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- Select a topic early in your doctoral program.
- Ensure your topic is doable in one year.
- Develop a clear statement of your research problem and solidify the scope of your project.
- Select a dissertation chair/mentor who fits with your temperament and work style.
- Establish a dissertation timeline with realistic deadlines.
- Use the “planning backwards” process.
- Set up a regular work schedule and work place.
- Commit at least five days a week to working on the dissertation.
- Arrange a work area with minimal visual distractions.
- Limit new commitments (e.g., teaching a new course); learn to say no!
- Maintain firm boundaries around your dissertation writing time.
- Practice time management, establishing daily goals.
- Set up small milestones and deadlines; track and reward your progress in reaching them.
- Create outlines for individual chapters so you’ll know where you’re going.
- Maintain a running “to do” list to ease getting in and out of your work.
- Alternate periods of researching and writing.
- Begin by writing in short bursts, aiming to complete at least half a page every half hour; do your new writing before editing the previous day’s work.
- Consider writing in “waves,” from a general overview of a topic/ variable (what you know now), to more specific points, then to very specific information (e.g., statistics).
- Experiment with methods of visual organization (mind maps, postits on walls).
- Use binders for the chapters you’ve completed.
- Keep all your writing and drafts until the dissertation is done; you may need work you rejected early in your discussion or in revisions.
- Use “waiting time” to edit and revise your work.
- Arrange regular meetings and frequent contact with your dissertation adviser.
- Be proactive in seeking feedback from your adviser; ask for help when you get stuck.
- Stay connected to other faculty who can assist you.
- Tell others about your timeline and plans to finish.
- Develop a peer support group (e.g., departmental, campus, on-line).
- Partner with a research buddy to ensure accountability.
- Don’t compare yourself to other students completing the dissertation.
- Keep a manageable number of references.
- Use bibliographic software to help with your references.
- Ensure you have adequate academic support (e.g., committee members, statistical or editing help); emotional support (e.g., family, friends, peers); and administrative support (research assistance, office space/help).
- Take some time off when you absolutely need it.
- Eat nutritious foods, rest well, and exercise regularly.
- Don’t quit! Convince yourself that you can succeed and learn from this experience.
- Attend at least two departmental defenses to get familiar with the process.
- Practice your defense by attending conferences and scheduling “practice defenses” with friends, colleagues and a few faculty.
- Participate in the final graduation ceremony; it’s wonderful to be “hooded” and presented as a “doctor”!
Adapted in part from Jain, Rachna D. (2002). Get it done: A coach’s guide to dissertation success. Columbia, MD: Moonswept Press, Inc.