Education " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 204 AB

AERA President and SOE Advisory Board member  Dr. Tyrone Howard (pictured above)   delivered the AERA Presidential Address, " Examining Our Past to Imagine a Better Future: Recognition and Redress of Racial Injustice in Education " at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Floor: Upper Grand Hall, Ballroom AB

Dr. Antonio L. Ellis , Senior Professorial Lecturer / Book Signing of " Teachers as Critical Storytellers: Effective Teachers and Windows " at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown; Floor: Level 4, Franklin 2 Division G Business Meeting / Hosted by Teachers College Press

Sunday, April 14

Dr. Emily G. Peterson , Assistant Professor, " Accect and Motivation in Mathematics Education " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 108A

Dr. Brian McGowan , Provost Associate Professor, " Mentoring Relationships and Black People in STEM " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 200, Room 201B

Dr. Robert Shand ,   Assistant Professor, chaired " Analyses of School Finance Equity and the Impact of Resources in the U.S. and Abroad " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

Dr. Amaarah DeCuir , Senior Professorial Lecturer, " Muslim Student Leaders Disrupt Anti-Muslim Racisms " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 117

Dr. William N. Thomas IV ,   Director of EdD Program and Professorial Lecturer, chaired " Stakeholder Perspectives in Charter Schools " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Second Floor, Exhibit Hall B

1:15-2:45 p.m.

Dr. Brian McGowan , Provost Associate Professor, presented a paper by  Dr. Corbin M. Campbell ,   Acting Co-Dean and Professor " Systemic Levers that Support Broad-Scale Institutional Change for Equity-Based Teaching: An Organizational Landscape Analysis " at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 103A

Dr. Emily G. Peterson , Assistant Professor, chaired " Emotions and Motivation in Technology-Based Environments " in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 108B

View the  entire program here .

The  AERA Annual Meeting  is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research, with typically 13,000 of its 24,000 members in attendance. It is an event to showcase groundbreaking, innovative studies in a diverse array of areas: from early education through higher education, from digital learning to second language literacy. Ideas and data are presented and discussed that will shape tomorrow’s education practices and policies, and where to connect with leading thinkers from the U.S. and around the world. Photographs by Lumumba Dunduza

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Non-Renewal of ARSV Laurence M. Gould Charter: Transition Plans for Antarctic Research Support

A small inflatable Zodiac boat carrying scientists motors away from the ARSV Laurence M. Gould.

• Credit and Larger Version

April 29, 2024

The U.S. National Science Foundation ’s (NSF) Office of Polar Programs (OPP) has announced the non-renewal of the charter for the A ntarctic R esearch and S upply V essel (ARSV)  Laurence M. Gould (LMG) following the conclusion of the 2023-24 Antarctic season. The LMG, a part  of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) since 1997, has played a key role in supporting marine research and logistics operations between NSF Palmer Station and South American ports.  

The LMG charter, held with Edison- Chouest Offshore, will expire on July 16, 2024. Th e  decision  not to renew the charter aligns  with NSF's commitment to balancing scientific priorities, evolving logistical needs , and budget constraints . Escalating costs and the availability of alternative commercial opportunities have led to this strategic shift in vessel support .  

NSF OPP is actively e valuating alternatives to ensure continuity in supporting Antarctic research. These efforts are part of a broader NSF vessel recapitalization initiative for Antarctica, reflecting community input and strategic planning efforts outlined in the 2019 Report of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the U.S. Antarctic Program’s Research Vessel Procurement and the 2024 NASEM Future Directions for Southern Ocean and Antarctic Nearshore and Coastal Research  study .    

NSF remains committed to supporting ground-breaking and critical science in and around Antarctica and reducing the impact of this transition on the research community. As OPP evaluates alternative avenues for vessel support, researchers are encouraged to engage with their NSF Program Directors for further clarification and guidance . OPP will continue to provide regular updates about this effort through OPP Announcements , the OPP quarterly newsletter , community office hours, and the GEO Advisory Committee .  

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

Connect with us online NSF website: nsf.gov NSF News: nsf.gov/news For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/ Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

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April 29, 2024

Invitation to Apply for OR-hosted Discussion on Equity in Research for Excellence

The Office of Research invites UW researchers to apply to organize an OR-hosted meal and discussion of its recent report on Equity in Research for Excellence . We invite proposals for collaborative dialogues with colleagues about the report and approaches towards and aspirations for equity in research. For more details and the application visit here.

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In Tight Presidential Race, Voters Are Broadly Critical of Both Biden and Trump

About half of voters say that, if given the chance, they would replace both candidates on the ballot, table of contents.

• The state of the 2024 presidential race
• Other findings: Biden’s job approval ticks up, Trump’s election-related criminal charges
• Educational differences in candidate support
• What are 2020 voters’ preferences today?
• How Biden’s supporters view his personal traits
• How Trump’s supporters view his personal traits
• Views of Biden’s presidency and retrospective evaluations of Trump’s time in office
• Attention to the candidates
• Does it matter who wins?
• What if voters could change the presidential ballot?
• How important is it for the losing candidate to publicly acknowledge the winner?
• 4. Joe Biden’s approval ratings
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology
• Validated voters

Pew Research Center conducted this study to understand voters’ views on the 2024 presidential election, as well how the public views President Joe Biden. For this analysis, we surveyed 8,709 adults – including 7,166 registered voters – from April 8 to April 14, 2024. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this report , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

As the 2024 presidential race heats up, American voters face a similar set of choices as they did four years ago – and many are not happy about it.

