Questions for anyone who has completed a major research project or dissertation.

I'd like a moment of your time, please. If you can respond to the following questions, as best as you can, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Shay

(1) What was your research topic?

(2) Why were you conducting your research?

(3) Why was your topic of interest to you?

(4) How long did the project take you from start to finish?

(5) What resources, such as technology, postage, and other costs, were required?

(6) What assisted you in completing your research?

(7) What were your biggest challenges?

(8) What recommendations could you provide to help me be successful in the completion of my dissertation?

 

(1) What was your research topic?
Examining the Relationship between the Frequency of Communication and Remote Employee Communication Satisfaction

(2) Why were you conducting your research?
It interested me and it it important to my job

(3) Why was your topic of interest to you?
see above

(6) What assisted you in completing your research?
Reading ALOT

(7) What were your biggest challenges?
None yet execpt dealing with the process

(8) What recommendations could you provide to help me be successful in the completion of my dissertation?
Pick something you are interested in and starting keeping organized notes from the beginning

 

I'd like a moment of your time, please. If you can respond to the following questions, as best as you can, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Shay

I have done a number of research projects, but I'll focus these answers on my dissertation.

(1) What was your research topic?

The identification and validation of critical factors that influence the institutionalization of distance learning and how weel those factors were being implemented at colleges and universities

(2) Why were you conducting your research?

Primarily to complete requirements for my dissertation, but also to advance my research agenda and gather data relevant to my work.
(3) Why was your topic of interest to you?

I had seen many innovations that did not endure because they did not become institutionalized. I wanted to find out what colleges and univerities could do to institutionalize innovations, so I chose one of which I have interest (distance learning).

(4) How long did the project take you from start to finish?

About two years.

(5) What resources, such as technology, postage, and other costs, were required?

Fortunately, the fact that my office was in a university library was very helpful, with regard to printed and electronic resources. I purchased a few months work of Survey Monkey for data collection and used Microsoft Excel and SPSS to assist in data analysis.

(6) What assisted you in completing your research?

A loving and supportive wife and children, helpful colleagues and a great dissertation committee.

(7) What were your biggest challenges?

Balancing work and family responsibilities with my research and making sure that I had enough subjects.

(8) What recommendations could you provide to help me be successful in the completion of my dissertation?

Make sure that: 1) You have a topic that you can live with for a while. 2) Do not try to make your dissertation your "magnum opus". It is your introduction to research, not your final statement. 3) Make sure that you have a good committee chair who is interested in your topic. 4) Follow your committee's directions with exactitude. 5) Plan your dissertation so that it will generate one or more publishable papers. 6) Realize that, above all, a doctoral degree is a certificate of endurance--so be prepared to jump through hoops and do not be discouraged when things take longer than expected.

 

(1) What was your research topic?
The technology behind a specific World War II weapon

(2) Why were you conducting your research?
To meet my MAS requirements for a graduate research project.

(3) Why was your topic of interest to you?
I've been interested in this topic since I was around 15 years old.

(4) How long did the project take you from start to finish?
18 months.

(5) What resources, such as technology, postage, and other costs, were required?
Several trips to the UK to visit several museums, national libraries, and records offices (These trips were my vacations)

(6) What assisted you in completing your research?
Being able to afford to travel to UK.
Supportive ERAU faculty (who were interested in an unusual topic).

(7) What were your biggest challenges?
The mission is well documented but the technology was not – it was a one time mission – weapon was made without documentation except a proposal, few reports, correspondence, various sheets of paper, and some film footage. (documentation that I got to handle).

(8) What recommendations could you provide to help me be successful in the completion of my dissertation?
Pick a topic that interests/intrigues you.
Try to find a topic different from the norm and which excites your advisers.

Above responses are for my ERAU MAS degree.

 

I can't do this!

Please don't think I'm a whimp. But I don't know if I could do this. I knew this process would be difficult and I'm not afraid of a little difficulty but to put it as I've always heard my mom say, "this is a horse of a different color."

Ummmmm, seriously. I don't know if I have what it takes to move beyond the ABD, seriously. I am not nearly as accomplished and as intellectual and as well-versed as you gentlemen (and ladies) are. I am a creative writer, not a scholastic writer. I don't see it...I just don't see me being able to pull this one off. I am seriously and officially depressed, right now.

Thanks for your help! Really...thanks, so much!

 

Shay, I believe you can do this, truly I do. I think what is causing you some angst right now is a lack of topic that you feel excited about. Without this then yes, it is incredibly difficult to muster up the motivation to keep moving forward.

