Your belief system is what may be standing in the way. Most academics cling to the belief that they must set aside large chunks of time, do a lot of preparation, and be in the proper frame of mind to be able to write.

What this means is that when you finally sit down to write, it’s going to be an unpleasant marathon. You have placed such importance on this writing session that you feel anxiety about it living up to your expectations. And you know it’s going to be difficult. After all, there are thorny issues you haven’t addressed, articles you haven’t read or reread, and a lack of coherence to your thinking. You need to solve those problems. And if you don’t do it now you’ll be quite disappointed in yourself.
How unpleasant! And how counterproductive!

What Should You Believe Instead? Or “Oh, The Irony!”

Research by Robert Boyce actually shows that first and second-year professors who participated in a study on writing productivity were able to turn out more publishable pages in a year by

· Writing 30 minutes a day

· Only writing on workdays

· Shoehorning that writing into small gaps in their busy schedules

The difficult part, it turns out, was convincing these professors to try this low-key method in the first place. Ironically, they all insisted that the only way to get real work done was to do it in the marathon way that I described above.
The second irony was that when Boyce actually measured the amount that they were writing per week (before the intervention,) it was less than 30 minutes per week! This was much less than their retrospective reports of how much time they had been spending writing.

The third irony was that those who most adhered to the idea that you must write in large doses were the least productive.
The fourth irony was that although these professors considered writing a private activity, they did best when they were accountable to someone for maintaining their 30-minute writing habit.

Do It Already!

So what’s stopping you from learning from these professors and writing a small amount each day?

Here are typical excuses:

· It’s just not rewarding writing in small amounts. I feel like I’ve gotten nothing accomplished.

· I have a big issue to work out. It will take more time than 30 minutes.

· I feel guilty if I don’t work more each time.

· I’ll never complete my dissertation/paper/research project at that pace.

· I’ve waited until it’s too late and I can’t afford the luxury of that small amount of time per day.

· It just doesn’t feel right.

· I’ve got more time than that, I should be putting all my time to good use.

· It’s so overwhelming that I don’t know where to start, and by the time I figure it out my 30 minutes will be up.

My answer to those responses? Bull! Except for the emergency deadline, there is no reason not to try this technique. Give it time to see if it works for you. If you’re like every other academic I’ve worked with, you will resist the idea. I suggest that the more resistant you are, the more problem you’ve probably had with procrastination in the past.

An Action Plan

Try it for a week. Select a time each day, preferably not the evening unless you’re a night owl, and write for 30 minutes, without email, reading or other distractions. Don’t listen to the voices in your head saying you “should be getting more done,” or “you should be writing more than this.” I’ll bet at the end of the week you’ll be pleasantly surprised at your output, and pleased with the increasing ease with which you can sit down to write. You’ll start to see progress on your dissertation or article and maybe come to believe that you will finish one day.

Furthermore, don’t forget about being accountable to someone. Let someone else know that you’re going to be doing daily writing. Perhaps you can find a writing buddy, or someone in your dissertation group.

Don’t forget, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Start setting yourself up for success starting right now!

© Gina Hiatt, PhD. Gina is a dissertation and tenure coach. She helps academics, from grad students wondering about their dissertation topic to faculty members who want to maintain a high level of research and writing, to reach their goals more quickly and less painfully. Get Gina’s free assessments & ezine at http://www.academicladder.com

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Drafting should be the least time-consuming and yet the most important step in the composing of a research paper. The draft need not be of polished language and could be composed using shorthand writing methods or other rough measures.

It is meant to make the task at hand easier and straightforward for the composer and need not be a part of the original finished output. Indeed, a draft is only intended to drive home the focal point of the paper to the writer himself, thus making the job substantially easier.

While finalizing the first draft, two common problems are generally faced…

1. You suffer from absolute clueless ness about the topic in hand (showing that you are dealing with something out of your league for the moment and much hard work is needed) or.

2. Most commonly you take too long to revise and rework your draft…

The solution to the second problem lies in your perspective: the draft is just to help you get your focus right and doesn’t need to be an impressive piece of work in itself,

3. A major problem that most students face while composing their draft is procrastination (the tendency to put things off for a later period). Students afraid of the slowness and imperfection of their draft usually fall prey to this tendency and depend on pressure to become their biggest motivator.

