week 8

The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing,

and Defending your Dissertation

Creating your Dissertation Team

Contributors: By: Carol M. Roberts

Book Title: The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and

Defending your Dissertation

Chapter Title: "Creating your Dissertation Team"

Pub. Date: 2010

Access Date: April 1, 2021

Publishing Company: Corwin Press

City: Thousand Oaks

Print ISBN: 9781412977982

Online ISBN: 9781452219219

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452219219.n5

Print pages: 53-62

© 2010 Corwin Press All Rights Reserved.

This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online

version will vary from the pagination of the print book.

Creating your Dissertation Team

Creating your dissertation team

Peak Principle: Always Climb Fully Equipped

Climbing high mountains without being fully equipped is folly. Being fully equipped includes having expert guides. Exposure, high winds, treacherous ledges, bone-chilling cold, and unpredictable weather pose grave dangers for the novice climber. To reach the top and return safely, you must have knowledge of where, when, and how to climb. This kind of knowledge comes only from expert guides.

Expert guides are people who have already been where you want to go. They possess the wisdom of experience, know the terrain, and can assess the abilities and limitations of those being guided. Expert guides also inspire confidence and convey what must be done to accomplish the goal. For your survival, you must have absolute confidence and trust in their abilities and be willing to go along with their instructions.

Don't take the journey to EdD or PhD lightly, for there are multiple challenges and obstacles along the way. Selecting a dissertation advisor is the most vital decision you make; that's the person you rely on to help you face the challenges and overcome the obstacles. This person's primary responsibility is to guide your work. He or she becomes your significant other throughout the entire dissertation process. Thus, it behooves you to select wisely.

Selecting a Dissertation Advisor

The dissertation advisor's main role is to offer advice and counsel during each phase of the dissertation process. He or she helps you develop and refine your research topic and methodology, critiques multiple drafts of each chapter of the dissertation, and guides you through the proposal and oral defense meetings. In addition, your advisor provides encouragement, shepherds you through any roadblocks, and acknowledges your good work. However, his or her ultimate responsibility lies in ensuring that you produce a high-quality dissertation—one relevant and useful to the field and one that meets your university's standards of scholarly research. Your work reflects not only your own scholarship but also that of your advisor. Your professional reputation and that of your advisor and university are all on the line when someone reads your dissertation.

Criteria for Selecting an Advisor

Ongoing program evaluations conducted at my university found that the top five factors most helpful to students in completing their dissertations dealt with the student-advisor relationship. These five factors, in order of their significance, were the following:

• 1. Student-chair compatibility

• 2. Chair reliability

• 3. Chair responsiveness

• 4. Chair understanding of student's needs

• 5. Chair accessibility

These results suggest some criteria you might use in considering your choice of an advisor. Before making that choice, take time to investigate and get to know potential advisors. You might talk with students who worked with a particular advisor, read dissertations chaired by an individual with whom you are interested in

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working, or take potential advisors to lunch and explore their interest in your topic.

Advisors exhibit a broad array of expertise, style, and personality; plus, they have different expectations of advisees. In selecting a compatible advisor, an important criterion is the level of comfort you feel with that person. Does the person's style of working match your own preferences? For example, do you prefer working with someone directive and highly structured (who closely monitors your work, adheres strictly to timelines, holds regular meetings, etc.), or do you prefer someone more laissez-faire (who waits to be contacted by you, allows more leeway to follow your own leanings, expects a greater amount of independent thinking, etc.)? Do you need nurturing and much support along the way, or are you a confident, independent worker?

Which advising style fits you? Which is most compatible with your needs? As you consider your choice, keep in mind some additional criteria:

• 1. The person likes your topic. It is not necessary that the advisor be an expert in your topic. Compatibility is often more important than expertise. However, it then becomes crucial that at least one committee member possesses expertise in your research area or methodology.

• 2. The person reads drafts in a timely manner.

• 3. The person makes sound, helpful comments and suggestions.

• 4. The person is accessible—willing to talk with you or meet regularly with you.

• 5. The person is sensitive to your needs yet demands quality work.

The best advisor is one who can be your ally, advocate, and adversary when he or she needs to be.

Selecting the Committee

The dissertation committee usually consists of three or five members (including the advisor), depending on the type of degree and each university's policy. Preferably, these members possess earned doctorates and are highly regarded professionals in their field. Select them for their ability to make specific and useful contributions to your study. These contributions might be expertise in the topic, methodology, or analysis used in the study or the ability to easily access the study's population.

The committee's primary responsibility lies in contributing new ideas, suggestions, and insights for each chapter. In addition, the committee judges the worth and quality of your dissertation and its defense. Committee members should participate actively in all phases of the dissertation process. Early involvement contributes to their sense of ownership in the dissertation and helps eliminate any surprises at the oral defense. They should not be considered “rubber stamps” of the advisor.

Choose the committee in concert with your advisor. Always discuss prospective committee members with your advisor before issuing invitations to them to participate in your study.

