Dissertation in 4 weeks
Is it possible to write a dissertation in 5 days?
You might laugh and wonder how anyone could enjoy the abject stress and panic that is, inevitably, the last weeks of a PhD, but there's also lots to enjoy. Take a step back and remember that just a few years ago, you had barely formulated a question for research and now, sitting before you, are hundreds of pages that answer that question. Revel in the attention lavished on you and your work by experts and lay-folk and take pride in your accomplishment. You've worked hard to get to this point, and you deserve to be both relieved and happy. And don't forget to celebrate when it's all over. Writing a thesis in a month I have finally have realized my life-long dream of earning a Ph.D. after I successfully defended my dissertation in history at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Lately, I have been reflective of my experiences. I thought I would share my own dissertation journey and chronicle the top 10 steps that I took in order to successfully go from the stage of writing and defending my proposal in September of 2012, to completing the writing and defending my dissertation within two academic years.
Writing a dissertation in a month
17. Talk about your ideas with others. When you are writing your dissertation, you might be tempted to lock away your ideas and avoid discussing them with others. This is unwise. Talking with others about your ideas helps you to refine and stimulate your thinking; it also creates opportunities for you to learn of important resources and how your contribution will affect other branches of scholarship. Also, as people ask questions about your project, you will begin to see where your argument is unclear or unsubstantiated. Autonomous doesn’t mean alone It’s worth spending a bit of time building up your relationship with your supervisor (have a look at our page on Building Rapport for help). It’s also worth discussing and clarifying with them exactly what they are prepared to do to support you, and in particular practical details such as:
Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day
In some cases you may already have a large amount of chapter drafts and other material. ‘Writing up’ therefore becomes a process of re-drafting and assembling this work into a final dissertation. This approach is common in Arts and Humanities subjects where PhD students tend to work through stages of a project, writing as they go. Written Prospectus Ideally the candidate will be in frequent contact with both the Chair and the members of the dissertation committee, seeking advice and guidance and relying upon their expertise. At least one time per semester, the candidate must arrange to meet with the Chair to evaluate his or her writing progress against the original dissertation timeline. If revisions to the timeline are necessary, these should be agreed upon and outlined as well. The candidate should bring the timeline to the meeting and is responsible for making any revisions thereto and redistributing it to the committee after the meeting.
Writing your dissertation in 15 minutes a day
The final few months of a PhD can often be the hardest, so here are a few tips from a doctoral candidate who recently submitted her thesis Franklin College SCSU’s History Department Policy on Plagiarism