You may read all the points in detail at: How to Write a Research Paper

As a result students hand in their first-draft as final papers without revision leading to inferior output. Try the following:

a)Try pretending its your final exam…follow your outline and set a timer, make sure a friend or relative watches over so that you do not cheat the watch.

b) Setting small, time bound goals which ensure that you get this part of work done in this amount of time: automatically the pressure factor sets in.

c)Imagining that you are required to present a speech on the topic at hand and need to finalize the main points in 10 minutes…

It ultimately boils down to the creation of pressure that makes one motivated to get their drafts ready on time.

More Articles on: Ostacles in writing a Research Paper

Joe, a reporter, has been travelling around the world for more than a decade now and has extensive experience in many fields. Now he has a blog along with other article writers. To know more about him, do visit: Random Rants

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However, the technique used in the presentation of the paper may make it fall under two broad categories: 1. Analytical, 2. Argumentative, in fact the strategy used by the writer to compose his paper will eventually determine the aim and purpose of the paper.

A detailed discussion of these two methods will clarify the concepts presented above:

1. Analytical Papers

In an analytical research paper, the aim is to attain a thorough expertise of the concept that is being presented so that it can be broken down and represented from the writers’ point of view.

In this form of the research paper, an individual approaches the research question without any pre-conceived notions and ideas about the subject at hand. Thereafter a careful survey of the opinions and views is undertaken. Ultimately when familiarity with the topic is achieved; a person is able to restructure and relocate the concepts that underlie the basic topic in his paper; the very essence of an analytical paper; critical contemplation and evaluation of the question at hand is necessary for an analytical paper.

2. Argumentative Papers

This type of a paper may also be termed a persuasive paper. Aside from critical thinking which is essential for the production of a quality paper, another familiar concept that dominates academic circles is the concept of an argument.

You may wish to read more at: Writing a Thesis

The basic difference from the former kind that qualifies the persuasive kind is that the paper takes a conscious stance and argues in favor of one of the arguments with cogent facts and points presented in its favor. The aim is to mould the reader’s mind in favor of one possible answer to the research question backed by reliable data and arguments.

To conclude; both approaches require logical thinking and smart evaluation alongside comprehensive research of the available sources. However the difference is created through the process of writing, analytical papers provide a more balanced approach where all views pertaining to the question are presented whereas argumentative papers debate in favor of one logical solution above the others.

More Answers available at: Are you Stuck writing a Research Paper?

Joe, a reporter, has been travelling around the world for more than a decade now and has extensive experience in many fields. Now he has a blog along with other article writers. To know more about him, do visit: Random Rants

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Professional freelance editors are great for any graduate student or Ph.D. candidate looking to improve a thesis, dissertation, or journal manuscript. Using a professional editing service can help you get better feedback from your adviser as you move through the stages of writing your dissertation, and can also help you craft your full dissertation into publishable articles. Even in cases where the ideas within a dissertation are innovative, important additions to the literature, a poorly written document could diminish the value of the document.

A professional editor can make sure your essay, research paper, thesis, or dissertation is easily understandable and free of errors. When choosing an experienced editor, it is important to choose someone who has familiarity with your topic, is responsive to your needs, and can provide quality editing. It is important to ask your editor to focus on what is important to you, such as focusing on APA style, ensuring an error-free document, or improving the flow of the document. An editor with an academic background is an added benefit since that individual is familiar with the general process of writing a dissertation.

For more information on the cost of professional editing services for your paper, thesis, dissertation, resume, cover letter, vita, statement of purpose, or other important document, visit Editor World LLC at http://www.editorworld.com and choose one of our expert editors based on his or her qualifications and skills. Our editors have a variety of academic backgrounds and editing skills. Submit a free sample request to help you select your editor.

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However, the vast majority of doctoral students will never achieve their dream with a reported 50-70% of students dropping out at some point or other. No one wants to become a part of that statistic, and some recommendations to keep you upbeat ahead of your course or on track if you’ve already started to climb the mountain!