As to the writing aspects, etc, a dissertation is simply a process. I've tried in the past to use the analogy of reading a menu -- the first time we pick up a menu as a child it's a strange thing in terms of its organization. However, after reading several dozen, we can instinctively know where to look for the information we need.

I really don't see a dissertation as being any different. One thing that might help you in this is to start reading dissertations -- bunches of them (you'll end up doing that anyway for your own research). You'll soon see the patterns of organization of the dissertation and get a feel for the language used for writing them. Once you've read through a couple dozen, my hunch is that you will start to see them not as some scary tome but as the finished product of a rather straight-jacketed process. Once you can see them in this light, then I think that will help you understand that you as well have the capability to produce such a result.

Don't give up yet, Shay. I'd recommend going back to some of the research articles that interested you the most in your classes and see what the authors recommended as areas of future research -- this might give you some ideas as to what topic you'd like to research. Also, I'm not familiar with the Argosy resources, but I'd start reading those, too -- look for dissertation manuals, templates, etc etc. These would also help demystify the process.

Best of luck to you -- hang in there!
Adrienne

 

Hi Shay, I'm jumping to Question #8.... Keep reading until you spot a flaw in your favorite literature surrounding the four primary "validities" that Trochim of Cornell discusses: Construct, Internal, External, and Conclusion.

Here's a little handout that I use in the research courses I teach (I see that this isn't my most recent version):

http://mbafaq.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-read-journal-articles-in-eight.html

Don't let non-specialist readers dissuade you with flippant advice about the research being too large or too small. Do work closely with your chair and committee members; pray they are competent and not on some ego trip. Suffer fools gladly, even when it is obvious they are pretending to know more than you.

 

I think I know how you feel, Shay. It is pretty scary. What helped me was to look at dissertations written by others from my school. It also helped me to think of each task as a separate project or research paper. In the same way that you completed projects and research papers for your coursework you can do it for the dissertation. It's no different. Hang in there.

Tom

 

Thanks...

Thanks to all of you for your support. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me to know that people not only understand, but that they care. Being a part of this group has benefited me in ways you'll never understand. Not only have I come to learn the distance learning process better but I have been gently nudged in the in the direction of the path that I have taken. I am happy to be in your company and I am not going to give up.

Thanks!

 

Just remember that everybody in the doctoral process appears smarter than you because they get to ask all the questions, so to speak. A few might be smarter than you while most probably aren't. Be respectful but don't be intimidated, even by the most pompous. I've read your papers and I know you can do this. Hang tough!

 

Since you’ve already made the decision to stick it out (good for you!) let me encourage you with what I found most helpful.

1. Tom is right, take one bite at a time. If you think you have 250 pages to type, you’ll lock up. Focus on one chapter at a time, which will probably suit your supervisor(s) better anyway, so they can review each one before moving forward.
2. A good research supervisor is a true expert in the field you’re studying and can guide you to do the best possible work. Find a good one, even if you have to switch the school you’re at. A great one is someone who cares about you and wants you to succeed and do it without sacrificing everything else to get there. Try to find a great one.
3. Most importantly, keep good relationships with family a priority. Too many people neglect this one. If you have to sacrifice time with them (i.e., you’re part time and doing this on top of an existing job), it helps to make sure they don’t see you do it, i.e. if you have to study late at the library, fine, but don’t go home and tell your family you have to go in another room to study. When you’re at home, be at home interacting with them. It will make the difference between your family wanting you to succeed because they’re exasperated and want you done, or wanting you to succeed because what you're trying to accomplish is still important to them.

 

1) What was your research topic?

a hybrid simulation based multi-criteria multi-objective optimization system

(2) Why were you conducting your research?

to satisfy the research requirement for the graduate program in industrial engineering/operations research at Colorado State

(3) Why was your topic of interest to you?

have been interested in simulation and decision science since my undergraduate days (many many years ago).

(4) How long did the project take you from start to finish?

four years at this point

(5) What resources, such as technology, postage, and other costs, were required?

The libraries of:
• Colorado State University Morgan Library
• California State University, Domingues Hills library, Carson, CA
• California State University – Fullerton library, Fullerton, CA
• University of California, Berkeley Kresge Engineering Library, Berkeley. CA

Following the journal search and to obtain the best copies possible additional searches were performed using electronic databases. These searches were conducted using the above libraries and the following databases
• ACM Digital Library
• EBSCO Academic Search Premier and Business Source Premier
• Emerald Fulltext
• Elsevier Science Direct (full text from 1998)
• Ingenta
• JSTOR
• Kluwer Academic Publishers Journals
• LexisNexis Academic
• MELVYL (UC Catalog)
• ProQuest Digital Dissertations
• SFX Citation Linker
• Wiley InterScience Journals

(6) What assisted you in completing your research?

perseverance

(7) What were your biggest challenges?

my professor (kept changing the requirements to reach the next step).

