Thesis and Dissertation Guide: Theory and Applied Practice guides students through the process of developing and writing a research proposal and final study. The book focuses on research that might be quantitatively oriented, qualitatively oriented, or mixed methods and demonstrates to students that one approach is not superior to others, but rather, there needs to be alignment to the purpose of the study. A chart is provided to demonstrate alignment between the research purpose, research question and/or hypothesis, inductive and/or deductive reasoning, and the research design. The book offers examples of the written language of research and helps students develop and write a research proposal, as well as a traditional five-chapter thesis or dissertation. It features emphasis on the critical analysis that must be employed when finding the missing gaps in the literature, while also developing a new approach to a research problem. There are uniquely designed scaffolds to take students through this critical analysis process while they simultaneously develop the foundation for, and write up of, their literature review. Thesis and Dissertation Guide is an exemplary text for inquiry, research, research proposal, and dissertation courses in any discipline associated with social science and education-related research.

This book provides a step-by-step guide to writing the different chapters of a PhD dissertation, which will benefit aspiring, beginner and mid-track PhD students and candidates in the Social Sciences. Based on the authors’ combined experience of working with both Masters and PhD students through the dissertation writing process, it offers helpful writing guidelines, from the conceptualization and problematization of the dissertation through to the literature review, methodological issues, writing up results and, finally, to the discussion, conclusions and abstract writing process. With chapters dedicated to offering guidelines, suggestions and pitfalls to watch out for, this book will assist PhD students and candidates in the fields of the various Social Sciences with exercises and pointers on successfully navigating the writing of a PhD dissertation. It takes the PhD student in the Social Sciences through the maze of writing a dissertation, and provides a step-by-step train of thought throughout the entire writing process.

Thesis and Dissertation Guide: Theory and Applied Practice guides students through the process of developing and writing a research proposal and final study. The book focuses on research that might be quantitatively oriented, qualitatively oriented, or mixed methods and demonstrates to students that one approach is not superior to others, but rather, there needs to be alignment to the purpose of the study. A chart is provided to demonstrate alignment between the research purpose, research question and/or hypothesis, inductive and/or deductive reasoning, and the research design. The book offers examples of the written language of research and helps students develop and write a research proposal, as well as a traditional five-chapter thesis or dissertation. It features emphasis on the critical analysis that must be employed when finding the missing gaps in the literature, while also developing a new approach to a research problem. There are uniquely designed scaffolds to take students through this critical analysis process while they simultaneously develop the foundation for, and write up of, their literature review. Thesis and Dissertation Guide is an exemplary text for inquiry, research, research proposal, and dissertation courses in any discipline associated with social science and education-related research.

A complete, step-by-step, practical overview of the process of writing successful theses and dissertations Every year thousands of graduate students face the daunting–sometimes terrifying– challenge of writing a thesis or dissertation. But most of them have received little or no instruction on doing it well. This book shows them how in ways no other book does. It combines the practical guidance and theoretical understanding students need to complete their theses or dissertations with maximum insight and minimum stress. Drawing on her extensive research and experience advising hundreds of graduate students, Dr. Irene Clark presents a solid overview of the writing process. Clark shows how to apply innovative theories of process and genre and understand the writing process for what it is: your entrance into a conversation with the scholarly community that will determine your success or failure. This book offers useful strategies for each phase of the process, from choosing advisors and identifying topics through writing, revision, and review. Coverage includes • Getting started: overcoming procrastination and writer’s block • Understanding the genre of the thesis or dissertation • Speaking the “language of the academy” • Writing compelling proposals • Developing and revising drafts • Constructing effective literature reviews • Working with tables, graphs, and other visual materials • Working with advisors and dissertation committees • Avoiding inadvertent plagiarism Experience based, theoretically grounded, jargon free, and practical, Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation will help you become a more effective writer–and a more meaningful contributor to the scholarly conversation. Preface xi Introduction: Writing a Thesis or Dissertation: An Overview of the Process xix Chapter 1: Getting Started 1 Chapter 2: So What? Discovering Possibilities 17 Chapter 3: The Proposal as an Argument: A Genre Approach to the Proposal 33 Chapter 4: Mapping Texts: The Reading/Writing Connection 63 Chapter 5: Writing and Revising 83 Chapter 6: Writing the Literature Review 103 Chapter 7: Using Visual Materials 125 Chapter 8: The Advisor and Thesis/Dissertation Committee 139 Chapter 9: Working with Grammar and Style 155 Chapter 10: Practical Considerations 175 Index: 193

Conducting phenomenological research for dissertations can be an involved and challenging process, and writing it up is often the most challenging part. How to Write a Phenomenological Dissertation gives students practical, applied advice on how to structure and develop each chapter of the dissertation specifically for phenomenological research. Phenomenology is about personal experience and personal experience varies from researcher to researcher. However, this variation is a big source of confusion for new researchers in the social, behavioral, or health sciences. This brief text is written in a simple, step-by-step fashion to account for this flexibility and variation while also providing structure necessary for a successful dissertation. Broken up into chapters that follow each chapter of the dissertation, this text logically addresses the various parts of phenomenological research, starting with ensuring phenomenology is the right method for your research, writing the literature review, going through methods and results sections to analysis and discussion. The author, using experience gleaned from supervising phenomenological dissertations for many years, gives time-tested advice on how structure the dissertation to fit into more common frameworks, using checklists and tables throughout. Each chapter includes a list of helpful resources for students to use alongside this book with specific information on methods and research. Unique to this text is a chapter on creating your own phenomenological method which allows students to expand their viewpoints and experiment in future studies after the dissertation.

A Concise Guide to Writing a Thesis or Dissertation provides clear, succinct, and intentional guidelines about organizing and writing a thesis or dissertation. Part I provides an overview for writing a thesis or dissertation. It describes the big picture of planning and formatting a research study, from identifying a topic to focusing on writing quality. Part II describes the framework and substance of a research study. It models the pattern generally found in a formal, five-chapter research study. Each chapter of a thesis or dissertation has a specific purpose, and this book focuses on each in an easy-to-follow structure. Chapter One reviews the headings and contents expected in the introduction of a study. Chapter Two provides advice for writing a literature review. Chapter Three discusses what to include when describing the methodology. These first three chapters form the proposal section of a study. Two additional chapters present results (Chapter Four) and provide discussion and conclusions (Chapter Five). Appendices offer resources for instructors and students, including a rubric for evaluating writing, exercises to strengthen skills in APA format, sample purpose statements, a research planning organizer, and a guide for scholarly writing. The book is designed overall to be a practical guide and resource for students for their thesis or dissertation process. Note to readers: Due to publishing limitations, some of the titles within the book do not accurately conform with APA format. For precise APA format, please see the APA manual (2010, pp. 62-63), or refer to Table 1.1, (p. 8) or Table D.1 (p. 107) in this book.