Constructing Your Dissertation ― A Guide for Students As They Begin Their Doctoral Research

Constructing Your Dissertation is a witty guide specifically written for students to help them enjoy an academic experience that can be confusing, frustrating, and lonely. In Constructing Your Dissertation Jess L. Gregory offers advice, straight answers, and support that has already helped many doctoral and masters students complete their dissertations and earn their degrees.As an award winning educator, Jess explains the different elements of a dissertation in easily understood terms, and more importantly includes:• How to transition from coursework to independent research;• How to pick a committee that works for you;• What to expect at each stage of the dissertation;• How to avoid pitfalls in writing your dissertation; and• Checklists so you can assess your progress.Students only get to write a dissertation once, Jess can help them appreciate this experience and earn their degrees! The book uses a home building analogy throughout to clarify the process of developing, conducting, and communicating a research project through a dissertation.One reader wrote:“If anyone ever told me I'd be laughing out loud at a book about constructing a dissertation, I'd have said they were crazy...yet, I was guffawing at several points during yours. I adore your self-deprecating humor and honesty.”This book includes chapters on each of the five chapters of a traditional dissertation in addition to helpful chapters on picking and working with a committee, holding a proposal hearing and a full dissertation defense as well as sharing research with an academic audience. A unique feature of this book is that in includes both letters of advice from others that have earned their degrees and a section of real questions that have been asked by doctoral students and answers.This is not an academic tome, nor does it aspire to be. It has been described as “useful, clear, and lightheartedly readable”. Each chapter is focuses on the issues of concern raised by past students, together the chapters can assist both students and advisors to maximize the dissertation experience.