2. It is always good you hear you are
not alone.
No, you’re not alone! You have comrades in the trenches
with you.
Accountability partners help us stay on track and make the
writing process less isolating.
Sign up to find an accountability partner through TAA:
http://www.taaonline.net/writing-accountability-partner
8. What are your goals for today?
Have they changed?
First Name Sunday Goals & Tasks
Ann 4,000 words
Kenja I'm not sure right now, but I hope to be finishing a section of chapter 4 by then.
Qingtao Polish my dissertation
Ally Rewrite literature review, theory and hypotheses
Erin Write memo from data
William I probably will want to either write 2 paragraphs de novo or revise a couple of pages.
Shanna Timeline and organization
Tracey
Revise literature review from proposal defense meeting
,Work on first round of survey results from pilot study
Qian
Identify the dissertation format and structure.
,
,minimum 3000 words
Sharon I am currently editing a paper publication
Eric Clearly define my research problem and begin Chapter 1 content writing.
Talia
Write 2-3 pages of introduction
,Continue refining research questions
Sharmaine
sueli To prepare my writing log with a selection of books to be read.
Maureen TAA Representative
Katie I would like to get my proposal edited
Diana TBD
Chaundra Dissertation proposal revisions 50% completed
Taz
9. Some questions I can’t
answer…
The length & depth of
lit reviews
Page length
Formatting
Check with your advisor
and committee.
Your department and/or
university should also
have some guidelines
and standards.
Ask other dissertators in
your department –
perfect time to find a
writing buddy/partner at
your institution!
Managing your
committee
Talk with your advisor,
the graduate chair of
your department and
your Graduate School
Strategies for data
analysis
(Anything that’s
specific to your
discipline or
department.)
10. Coming up!
I’m new. Where do I start?
Goal setting
Getting started – writing warm-
ups
Tackling writer’s block
Literature review tips
Resources on revision &
editing
Reading to write
Maintaining motivation
Competing recommendations
When to request feedback
Check-in schedule:
10:00am EST/7:00am PST
1:00pm EST/10:00am PST
3:45pm EST/12:45pm PST
11. I am new to the process
Find a more senior
dissertator in your
department, if possible,
to buddy up with.
Read your department
and university guidelines
carefully.
Make a plan and timeline
and ask your committee
about the
reasonableness of your
expectations
Read books and articles on the
dissertation writing process for
inspiration, encouragement,
and more details about how to
tackle it:
Write Your Dissertation in 15
Minutes a Day
Writing for Social Scientists (and
all other academics) – great for
helping you tackle those writing
demons that provoke anxiety
12. What strategies do you have for goal setting
(daily, weekly, monthly)?
Tips to develop a daily
writing practice:
http://www.taaonline.net/index.php?optio
n=com_content&view=article&id=269:ho
w-to-develop-a-daily-writing-practice-
summary&catid=24:resources
Set SMART Goals:
Small
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Start by writing 10
minutes every day
Use a writing
journal/log to track
your goals.
As you set goals
and track your
progress, you will
learn what
achievable goals
look like for you.
13. Getting Started: Tips & Tricks
Pomodoros: Set timer for 25 min &
work like crazy and then take a 5 min
break – actually take that break!
Reset.
Writing Warm-ups:
Journaling
Free writing
Reading about writing
Reading other dissertations
Reading a source that excites you about
your research
Learn a new vocabulary word
Mind-mapping
14. Tackling Writer’s Block
Figure out what your
block is about:
Perfectionism => Free
Writing
Confusion about
expectations =>
Contact your
committee, advisor, &
grad students in your
department
Not enough data or
sources => get
collecting! (and write
your thoughts about
what you’re reading
Find ways to reduce
anxiety:
Calming music
Calming sounds (ocean
waves, rain, white noise)
Deep breathing
exercises
Meditation
Journal about your
writing anxiety 15 min a
day for 4 days.
15. Writer’s Block
Find or start a
writing group
Find an
accountability
partner
Create a timeline
and share it with
your committee and
ask them to hold
you to it.
What if it’s more serious?
Contact your
counseling center on
campus to discuss
underlying causes
Contact your
ombudsmen or
Graduate School
(administration) if you
are experiencing any
kind of abuse
Create a personal
16. Writer’s Block: What if it’s
chronic?
Develop a tool box to help you ground
yourself when you feel anxiety rising:
(see calming anxiety)
Use grounding techniques:
Identify everything in your space that is
{color}
Set a timer for 5 minutes and just focus on
your breath
Repeat positive affirmations (I am
intelligent and capable. I have
succeeded in the past and I will now. I
am an excellent writer.)
Surround yourself with encouraging
people
Find a picture that represents
calm/peace to you and put it where you
17. How to write the literature review…
Purpose
Place one's original work in the context of existing
literature.
Interpret the major issues surrounding your topic.
Describe the relationship of each work to the others
under consideration.