(8) What recommendations could you provide to help me be successful in the completion of my dissertation?

make sure that your advisor is strongly interested in you

 

Very true. One of the nice byproducts of the dissertation process is that, by the time you are done, you know more about your topic than anyone (including the members of your committee). The folks here have given you some good advice. Those of us who have gone through the process understand fully your anxiety. Take heart, find something that you are passionate about and want to research and we will soon be calling you Dr. Shay!

P.S. Sorry for all of the silly typos in my last post. I was not careful at all (how embarrassing).

 

Shay: I don't think that any one of us who have been through this can honestly say that we never felt overwhelmed at one or more points in the process.

I personally found it helpful to work on the dissertation a little bit every day. One of the doctoral advisors in my program said to visualize the process as a big glass jar with medium sized stones in it. Each day you pour in a little bit of sand and gradually, day-by-day, the jar fills and the sand fills in all the space around the stones. Finally, over time the jar fills and this symbolizes that the dissertation is finished. Just a little bit daily will eventually fill the jar.

Another thing I did was to take a photo of the academic regalia and tack it over my desk. I am a visual person so this was very helpful to me. When I needed a push I would look up at that picture and know that one day I would be entitled to wear that gown and tam.

I agree with others that reading over other dissertations is very, very helpful. I found it hard to get my arms around the whole process at first - but reading over other studies can help you with this. If you can work and focus on each chapter as you go instead of thinking of the whole thing at once, it is easier. Be organized in whatever manner works for you. I kept photocopies of all journal articles used and even photocopied the covers and publication page in books (where the copyright info is listed) so I would be sure I would have that information to double-check as needed. Use the photocopier liberally. I would even photocopy quotations that I wanted for certain parts of the literature review - as a future reference. There were times when I was literally cutting and pasting different pieces of information and rearranging them in the right order for my literature chapter.

Finally, this is truly a test of endurance. You don't have to be a genius to get through this - you just have to have a good plan and a research idea that truly inspires you to action. Your committee will help you with putting together your proposal for your dissertation. Once you have the proposal written and approved you will really be ready to go. Don't give up it does feel so good when you finish. You'll see. Good luck! ~Kim~

 

I think it is a matter of perserverance, not writing ability. Get an editor (I did), get a plan, stick to it every day, that is what will get you through. It is a marathon, not the mile. Good luck in your decisions.

 

I can relate to that, Kim. Right after I started writing my dissertation I bought a custom mahogany diploma frame from my school--the kind with the name of the school and the school seal on the mat--and propped the empty frame on the top of a book shelf in a prominent place to motivate me.

Tom

 

It is a marathon of sorts, where the finish line keeps getting moved further away from you.

 

I'm morally and ethically bound to mention one more thing you that need to know about earning a doctorate... There is a myth (lie?) that has been spread that bears correction. The myth is that the doctoral process is somehow under your control, and if you strive to be a worthy project manager, you will succeed. Meaning that you can somehow power your way through it with enough time, effort, money, and hope. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, you must be a willing and able participant. However, in the end, it will all come down to whether your chairman, committee, and the University want you to graduate or not. There are a million ways they can slow you down or speed you up. Again, if they want you to graduate within a certain period of time (and you participate), you will. Otherwise, you won't. They decide if you are to graduate and you really don't have much say in the matter...

 

Hi Shay,

These projects always look their most scary before you get started. In reality, the progress through a dissertation is all mapped out in logical, bite-sized chunks. Each chunk is very straightforward and achievable, and there is usually some good guidance available to help you get through each stage.

I wouldn't worry about the academic writing aspect. Academic writing is the least challenging form of writing in my opinion - it's basically just a derivative, passive, more boring version of good writing! Once you get the rhythm it's not that hard.

As others have noted, the target can keep moving on you, and that is part of the journey. Most people I know have their topic morph quite a lot before they get to the data gathering stage. usually the first topic we pick is too broad and/or has too many competing ideas in it.

Keep in mind you are only trying to add the thinnest sliver of new knowledge to the pile so the next person has a little more to build their own topic on. You can always expand out your dissertation idea by writing articles and books or by doing more research. Just pick something narrow and researchable, and get it done!

I would go for it!

 

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