Students can complain and moan to professors about which is the best specialization, or feel disgruntled about their grade in a class, but most students fail to realize they’ll have to move a mountain (the dissertation), equipped with only a small shovel per se. What I’m getting at here is “start digging as soon as you can”.

Pre-dissertation coursework and peripheral studies are mere undulating hills compared with what’s to come.

Points to seriously consider are:

1. Complete coursework assignments quickly.
2. Quickly choose a specialization.
3. Start your dissertation as soon as humanly possible – it’s where most students hit the brick wall.

Perhaps even keep it in mind right from Day One of the course if possible.

Many Master’s programs do not require a thesis so doctoral students often don’t know what’s coming! MBA’s and such like that do require a thesis offer a little practice (a little) for those students who want to progress to PhD level.

Some universities request prospective students to write a brief essay on their research intentions. There are two reasons for this:

1. The university wants the applicant to start thinking about the PhD dissertation from the outset
2. The university wants to check whether it can supervise the research intentions or not.

Final tips:

Go with a university that offers heavy emphasis on refining doctoral dissertation ideas from year one, and where the university encourages students to continue reflecting and refining research topics even while working on specialist modules. So, to answer the question in the title, very important! Good luck and good planning! Onwards!

Ashley Bowkett has been recruiting quality graduates and working professionals alike for more than 5 years into the television industry. He firmly believes candidate prospects increase greatly through career-long continuing education and personal development.

For reliable information on degree level education visit his website at http://www.useful-online-degree-info.com/index.html is a feast of useful online degree information and products designed to help you better your career as soon as possible. If you are an author, you can even easily submit your articles to his site as well.

When Ashley isn’t writing articles and setting up joint ventures, he is a chief development director of a television network responsible for offices in New York and Beijing.

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Professional freelance editors provide a great service for anyone looking to improve an academic paper, whether it is an essay, research paper, thesis, or dissertation. Using a professional editing service can help you get a better grade or better feedback from your adviser or teacher. If you are submitting your nonfiction work for publication, such as in a book, journal, or even online, the reviewer or editor will view your work more positively if it is well-written and error-free. Even if the ideas behind a written paper are innovative and important, a poorly written document prevents the reader from seeing the value of the paper.

A professional editor can make sure your essay, research paper, thesis, or dissertation is more understandable and free of errors. You can ask your freelance editor to focus on what is important to you, your adviser, or your teacher, whether it’s making an argument, focusing on APA style, or being clear and concise.

For more information on academic editing services and to choose a professional editor of your choice to edit your research paper, thesis, or dissertation, visit http://www.EditorWorld.com.

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Most people fear the essay exam because they are required to write about things they may not know, but actually the opposite is true. Essays are an opportunity to speak about what you do know. Most essay exams will have several questions to choose from and if you have been attending and participating in class then there ought to be something in the exam questions that you know a little about. Before we start on writing the essay, though, let’s back up a bit and look at how best to prepare for an essay exam.

To properly prepare for a killer essay exam, first review your materials (class notes, textbook, assigned reading) and pick out key ideas, such as areas to compare and contrast or significant events. Take these key ideas and develop outlines for each one, consisting of a thesis statement and at least three to four logical statements that support your thesis statement. Back up each of these statements with supporting evidence. (This may sound like a lot of work but, after all, proper studying is work.) Print these out and use them as a study sheet to review before your test.

Remember, the goal of an essay exam is to find out how well you can communicate your understanding of a particular subject. Many exams are “compare and contrast” varieties, or demand descriptions of certain significant events, but they all want you to take a position and defend it. Success or failure on the test, in turn, depends on how well you defend your statements with supporting evidence.

When the essay questions are passed out during exam time, take time to read through each question and mark the ones you are interested in answering. For each one, write out a quick outline including a thesis statement.

Your whole essay depends on your thesis statement and it should come directly from the question your instructor presented. The opening paragraph should include your thesis, your position, and how you are going to defend your position. It should be a concise version of your outline. Once you have written the first paragraph it is time for the rest to follow.

