Getting Your Thesis/Dissertation Written:

Good Writing Habits and Survival Techniques

The most crucial thing is to work closely with your dissertation chair to work out a system that is mutually agreeable.Up front, establish a timeline.Find out which committee members want to see what, and when.Keep open the lines of communication with your chair.Keep your committee updated about your progress.

GENERAL TIPS ON WRITING HABITS

• Find a time-management system that works for you and stick to it (are you a morning person or a night person? during which times can you accomplish work?)
• Be very protective of your writing time. Nothing else should get in its way. Be compulsive when necessary.
• Have a workspace that you can claim as your own
• Get organized (file notes, articles, and other materials so that you can find them)
• Play psychological games with yourself (If you find it intimidating to write a “dissertation,” when you sit down, just focus on one particular section or problem—don’t tell yourself “here I am writing my dissertation,” but rather say, I’m going to sit down and work through this specific problem in a brief, preliminary way)
• Cut up the “big” task into small, manageable blocks
• Use tricks to manage writer’s block—say “I’m just going to get something down on paper, no matter how bad it is”—you will always revise later

PRACTICALITIES/SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES

• Try a dissertation writing group, even if it’s long-distance. The accountability and support are terrific.
• Be good to yourself. Eat right, get some sleep, exercise, and have a life from time to time.
• Focus on finishing—it’s your ultimate goal.
• Talk to others who have been through this. Ask for their advice.
• Don’t get mired down in negativity.
• Select one or two good books or websites, and consider the advice offered there carefully (below are some recommendations).

REFERENCE MATERIALS

• BOOKS (just a few suggestions)

Bolker, Joan.Write Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising,

and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis.Owl Books, 1998.

Rudestam, Kjell Erik and Rae R. Newton.Surviving Your Dissertation : A Comprehensive

Guide to Content and Process.Sage Publications, 2000.

Zerubavel, Eviatar.The Clockwork Muse:A Practical Guide to Writing Theses, Dissertations,

and Books.Harvard UP, 1999.

• WEBSITES (this is just a sampling of what’s available online)

< http://chronicle.com/jobs/archive/topical/dissertation.htm> “Dissertation Advice” articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education

<http://www.phinished.org/>“online discussion and support group for people who can't seem to finish their dissertations or theses”

<http://www.LearnerAssociates.net/dissthes>“Writing and Presenting Your Thesis or Dissertation”by S. Joseph Levine, Ph.D.

<http://www.ecoach.com/>“The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide”

<http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/dissertation.html> “Writing Your Dissertation” from U of NC at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center