Association
for Support of Graduate Students
This is an intelligent site, full of experience-based,
solid advice. It is also bluntly honest about the perils
and dissatisatisactions of getting a Ph.D. in today's
academy, suggesting that writing a dissertation is not
for everybody, and urging stalled ABD students to assess
whether or not to “get out.” Those who who
are staying “in” will appreciate the site
for it’s diverse points of view and get-to-work
attitude. Navigation is a little frustrating, but if you
persevere you will be well rewarded for your efforts.
Topic headings include “Orals Strategies”;
“Writer’s Block”; “Forming Dissertation
Support Groups." A moderated discussion list, DocTalk,
allows access to archives of past threads.
How
to Be a Good Graduate Student
Marie desJardines’ thoughtful and practical guide--though
written by a scientist--is full of canny advice to grads
in all disciplines. Topics include: finding a
good advisor; negotiating department politics; publishing;
staying motivated; becoming part of the research community;
creating a balanced life.
Dissertation
Proposal Writing
(Chris M. Golde, University of Wisconson, Madison)
Advice on drafting the prospectus from concept to finished
project. Very clear, process-based advice on producing
an original but no-nonsense 20 page proposal.
Writing
Your Dissertation
(University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Graduate school pundits often cite 50% or more as the
attrition rate for ABD students. Why? This page not
only essays an answer, but offers practical strategies
for starting, drafting, and completing your dissertation.
Writing
a Dissertation: Advice from Five Award Winners
Don’t pass over this link just because the host
site is the American Political Science Association.
These skillfully written and insightful essays speak
to scholars in the humanities as well as the social
sciences. Literature majors in particular will enjoy
Kim Lane Scheppele’s analogies drawn from events
in George Orwell’s novel 1984 to illuminate the
often torturous process of dissertation writing.
Graduate
Student Resources
A well developed bank of links and other resources for
graduate students. Divided into three categories: Getting
In, Getting Through, and Getting Out.
Avoiding
the ABD Syndrome
( Kansas State University College of Education)
"Some people find themselves unable to find a rhythm
in their work ethic which leads to the completion of
the dissertation. There are a host of reasons that people
find themselves becoming ABDs (All But Dissertation).
The term "ABD" is one of the most distasteful
terms among professionals because it represents academic
failure. Those people who find themselves "stuck
in quicksand" often perish on one of the many jungle
trails found in a doctoral program.Why do people get
stuck in quicksand? For a variety of reasons….."
Books
on Dissertation Writing
An annotated bibliography by S. Joseph Levine, Ph.D.
(Michigan State University, East Lansing)
This page
written by Zia Isola, July 2004.
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