Take a deep breath and then begin to write your essay according to your outline. It is important to stay focused on defending your thesis statement. Instructors can see right through rambling gibberish. Most instructors already have certain points they will be looking for in your essay, but don’t worry — stick with what you know and can defend.

After you have completed the first draft of your essay, stop and re-read it. Look for fragmented sentences and misspellings, and make your corrections. Add in a few words or statements if you think of more, but remember that a concise well written essay is always better than a lot of ramblings and no support.

The key to writing essay for exams is preparation and a calm attitude. Instructors are not necessarily looking for you to be an expert on the issue but they do want you to present a precise logical answer.

Proof is in the Pudding, Express yourself!

Brian Shannon – CEO/President of The Smartacus Corporation

Publishers: You may repost this article in your web site, Ezine, or blog but you must retain all links

Source: How to Write an Essay on http://www.College-Cram.com

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A department’s culture is the traditional patterns, norms, values, beliefs and behaviors that are passed down to new faculty and students alike. Ideally these unwritten and hidden rules are transmitted through the apprenticeship/mentoring relationship that exists between you and your advisor.

Although students are indoctrinated into some of the department’s culture by the written rules found in the Graduate Student Handbook, graduate students are often left to figure out the unwritten rules on their own.

Below are 10 rules that you won’t find in any handbook.

1. Keep Up With Your Cohort:

Some students suffer from trying to be perfect. Taking too long to complete your degree is frowned upon in Academia. If you tend to pile up a number of incompletes because you are a workaholic and are never satisfied with the quality of work you are able to produce within a given timeframe, you need to be aware that it is better to get a grade of “B” than an Incomplete.

The faculty’s confidence in a student’s ability to complete a thesis/dissertation is diminished by this need for perfection and lack of completion. Piling up a number of incompletes signals to professors that you cannot finish what you start. If you cannot complete your assignments within a semester, professors become leery that you will not be able to finish your degree within a reasonable amount of time given that you have to set your own deadline.

2. Participation, Networking, and Visibility, are Critical:

Because of time restrictions, you cannot participate in all department activities. You must be selective in terms of which activities and how long or often you participate. Make no mistake, some participation is required. Your attendance and participation in national conferences, campus workshops, and “brown bag” presentations are important components of your success in graduate school. Therefore, choose carefully the number and kinds of activities that you can be involved with.

Networking is a skill that is learned with time, practice and patience. I have known some professors whose presentation skills in the classroom have been lack luster and dry. These same professors display a totally different personality during office hours, at department functions, or at a conference. Attending department functions allows you and your professor to get to know each other on a more personal level. You should take advantage of these opportunities because as a professor you will be asked to represent your department in this type of social setting, especially when you serve on hiring committees.

Your visibility in national, campus, and department events helps you to become better known by your advisor, committee, and other individuals in your field. Your ability to network with faculty will help when it comes to securing fellowships, assistantships, opportunities to work in a lab, and recommendations for the future.

3. Don’t Leave Before You Are Done:

When you are ABD, time is not your friend. If you leave the university before you finish with your degree, you run the risk of not finishing at all. If you leave the comfort and support of your academic department your enthusiasm to write your thesis/dissertation will inevitably diminish. You will be faced with many competing events that will take priority over writing your thesis/dissertation.

When I got my first job offer they wanted to make sure I was finished with my dissertation before I showed up on campus to begin my new role as assistant professor. They said “take another semester if you have to, but finish your dissertation.” They had learned from experience that once you begin your new job it is difficult to find the necessary time to work on your thesis/dissertation.

Much of your time as a new professor will be stressful. Your time will be spent learning how to be a professor, meeting with your students, grading papers, making up assignments, and serving on campus and department committees. Much of the stress will be the result of the new job, new location, new friends, and new responsibilities.

4. Prepare For Your Defense By Attending
Another Student’s Defense:

Your advisor will not let you defend your document until he/she thinks it is sufficiently polished and if he/she is relatively sure that you will pass. Hence, when your advisor agrees to a defense date he/she believes that you are ready.