The same criteria used to select an advisor are appropriate for selecting committee members, but because of their secondary role in the dissertation process, they are less crucial. A compatible advisor and helpful committee members contribute greatly to your success in completing a scholarly dissertation.

The Care and Nurture of Advisors and Committee Members

A good working relationship with your advisor and committee is vital to finishing your dissertation. I offer the following as a guide for obtaining the help and support needed in your journey to become a doctor.

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Rule 1

Always Submit Drafts of Your Best Work

Resist the temptation to submit drafts that are not carefully thought out, organized, or well written. It is inappropriate to throw something together in the hope that it gets approved or that your advisor will think and edit for you. With a polished draft, your committee can focus its feedback on substance rather than style and format. Take time to carefully proofread each page. You can pick up many mistakes by reading it aloud to yourself or to another. It also helps to have a critical friend read it over before you submit it to the committee. Very often committee members’ initial impressions are lasting ones. David Sternberg (1981) said it well:

It has been my experience as a dissertation adviser and editor/consultant for several publishers that the reader's attitudes and appraisal of a manuscript are disproportionately shaped by the first draft which comes to his [or her] attention. If the first impression is unfavorable, successive drafts—even substantially revised ones—never quite erase the memory or smell of the first stinker. (p. 131)

Sloppy, careless work is unappreciated, and it reflects an attitude that you willingly cut corners and don't care about quality. It also shows a lack of respect for your committee's time. Always do your best work with each draft you submit.

Rule 2

Accept Criticism With Grace and Nondefensiveness

Your dissertation should reflect scholarly research and, as such, requires quality thinking and writing that is clear, concise, and cohesive. Expect to make multiple revisions to create such a document. It is critical that you accept your committee's feedback without getting your feelings hurt or being defensive. Develop professional maturity, and remember the committee's job is to provide comments and suggestions that strengthen your study and ensure that it adheres to your university's high standards. Show that you are teachable, flexible, and open to the committee's advice.

Rule 3

Always Incorporate Your Committee's Recommendations for Revisions

Committee members spend considerable time reading and critiquing your drafts. Usually, they are conscientious about making suggestions for improvement. It is not OK to ignore their suggestions. They trust you to incorporate their ideas into your study. Be sure to indicate on your return drafts where you incorporated their suggestions (boldfaced, colored highlighter, or italics, or in a personal note to them). Often, suggestions are negotiable. If you disagree with any of the changes suggested by a committee member, call that person to discuss the situation. Present your ideas persuasively and with tact and diplomacy. Show that you are flexible and open to their opinions rather than defensive of your own position. Such an approach resolves your differences in an amiable fashion.

Rule 4

Respect Your Committee's Time Constraints

Faculty are busy people and must be given sufficient lead time to respond to drafts and inquiries. Don't demand instant turnaround or immediate appointments. However, it is reasonable to ask when a response might be forthcoming. A comment that all advisors dread hearing is, “I realize I've taken six months to revise Chapter 1, but would you be able to read it by tomorrow?” One professor explained, “Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.” Do keep to your timeline as much as possible. Often, faculty members make decisions about adding additional advisees based on when you plan to complete your

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dissertation.

Rule 5

Keep a Positive, Cheerful Attitude

Enthusiasm engenders enthusiasm and makes working with you so much more pleasant. Your committee wants you to have a positive experience. If you appear morose and whiny, it negatively affects your working relationship. Even if you don't feel positive and cheerful, fake it!

Rule 6

Take the Initiative, but Expect Guidance

An important goal in writing a dissertation is developing the ability to work independently. You need advice and counsel along the way, but it is your responsibility to determine the direction of the research, manage your time, and persist in getting the work done. Take control of your own dissertation. What do you want to know? What is important to you? A good advisor encourages you to make your own decisions; after all, it is your dissertation. Don't wait to be told what to do. It delights your advisor when you bring fresh ideas and new insights and perspectives about your study. Keep self-sufficiency and dependence in proper balance. It's up to you to succeed.

Rule 7

Maintain Contact

Schedule regular meetings (at least once a month for one hour) with your advisor to discuss progress and to get advice on specific problems you may be having. It helps keep you in his or her memory, helps to maintain the relationship, and shows your commitment to completing the dissertation in a timely manner.

Consider making regular progress reports to your committee. Mauch and Birch (1993) believed this to be the “single most effective way to stay in touch in a constructive way with each committee member” (p. 134). Their suggested format is as follows:

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In addition to sending a written progress report by mail, fax, or e-mail, you should also make a telephone contact every month or six weeks to keep communication channels open.

Be sure to seek advice when you need it. Often, students inhibit themselves in this regard and don't want to appear ignorant or incompetent. It is easy for advisors to overestimate the depth of their students’ knowledge. Just don't be a pest! Remember to share the joy of discovery as well as the obstacles overcome.

Adhering to these seven rules creates a more harmonious relationship with your advisor and committee members and ensures a relationship based on mutual respect and shared responsibility.