With the election still more than six months away, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that the presidential race is virtually tied : 49% of registered voters favor Donald Trump or lean toward voting for him, while 48% support or lean toward Joe Biden.

A defining characteristic of the contest is that voters overall have little confidence in either candidate across a range of key traits, including fitness for office, personal ethics and respect for democratic values.

Where Trump has the advantage: More than a third of voters say they are extremely or very confident that Trump has the physical fitness (36%) and mental fitness (38%) needed to do the job of president.

Far fewer say the same of Biden (15% are at least very confident in his physical fitness; 21% are extremely or very confident in his mental fitness). Majorities say they are not too or not at all confident in Biden’s physical and mental fitness.

Where Biden has the advantage: More voters are extremely or very confident in Biden (34%) than in Trump (26%) to act ethically in office. And while 38% say they are at least very confident in Biden to respect the country’s democratic values, fewer (34%) express that level of confidence in Trump. The survey was conducted before the start of Trump’s “hush money” trial in New York City .

( Read more about voters’ views of Biden and Trump in Chapter 2. )

The new Center survey of 8,709 adults – including 7,166 registered voters – conducted April 8-14, 2024, finds large divides in voters’ candidate preference by age, education, and race and ethnicity. As was the case in 2020, younger voters and those with a four-year college degree are more likely to favor Biden than Trump.

Older voters and those with no college degree favor Trump by large margins.

Among racial and ethnic groups:

• White voters favor Trump (56%) over Biden (42%) by a wide margin.
• Roughly three-quarters of Black voters (77%) support Biden, while 18% back Trump.
• Hispanic voters are more evenly divided – 52% favor Biden, while 44% back Trump.
• Asian voters favor Biden (59%) over Trump (36%).

( Read more about voters’ candidate preferences in Chapter 1. )

Most voters who turned out in 2020 favor the same candidate in 2024. Among validated 2020 voters, overwhelming majorities of those who cast ballots for Biden (91%) and Trump (94%) support the same candidate this year. Registered voters who did not vote in 2020 are about evenly divided: 48% back Trump, while 46% support Biden.

A majority of voters say “it really matters who wins” the 2024 race. Today, 69% of voters say it really matters which candidate wins the presidential contest this November. This is somewhat smaller than the share who said this in April 2020 about that year’s election (74%). Nearly identical shares of Biden’s and Trump’s supporters say the outcome of the presidential race really matters.

About half of voters would replace both Biden and Trump on the 2024 ballot

Reflecting their dissatisfaction with the Biden-Trump matchup, nearly half of registered voters (49%) say that, if they had the ability to decide the major party candidates for the 2024 election, they would replace both Biden and Trump on the ballot .

Biden’s supporters are especially likely to say they would replace both candidates if they had the chance. Roughly six-in-ten (62%) express this view, compared with 35% of Trump supporters.

There also are stark age differences in these views: 66% of voters under 30 say they would replace both candidates if they had the chance, compared with 54% of those ages 30 to 49 and fewer than half (43%) of those 50 and older.

( Read more about voters’ feelings toward the upcoming election in Chapter 3. )

Evaluations of the Biden and Trump presidencies

• 42% of voters overall say Trump was a good or great president, while 11% say he was average. This is a modest improvement since March 2021, two months after he left office.
• 28% of voters say Biden is a good or great president, while 21% say he is average. These views are mostly on par with June 2020 assessments of the kind of president Biden would be – but today, a smaller share of voters say he is average.

( Read more about ratings of Biden’s and Trump’s presidencies in Chapter 1. )

• Biden’s approval among the general public: Today, Biden’s approval rating sits at 35% – roughly on par with his rating in January (33%). His job rating has climbed slightly among Democrats over that period, however. Today, 65% of Democrats approve of him – up 4 percentage points since January. ( Read more about Biden’s approval rating in Chapter 4. )
• Conceding the presidential election: A majority of voters say it is important that the losing candidate in November publicly acknowledge the winner as the legitimate president. But Trump’s supporters are far less likely than Biden’s to say it is very important (44% vs. 77%).  ( Read more about voters’ views on election concession in Chapter 3. )

Trump’s criminal charges related to the 2020 election

As Trump faces charges that he sought to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election, 45% of Americans say they think Trump’s actions broke the law. This compares with 38% who say his actions did not break the law – including 15% who say his actions were wrong but not illegal, and 23% who say he did nothing wrong. Nearly two-in-ten are not sure.

Democrats mostly say Trump broke the law; Republicans are more divided. An overwhelming majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (78%) say Trump’s actions in seeking to change the outcome of the 2020 election broke the law. 

Among Republicans and Republican leaners:

• 49% say Trump did nothing wrong.
• 21% say he did something wrong but did not break the law.
• 9% say Trump broke the law.
• 20% are not sure.

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Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation

About 1 in 4 americans have unfavorable views of both biden and trump, 2024 presidential primary season was one of the shortest in the modern political era, americans more upbeat on the economy; biden’s job rating remains very low, key facts about hispanic eligible voters in 2024, most popular, report materials.

• April 2024 Biden Job Approval Detailed Tables

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