Nothing really prepares you for a thesis, proposal, or thesis/dissertation defense other than seeing the process unfold for yourself. These hearings are sometimes open to the public. Your attendance at a defense hearing should be based on the tradition in your department. Even if it says in the graduate student handbook that the defense hearing is “open to the public” but no one in your department ever attends another student’s defense it is wise not to break this tradition. The repercussions will not be pretty.

If you can’t attend another student’s defense ask fellow graduate students about their “hazing” process. You should focus on questions such as these:

o    How did it start?

o    How did the advisor facilitate the process?

o    How difficult were the questions?

o    How did you know it was over?

o    Did anyone else other than committee members attend the hearing?

5. For PhDs Teaching Is Not The Primary Task:

Even if you get top scores on your teaching evaluations as a teaching assistant, understand that the PhD is a research degree. Many professors believe that teaching is a task that can be learned over time with practice. As a professor your tenure and promotion will be based primarily on your publishing record. To prepare you for the “publish-or-perish” academic environment, the faculty focuses primarily on developing your research skills.

Hence, the faculty values research and the apprenticeship model above everything else. They believe that the majority of your time in graduate school should be spent conducting research. As such, securing a fellowship or traineeship/research assistantship is better than a teaching assistantship. However, securing a teaching assistantship is better than not securing any funding at all.

As a PhD student in a research program, participation in campus luncheon seminars is required. Presenting your research findings at a brown bag seminar gives you a chance to practice your presentation skills in a relaxed atmosphere before you ever have to teach a class, give a job talk, present at a national conference, or defend your proposal, Master’s thesis, or dissertation. Honing your presentation skills will help to increase your self-confidence in public speaking. Presenting your research findings on and off campus establishes your expertise and enhances your professional reputation.

6. Bridging The Generation Gap:Don’t Complain,
Don’t Try To Understand, Just Do:

In graduate school there is often a generation gap between students, faculty, and professional staff. The faculty and staff established the culture in the department with the expectation that when students are admitted they will adjust their behaviors accordingly. Often the faculty and staff provide a graduate student orientation in hopes of answering many questions before they become issues later on. They do not expect to debate the rules and traditions of the department.

Some of us are use to debating with our parents, friends, or colleagues to win them over to our way of thinking. While some individuals can appreciate and support this type of interaction, understand that others do not. You are expected to “adhere to” not change, the strict deadlines, rules and regulations of graduate school even if you do not agree with them. Spending an exorbitant amount of time trying to understand the “hoops” and “hurdles” is time that can be better spent jumping over them. Your task from the first day of graduate school is to figure out how many “hoops” and “hurdles” there are and start jumping. The sooner you learn this unwritten rule the better.

7. Treat The Professional Administrative Staff Well:

Don’t underestimate or undervalue the role of the administrative staff in your department. These professionals like your advisor and committee members can either hinder or propel your educational progress.

They are responsible for managing students’ records, paperwork and information. They provide timely information on all department deadlines, rules, regulations and eligibility requirements with respect to course requirements, course scheduling, qualifying/preliminary exams, funding opportunities, and the necessary signatures. They can or cannot remind you of upcoming deadlines. It is in your best interest to manage these relationships in a positive way.

For example, when my advisor was leaving for a year long absence, I made sure that I checked with the graduate secretary to see if there were any documents that needed his signature before he left. Be sure to find creative ways to say thank you to the administrative staff for all that they do.

8. Securing Funding For Historically Disadvantaged And Underrepresented Groups:

I was financially able to attend graduate school because a senior researcher at my institution had a $5 million NIH research grant. More importantly, he was willing as the principal investigator to apply for a NIH Research Supplement For Underrepresented Minorities to support me for six years. The addition of a minority student to his project did not cost him any funds from the original grant. Instead he gained additional funds. These additional funds were part of monies set aside by funding institutions such as NIH to support researchers who are members of underrepresented minority groups. Supplements are also available for the following groups: persons with disabilities, persons seeking research careers or re-entering research, and minorities.

According to the website Research Assistant.com, the best first step to obtaining independent research funding often is to receive training and supervision from an experienced senior researcher. They suggest that NIH Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities offer an excellent opportunity to receive grant funds to work on an existing NIH grant with a senior researcher in a particular area of interest. In other words, if you are looking to obtain research funding and have no idea where to start, start with the above website and a faculty member who has a federal grant.