Identify new ways to interpret, and shed light on any
gaps in previous research.
Resolve conflicts among seemingly contradictory
previous studies.
Determine which literature makes a significant
contribution to the understanding of your topic.
Point the way to further research on your topic.
Source: http://www.academiccoachingandwriting.org/dissertation-doctor/resources/writing-a-literature-
18. How to write the literature review…
Content: Overview, most significant
arguments/theories, your assessment
Select and quote only the most
relevant material for your subject and
argument.
Make sense of the quotation within the
context of your argument.
Introduce and integrate only relevant
quotations into your literature review.
Focus on the language of quotations
in the interpretations.
Source: http://www.academiccoachingandwriting.org/dissertation-doctor/resources/writing-a-literature-review/
19. Lit Review Resources
Check out: Telling a Research Story: Writing a
Literature Review
TAA Podcast: “Strengthening Your Literature
Review”
http://www.taaonline.net/strengthening-your-literature-review
“A Guide to Writing the Dissertation Literature
Review,” Practical Assessment, Research &
Evaluation
http://lincs.etsmtl.ca/uploads/media/v14n13.pdf
Dissertation Doctor: Writing a Literature Review
http://www.academiccoachingandwriting.org/dissertation-
doctor/resources/writing-a-literature-review/
University of Michigan’s Guide:
http://guides.lib.umich.edu/dissertationlitreview
20. Matrix Method for Lit Review:
Source: Tracey Hodges (Thank you!) For more info: Health Sciences Literature Review Made Easy: The M
21. How to edit work…
It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences: A
Writer's Guide to Crafting Killer Sentences
Using reverse outlines for revision:
http://explorationsofstyle.com/2011/02/09/reverse-outlines/
Claire Kehrwald Cook, Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing
“Seven upgrade strategies for a problematic article or chapter”:
https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-authoring-a-phd-or-non-
fiction/seven-upgrade-strategies-for-a-problematic-article-or-chapter-
3c6b81be9aa2
Build, Blur, Corrode: https://medium.com/@write4research/the-build-
blur-corrode-bbc-test-can-help-you-edit-new-writing-d465ed900334
6 Do’s & Don’ts of Editing Your Dissertation:
http://blog.taaonline.net/2014/07/6-dos-and-donts-of-editing-your-
dissertation/
22. How to write when you have read
so little? How to read so you can
write?
Whatever you’ve read,
it’s enough to start
writing
Write as you read:
Read a
book/chapter/section/arti
cle.
Then set a timer for at
least 10 minutes and
write everything you
remember about the
reading, as well as what
you think about the
arguments, how it
relates to your own
research, etc.
Pick up The Idiot’s
Guide to Speed
Reading
Speed reading apps:
Acceleread
Speed Reading Trainer (from
Amazon App store)
Speed Reading Coach
QuickRdrLite
GradHacker Article:
“Speed Reading for
Busy Grads”
https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/
gradhacker/speed-reading-busy-grads
23. How do you stay motivated when working on a project like
a dissertation in which you may have different perspectives
from some committee members?
Motivation:
Small goals
Reasonable goals
Reward yourself often
Don’t do more than
your goal each day
Writing
buddy/Accountability
Partner
Write every day, even
when you don’t feel
like it.
Conflicting Input:
Ask your advisor to
referee
Your advisor
generally has the final
and overriding say, so
be clear about what
s/he wants
Remember this is
your dissertation and
you are the expert on
your particular topic
24. When should I plan to request committee review of the process and
document? I want to have their input along the way to minimize surprise
questions at a defense, but I don't need or want them to hold my hand for the
entire process.
Find outside readers –
other graduate students,
other professors at your
university and/or others,
a writing coach.
Request feedback
frequently – from your
writing partner, tutor, or
outside reader. Then…
Ask your advisor for
feedback on each
chapter after you’ve
drafted it.
When you revise the
chapter based on your
advisor’s feedback, you
can send it to the most
appropriate committee
member – the one
whose expertise is the
best fit for your
topic/approach.
Before the defense,
make your own notes
about what holes exist,
why, and whether or not
it’s reasonable to fill
them now or in the
future.
25. When defining a problem to extend the body of knowledge, how do
you effectively define the methodology needed for chapter 3 and the
actual research?
Webinar by Dr. Aimee
Howley, Ohio Patton
College:
http://youtu.be/tN0ErMOwDqk
DissertationWriting.co
m: http://dissertationwriting.com/write-
dissertation-methodology-help.shtml
The Write Pass
Journal:
http://writepass.com/journal/2012/06/how-to-
write-a-dissertation-methodology/
Tips on methodology
sections/chapters:
https://medium.com/advice-and-help-in-
authoring-a-phd-or-non-fiction/in-a-phd-
or-academic-book-do-you-really-need-a-
methodology-chapter-early-on-
e596ac518f75