ARe you in an all but dissertation or thesis status? These slides were for a webinar that you will find on the doctoralnet youtube channel.

1. Exploiting Rapid
Change in Technology
Enhanced Learning
… for Post Graduate Education
All but Dissertation or Thesis . 1 What it
takes to move on

2. Organizing is what you do before you do something,
so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.
A. A. Milne
“Writing is learned by imitation. If anyone
asked me how I learned to write, I’d say I
learned by reading the mean and women
who were doing the kind of writing I
wanted to do and trying to figure out how
they did it.”
William Zinsser On Writing Well

3. Goals for this session
To kick start ABDs towards success
Give out some useful tools
Set the stage for the rest of the ABD series

4. Agenda
1. Overview of what goes where and why
2. Give out some useful tools
3. Set the stage for the rest of the ABD series

5. What Goes Where and Why
1. Chapter One
1. Purpose
2. Structure
2. Chapter Two
1. Purpose
2. Structure
3. Chapter Three
1. Purpose
2. Structure
4. Results
1. Purpose
2. Structure
5. Discussion
1. Purpose
2. Structure
Want more detail? Here are video links to
help…
1. https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&vid
eo_id=4haOY_CS5i0
2. https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&vid
eo_id=gO14ACpdGO0
3. https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&vid
eo_id=c8VHTNxZIEA
4. https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&vid
eo_id=WyYKiIRSQlQ
5. https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&vid
eo_id=4S6KdwkUvDw

6. Exercise: Write the 1st 3 Chapters
Steps:
1. Read finished dissertations/thesis & find models
2. For each section – plot your style/course/headings/points to be made
3. Take 3 weeks reading a section then writing, reading then writing
until the full draft is done.
4. Rewrite
5. Have someone else read/edit again – and again
6. Expect – 1-2 months per chapter
7. Expect – to have to learn to turn off your critical voice
8. Expect – that editing will help you rearrange and learn from your
mistakes
INVESTIGATION & MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

7. Things to keep in mind
1. You may be able to read and design in spurts but writing
is an everyday/everyday regular habit
2. There are a lot of tricks that will help you
3. If in doubt, do the 30 day writing challenge
4. Don’t let negative self talk get you down
5. Have your cheerleaders handy – every page at first is
worth cheering
6. Set deadlines with your supervisor and meet them – even
if you hate your results up to that time
PLOT THE COURSE

8. More Helpful Hints
1. When in the day can you sneak out 15-30 minutes at least
5 times a week?
2. Keep a writing journal
3. Learn to use MS Word to its advantage
4. If you haven’t already got all your refs in bibliographic
software do it now.
5. Plan 2 months per chapter – 1-3 first draft and then the
same again for second or third drafts

9. Exercise: Data Analysis
Data collection takes longer than planned
Some who said yes are not available
Surveys do not come back
Analysis lacks power if quantitative
Seems confusing in qualitative
What you write is shot down
Students despair
And yet the light can be seen at the end of the tunnel
But how do you get there?
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

10. Exercise: Data Analysis
Quantitative:
1. Think of all your options then don’t wait – implement them all – you
can’t have too much data
Qualitative:
1. Realize that reading, coding, analyzing and uncovering themes takes
time – plan for it and do a little all the time
For both
1. 30-45 minutes a day everyday
2. Read before bed – consider in the morning
3. Keep a journal – don’t disregard any thoughts
4. Immerse yourselves in it- discuss – immerse some more
PLOT THE COURSE

11. More Helpful Hints
1. Life – what life? Segregate yourself and get it done
2. 6 months and done is better than years and not done
3. Find a coach – check in once a month minimum
4. Set goals and keep them
5. Celebrate every success
6. Keep the perspective on where you have come as much
as where you are going.

12. Exercise: Reflective questions
1. What is your golden thread? DATA/ CLAIM
2. How does this look in light of your field? LITERATURE
3. What is important to you personally? DISCUSSION
4. How do you sum it up? INTRO & ABSTRACT
Exercise – answer those 4 questions after listening today.
Further Links – WEAVING IT TOGETHER.1, and .2 and
backward mapping .1 and .2 to plan getting it done.

13. Let’s list what we like in the best
dissertations or thesis we have
read…
1. Personally written
2. Told a good story
3. I could see why they wanted to study that – it
seemed important
4. I could follow the research design
5. The results documented what went well and what
didn’t
6. The findings were credible and, even if I didn’t
agree with them, I saw where the author was
coming from and took them on as new ideas.

14. Discuss the skills/mindset of Phase 1:
Designing Your Research
1. “Student” mindset – looking to others to guide your
thoughts and processes.
2. Skills – comprehensive reading
3. Skills – logical orientation to ideas
4. Skills - Synthesis

15. Discuss the skills/mindset of Phase 2:
Beginning to Write
1. “Writer” mindset – you have a level of expertise and
you have ideas you want to convey to others.
2. Skills – critical thinking
3. Skills – logical orientation to ideas
4. Skills - patience
5. Skills – time management, routine

16. Discuss the skills/mindset of Phase 3:
Beginning to Write
1. You really are the expert about this topic, at least as
it pertains to you topic as delimited by you
2. You are also the expert on how this study ran –
what worked and what didn’t and what you would
do differently
3. You write with the smoothness of someone who has
told your story over and over until it makes sense to
people and you seem believable.
4. You remain passionate about what you did and
letting people know about it.

17. Snags to Avoid – How to Avoid Them
1. Expect others to review and make comments on your ideas
and analysis – practice until you are prepared to defend
them.
2. Have your work edited and if you are unsure use a coach.
3. Know your strengths and weaknesses – play to your
strengths (exercise next)
4. Do a 3 minute thesis as a practice for your presentation
and then make sure your writing is as clean
1. http://threeminutethesis.org/3mt-showcase
2. http://www.u213mt.com/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEFFPMmmXbE

18. Process: Choose a Few and OWN Them
Original and significant, ambitious, brilliant, clear, clever, coherent, compelling,
concise, creative, elegant, engaging, exciting, interesting, insightful, persuasive,
sophisticated, surprising, and thoughtful
Very well written and organized
Synthetic and interdisciplinary
Connects components in a seamless way
Exhibits mature, independent thinking
Has a point of view and a strong, confident, independent, and authoritative voice
Asks new questions or addresses an important question or problem
Clearly states the problem and why it is important
Displays a deep understanding of a massive amount of complicated literature
Exhibits command and authority over the material
Argument is focused, logical, rigorous, and sustained
Is theoretically sophisticated and shows a deep understanding of theory
Pushes the discipline's boundaries and opens new areas for research

19. Tools
• All about MS Word
• 30 Day Writing Challenge
• 30 Day Work-Life Balance Challenge
• Academic Writing Boost
• Motivational Emails
• Test your design logic –
yoursite.doctoralnet.com//logic-design-tool.html

20. A resource to consider…
http://amzn.to/1WsQrFZ

21. 1. App is coming in Sept for those who want notifications on their phones to
stay in touch and access all the non content tools.
Webinars August:
ABD series continues with
1. Lit + results = findings august 8th
2. Questions answered – August 15th
Other ongoing series…
Let’s get published (soon to be a boxed set)
Masters Series
What’s Up at DoctoralNet?

22. How did we do? Scale of 1-5 please
Did this…
Kick start your work towards success?
Give out some useful tools?
Set the stage for the rest of the ABD series?