9. Visibility and the Competition for Scarce Resources:

Unlike the undergraduate experience, graduate school involves competition for scarce resources such as: (a) research funds; (b) office space; (c) fellowships; (d) co-authorships; (e) time with faculty members; and (f) information. Lack of information and visibility are two of the key issues that put many students at a disadvantage.

When the faculty are making decisions about these scarce resources they need to know who you are. If you have not been on campus and have not participated in any department events your name will not be familiar to the people who are parceling out these resources. To stay informed about these decisions and to put your name at the top of the list, visibility is necessary to be considered an active member of the department’s academic community.

10.Your Lack of Class Participation is Interpreted as Lack of Knowledge:

In graduate school expect your workload to be substantially more than any one person could complete. The reading requirements can be sometimes overwhelming and burdensome. In addition to the required readings, in the syllabus you might find supplemental (recommended) readings as well. Don’t waste time complaining to the professor who assigned the reading; he/she fully expects you to come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Find creative ways to cover the reading materials for the course.

For example, in graduate school I was able to familiarize myself with all the readings by forming and participating in a class study group. We would divide the readings amongst ourselves and provide a summary for each reading. The summary included the abstract, the research question, the methodology, limitations, and the findings. Using this method allowed all of us to participate in the class discussion. In class, it is always better to make any contribution on something than not to participate at all. Sometimes class participation involves making a preemptive strike; raise your hand and volunteer an answer on something that you are prepared for before you are called upon to answer a question you don’t know the correct answer to.

About the Author: As a single mother, professor Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D., completed three masters’ degrees and a PhD. Her motto is a Good Thesis/Dissertation is a Done Thesis/Dissertation. She is the creator of a new innovative interactive resource tool on CD—TADA! Thesis and Accomplished. To learn more contact the author at drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com. Or visit http://www.tadafinallyfinished.com

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Selecting an advisor requires you to make an honest assessment of your working style. What type of working environment maximizes your true potential? Do you need someone to micro-manage every aspect of your thesis or dissertation project? Do you flourish when you are given a task and allowed to work at your own pace? Do you excel when you are allowed to figure things out by yourself? Are you willing to ask for help when you need it? To successfully complete your thesis or dissertation, you need an advisor who complements your working style.

Here are 7 tips to managing your advisor and committee members:

1. Interview Potential Advisors:

Remember, you and your advisor should be enthusiastic about your thesis or dissertation topic. When selecting a selecting a topic you have to think of whom on the faculty is an expert on that topic and would be willing to work with you. Prior to your interview for an advisor, consider writing a three-page draft of a proposal to discuss with your potential advisor. Be sure to ask if the faculty member is planning a sabbatical in the next two years.

Selecting the right advisor is critical to your success in graduate school. Your advisor can propel or hinder your academic progress. As a graduate student you have very little power in your academic department. Hence, you need to select an advisor who can be an advocate for you. To be your best advocate, your advisor should have tenure and the respect of his peers. As chair of your committee, peer respect will be invaluable when your advisor has to supervise the other committee members and facilitate your defense hearing.

2. Interview Fellow Students/Advisees:

Although a faculty member might be respected in his or her discipline, be aware that some faculty members might be difficult to work with; advisors sometimes ask for a draft when what they really want is a polished piece. Some advisors might prefer to work with the same sex graduate student. Others may or may not be willing to co-author with their graduate students.

Your peers are your greatest resource; advanced graduate students are often willing to share information about what it is like to work for or with a particular faculty member. As a possible advisee, you need inside information on:

o Availability and accessibility of the advisor

o Timeliness and quality of the feedback

o His/her expectations–are they realistic?

o The working atmosphere in the lab

o Management style–micro or macro

o Facilitation skills during defense hearings

o Average time his/her advisees take to finish 3. Be Professional With Advisor/Committee Members:

The quality of the advisee/advisor relationship varies and is based on the commitment level and personalities of your advisor and yourself. Both of you have some responsibility for making this relationship work successfully. You should be as professional with your advisor/committee members as possible.