How to Approach a Potential Advisor

Faculty can choose which dissertations they will or will not chair. Following appropriate etiquette improves your chance of obtaining the advisor you want. First of all, be adequately steeped in the literature related to your topic so you can talk intelligently about it. Also, prepare a well-thought-out prospectus or proposal to show a potential advisor. This document should clearly define the problem and methodology of your study. If done well, it provides insights into the clarity of your thinking and writing—something advisors look for in potential advisees.

Next, give your prospectus or proposal to a potential advisor and request an appointment to discuss it. Be direct about your situation—are you shopping for an advisor or have you decided on one? Don't expect an agreement to chair your dissertation right away, and don't feel rejected if you get a “no.” Typically, faculty turn away students if they are overcommitted, not interested in the topic, or do not feel comfortable with the methodology or analysis procedures. Sometimes they are just not willing to work with a particular individual.

What if no one Agrees to be your Advisor?

At this point, you need to ask yourself why no one will chair your dissertation and do some soul-searching. Here are some common reasons why potential advisors turn students down:

• 1. The topic. It's too broad and ill defined; it may be trivial, poorly thought out, or they are just not interested in the topic.

• 2. Students lack academic skills. The time and agony of working with poor writers, superficial thinkers, or those known for cutting corners are not worth the effort.

• 3. Personal attributes. Students who are antagonistic, abrasive, stubborn, or undependable always have a hard time convincing a faculty member to chair their dissertation.

You need to appraise your situation and decide where you might need to change. Perhaps you should adjust your behavior and attitude or get some professional help with specific skills you may lack. It is hard to overcome a negative reputation.

At my university, the dean assigns an advisor for you if all faculty members turned you down. This means that the professor assigned has no choice in the matter and must work with you whether or not he or she likes it. This is not a good place to be.

Choosing Outfitters and Bearers (Other Specialized Consultants)

In addition to expert guides, difficult climbs also require outfitters and bearers. You can only reach a high goal with help from other people. Be smart and use all the resources available to you. There are consultants (editors, statisticians, research specialists, etc.) you can call on for expert help and advice. There are campus services available for your use, as well as supportive, caring faculty and student peers eager to help you on

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your way. Going it alone can be inefficient and costly—it may even cost you your degree. Choose your guides and mentors carefully and then heed their advice and counsel.

Technical Assistance

Often, students require assistance with the technical aspects of writing a dissertation. Getting help with questionnaire design and statistical analysis is reasonable. Unless you were the valedictorian of your statistics class, it behooves you to consult a statistician; however, it is vital that you know enough about statistics to understand his or her advice. An experienced statistician can assist you with analysis techniques, interpretation of the numbers generated, table presentations, and technical writing. He or she should act as a tutor to help you understand why a particular test was used and what the results mean. However, you are responsible for understanding your statistics and defending their use at your oral defense.

Writing Assistance

Consider using an editor throughout the dissertation process. Committee members do some editing; however, their primary role is to assist you with conceptual clarity. They appreciate receiving drafts that pass the literacy test. An editor can be a close friend skilled in grammar who understands dissertation-style writing. If your writing leaves a bit to be desired, then definitely hire a professional. It saves you hours of grief and a multitude of drafts. Just remember that editorial assistance for a dissertation is permissible and encouraged, but only in matters of style, not content.

Word Processing Typist

It takes a tremendous amount of skill to prepare tables, figures, and so forth and to type the dissertation manuscript in the appropriate style format. The final document has to be precisely in the style required by your university. Most students do not possess this expertise nor do they have time to learn it. Therefore, my advice is don't do your own final copy. Type it yourself through the oral defense, if you wish, but then hire a professional to complete the final copy. This saves you much anxiety, time, and money. Be sure to contract with a typist early in the dissertation process. Provide an approximate date when you will hand over your manuscript.

Where to Locate Specialists

Check with your own university to see if there is a list of experts available to assist you. Also, the ASGS website, http://www.asgs.org has a database of professional consultants (editors, word processors, and writing consultants). The names are arranged according to expertise areas and geographic location. You can click on a name and view detailed information, including services and hourly rates. Another good way to locate reliable technical specialists is to simply ask prior dissertation students and university faculty whom they know and recommend. Try to get at least two names so you can have a choice and not feel tied to someone with whom you may not be compatible.

Once you have a list of names, contact them. Let them know who recommended them and share your timetable for completing the dissertation. Also, let them know what kind of help you need and find out if they have the time to assist you and what they charge.

Summary

Selecting an advisor and committee members is one of the most vital decisions you make. Ideally, these individuals should like your topic, make helpful suggestions, return drafts in a timely manner, be accessible, and hold you accountable for quality work. In this chapter, I suggested seven rules to help you maintain a good working relationship with your advisor and committee members and offered guidance in observing appropriate etiquette when approaching a potential advisor. Other available resources to help you complete

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the dissertation are statisticians, editors, typists, and so on.

Your preparation for the climb thus far included filling your backpack with the inner essentials, identifying a topic to research, and selecting expert guides, outfitters, and bearers. The next chapter centers on peer dissertation support groups and provides strategies on their formation and structure.

• dissertation • members committees • committees • drafting • statisticians • chairs • technical writing

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452219219.n5

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