Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation

The advice and resources you need to complete your thesis or dissertation!
Written in a conversational style for both faculty and students, this how-to manual covers quantitative and qualitative research methods and provides comprehensive guidance for successfully completing a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation. Drawing on 40 years of experience supervising dissertations, the authors provide examples from 100 completed projects to guide readers through:

• Choosing a topic and writing research hypotheses
• Selecting a chair or committee
• Ensuring a successful proposal and oral defense
• Adapting the finished product for publication
• Using the Internet and desktop publishing effectively

Preface
About the Authors
Part I. Getting Started
1. Selecting a Suitable Topic
Sources of Topics
Criteria for Topic Selection
Summary
2. Selecting a Chair and Committee
Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair
Composition and Role of the Committee
Research Prospective Committee Members
The Desirable Student
Summary
Part II. What You Need to Know
3. Quantitative Research Designs
Descriptive Research
Correlational Research
Causal-Comparative Research
Quasi-Experimental Research
Experimental Research
Theory Development
Summary
4. Basic Statistics
Descriptive Statistics
Inferential Statistics
Summary
5. Qualitative Research Designs
Phenomenological Research
Case Study Research
Ethnographic Research
Grounded Theory Research
Mixed Method Research
Summary
Part III. The Dissertation Chapters
6. Writing the Introduction Chapter
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Significance of the Study
Definition of Terms
Theoretical Framework
Models
Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
Limitations
Delimitations
Assumptions
Organization of the Study
Summary
7. Writing the Literature Review Chapter
Searching the Literature
Writing the Literature Review
Synthesizing the Literature
Summary
8. Writing the Methodology Chapter
Introduction
Selection of Participants
Instrumentation
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Summary
Conclusion
9. Writing the Results Chapter
Introduction
Descriptive Statistics
Testing the Research Questions (Hypotheses)
Additional Analyses
Summary
Conclusion
10. Writing the Discussion Chapter
Summary
Discussion
Implications for Practice
Recommendations for Further Research
Conclusions
Summary
Part IV. The Defense and Afterward
11. The Proposal and Final Defense
Prepare a Well-Written Document
Know the Format
Prepare Your Presentation
Practice Your Presentation
Anticipate Questions
Final Oral Defense
Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes
Summary
12. Publishing Your Dissertation
Presentations
Job Interview
Academic Journals
Books
Chapters in Books
Popular Press
Internet Publishing
Desktop Publishing
Planning the Writing Process
Summary
Appendix A: Initial Letter to Participants
Appendix B: First Follow-up Letter to Participants
Appendix C: Second Follow-up Letter to Participants
Appendix D: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)
Appendix E: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance)
Appendix F: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)
Appendix G: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)
Appendix H: The Qualitative Research Critique
Appendix I: Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation
Appendix J: Checklist for Dissertation Quality
References
Index