How to transform a thesis into a publishable work that can engage audiences beyond the academic committee. When a dissertation crosses my desk, I usually want to grab it by its metaphorical lapels and give it a good shake. “You know something!” I would say if it could hear me. “Now tell it to us in language we can understand!” Since its publication in 2005, From Dissertation to Book has helped thousands of young academic authors get their books beyond the thesis committee and into the hands of interested publishers and general readers. Now revised and updated to reflect the evolution of scholarly publishing, this edition includes a new chapter arguing that the future of academic writing is in the hands of young scholars who must create work that meets the broader expectations of readers rather than the narrow requirements of academic committees. At the heart of From Dissertation to Book is the idea that revising the dissertation is fundamentally a process of shifting its focus from the concerns of a narrow audience—a committee or advisors—to those of a broader scholarly audience that wants writing to be both informative and engaging. William Germano offers clear guidance on how to do this, with advice on such topics as rethinking the table of contents, taming runaway footnotes, shaping chapter length, and confronting the limitations of jargon, alongside helpful timetables for light or heavy revision. Germano draws on his years of experience in both academia and publishing to show writers how to turn a dissertation into a book that an audience will actually enjoy, whether reading on a page or a screen. He also acknowledges that not all dissertations can or even should become books and explores other, often overlooked, options, such as turning them into journal articles or chapters in an edited work. With clear directions, engaging examples, and an eye for the idiosyncrasies of academic writing, he reveals to recent PhDs the secrets of careful and thoughtful revision—a skill that will be truly invaluable as they add “author” to their curriculum vitae.

This volume is a timely intervention that not only helps demystify the idea of a digital dissertation for students and their advisors, but will be broadly applicable to the work of librarians, administrators, and anyone else concerned with the future of graduate study in the humanities and digital scholarly publishing. Roxanne Shirazi, The City University of New York Digital dissertations have been a part of academic research for years now, yet there are still many questions surrounding their processes. Are interactive dissertations significantly different from their paper-based counterparts? What are the effects of digital projects on doctoral education? How does one choose and defend a digital dissertation? This book explores the wider implications of digital scholarship across institutional, geographic, and disciplinary divides. The volume is arranged in two sections: the first, written by senior scholars, addresses conceptual concerns regarding the direction and assessment of digital dissertations in the broader context of doctoral education. The second section consists of case studies by PhD students whose research resulted in a natively digital dissertation that they have successfully defended. These early-career researchers have been selected to represent a range of disciplines and institutions. Despite the profound effect of incorporated digital tools on dissertations, the literature concerning them is limited. This volume aims to provide a fresh, up-to-date view on the digital dissertation, considering the newest technological advances. It is especially relevant in the European context where digital dissertations, mostly in arts-based research, are more popular. Shaping the Digital Dissertation aims to provide insights, precedents and best practices to graduate students, doctoral advisors, institutional agents, and dissertation committees. As digital dissertations have a potential impact on the state of research as a whole, this edited collection will be a useful resource for the wider academic community and anyone interested in the future of doctoral studies.

Annotation A hands-on how-to guide for everyone interested in revising their dissertation for publication. Chapters addressing specific fields (humanities, science, business, art, etc.) are written by some of the leading editors from university presses around the country. A must for new academics facing the burden of "publish or perish."

A doctoral dissertation is arguably the most important journey that students will embark upon in their professional careers, so smart travelers will want E. Alana James and Tracesea H. Slater’s Writing Your Doctoral Dissertation or Thesis Faster: A Proven Map to Success at their fingertips. James and Slater identify the key places and challenges that create extra stress during the dissertation process, and offer effective strategies and tools to address those challenges and ensure academic success. Their map walks readers through each step of the process, including: • determining the research topic, • choosing appropriate methods, • turning a hypothesis into a study, • completing a literature review, • writing and defending a proposal, • collecting and analyzing data, • writing up the study, and • ultimately defending the dissertation. Building on years of experience with doctoral students, the authors provide a comprehensive, yet easy-to-use tool that encourages student reflection; includes student stories, hints, and writing tips; and provides end-of-chapter checklists and ideas for incorporating social media. With the proven techniques and guidance of this indispensable book, doctoral students will finish their thesis or dissertation—faster!

Your dissertation is not a hurdle to jump or a battle to fight; as this handbook makes clear, your dissertation is the first of many destinations on the path of your professional career. Destination Dissertation guides you to the successful completion of your dissertation by framing the process as a stimulating and exciting trip—one that can be completed in fewer than nine months and by following twenty-nine specific steps. Sonja Foss and William Waters—your guides on this trip—explain concrete and efficient processes for completing the parts of the dissertation that tend to cause the most delays: conceptualizing a topic, developing a pre-proposal, writing a literature review, writing a proposal, collecting and analyzing data, and writing the last chapter. This guidebook is crafted for use by students in all disciplines and for both quantitative and qualitative dissertations, and incorporates a wealth of real-life examples from every step of the journey.

A Dissertation Guide for Professional Learners Doctoral education has changed dramatically over the last three decades. Traditionally, pursuit of a doctoral or research credential involved intense study at a large, traditional research university, and was reserved for those seeking careers in academia or research. The process of completing doctoral level work at traditional universities usually required a commitment to full time study, varied tremendously between institutions, and was often somewhat mysterious. Today, all this has changed. The emergence and growth of online education has led to a proliferation of doctoral learning possibilities for busy professionals. Individuals in the industry, nonprofit, and education are sectors are pursuing doctoral study as a means to advance their careers, increase their market value in the workplace, and establish their professional stature. If this sounds like you, then you have come to the right place. Recipes for Success is the book that will launch you on a successful quest for the doctoral degree. Dissertations are very personal endeavors and accomplishments, originating with problems and issues that are meaningful and important to the doctoral learner. These professionals are deeply grounded in their understanding of the issues and needs of their profession. Recipes build on this this understanding, helping learners to discover and frame issues they are passionate about, and construct a credible and influential research study around this passion. While most dissertation guides focus largely or exclusively on the mechanics of writing and organization, Recipes approaches dissertation development as an iterative process of thinking and self-reflection that leads learners to discover what matters most to them and to their professions, and enables them to frame this meaning into a research problem and purpose, and to organize and execute a study design to fit, and thus solve the problem and achieve the purpose. From the very beginning of your doctoral journey to the ultimate achievement of degree completion, this book is your guide to the process and content of dissertation and research creation. In Recipes for Success, we articulate a process by which you can build the pieces of a successful and influential dissertation. Using a workbook approach rich in tools, templates, frameworks, examples, web integration, and hard-won lessons from experience, Recipes provides a friendly, easy to navigate process crafting issues and ideas into research and results. Based on our 40+ years of collective experience in the online educational setting, mentoring over 300 professional learners to success in completing their doctorates (including numerous award winners), we identify the most important factors for success and the traps to avoid. Whether you are considering doctoral study, are already in a doctoral program, or are working to develop and complete your dissertation, you will find Recipes for Success a key ingredient in your success as a doctoral learner. Our graduates tell us that Recipes is THE book that made a difference in their doctoral career and success. YOU can do it too! Good luck on your doctoral journey!

Theory and techniques of research