o Let your advisor/committee member know that you value his or her time. Get to your scheduled meetings on time. Don’t sweat it if your advisor/committee member is late.

o Be prepared with an agenda for your regularly scheduled meetings– prepare questions ahead of time.

o Call and cancel if you will not be able to make your scheduled meeting.

o Send a follow-up email confirming any items and resolutions that were discussed during the meeting.

o Prepare a coversheet with an outline of your document indicating the type of feedback you are looking for.

o Don’t get frustrated if they ask for another copy of the latest draft of your document even if you haven’t made any changes since you gave it to them last week.

o Always bring a hard copy of the chapter to be discussed with you.

o Takes notes at all meetings; you won’t remember everything once you leave the office.4. Don’t Assume, Ask:

The relationship between you, your advisor and committee members varies by the amount of direction, personal interaction, and psychological support. In addition, the type of criticism given and the frequency of interaction will depend on the type of relationship you and your advisor has established. It is quite possible that each committee member could have different expectations of you.

It is your responsibility to find out what level of participation each member of the committee is willing to commit to. I know of a student who directly asked each committee member “what do you need to see in this dissertation for you to sign-off on it?” By asking ahead of time, she was able to address each member’s concerns with the help of her advisor.

5. Understanding Your Advisor And Committee Members:

The best academic advisor does not have the time to hold your hand throughout your academic career. The academic advisor’s time is limited because, after all, he or she is a professor first and is getting paid to teach courses, advise graduate students, supervise graduate research, write books or journal articles, and serve on campus- and university-wide committees.

Moreover, your advisor went through the same process without much assistance from his/her advisor when he/she attended graduate school. Therefore, the tradition of completing a thesis or dissertation is a lonely process and an unsympathetic advisor does not want to cheat you out of having the same experience he/she suffered through years ago. Hence, your academic advisor’s main commitment is to supervise your research project. He/she will not be your friend, therapist, financial aid counselor, or marital advisor.

6. Choose your battles wisely–Handling Conflicts
and Disagreements:

Your advisor is the coordinator of your thesis or dissertation project. While the major role of your advisor is to share his or her expertise with you to help you develop your ideas, your advisor is also supposed to advocate on your behalf as well. Should your committee members give you conflicting advice you should bring this to your advisor’s attention.

Resolving conflicts among committee members is part of your advisor’s responsibilities. After you resolve the issue with your advisor, ask if she/he is going to be responsible for communicating the solution to the other committee members. If she/he suggests that you handle that issue it might be prudent to send your advisor an email confirming the agreed upon resolution. You might consider copying the other committee members with this confirmation.

If you and your advisor disagree you might consider writing a more persuasive argument addressing his concerns. Arguing with your advisor is not time well spent. If you spent the time choosing a well-qualified expert, an active supporter and head cheerleader, these disagreements should be minor and short-lived. You need him/her—Your advisor will be writing recommendations for you well after you have left the university.

7. Seeking Feedback And Advice From Your Advisor
and Committee Members:

If you are having problems getting timely written or oral feedback from your advisor there are many things that you can do to move this process along. Your advisor and committee members are busy people. Consequently you must make the best use of their time. First, if you cannot get feedback from your advisor, try another committee member to keep things moving along.

Second, when you submit your thesis or dissertation chapters for review you should provide some guidance on how you want your advisor / committee member to read your document. Sometimes you might just be looking for answers as to whether or not your methodology or reasoning is logical and going in the right direction. If you want this type of feedback your advisor might not have to read as closely as he might think if you do not provide any instructions. It would be a good idea to provide an outline of your chapter so that your advisor can get a good overview of what the chapter is about and where it fits into your thesis or dissertation. Without instructions your advisor is likely to place your document in a pile of “must-read” items. Leave the grammar and editing to an editor; your advisor will give the final grammar edits on your final draft.

About the Author:

As a single mother, professor Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D., completed three masters’ degrees and a PhD. Her motto is a Good Thesis/Dissertation is a Done Thesis/Dissertation. She is the creator of a new innovative interactive resource tool on CD—TADA! Thesis and Accomplished.

To learn more contact the author at drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com or visit ==>http://www.tadafinallyfinished.com

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