Avoiding Thesis and Dissertation Pitfalls: 61 Cases of Problems and Solutions

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Being aware of thesis and dissertation pitfalls can help the graduate student make efficient use of resources available to him or her and bring precision to research and writing of that important project. The authors present 61 cases cast as an envisioned conversation between a student and a professor whom the student consults about a problem. The cases are presented within ten chapters that proceed through a sequence of typical stages in the production of a thesis or dissertation. Chapter titles include Choosing and Defining a Research Topic, Searching the Professional Literature, Developing a Proposal, Getting Help, Devising Data-Collection Procedures, Organizing the Collected Information, Interpreting the Results, Writing the Report, Defending the Finished Product, and Publishing the Study.

Reviews

"Dr. Thomas and Dr. Brubaker have produced a Bible for all graduate students, full of rich parables! The parables are actually cases which provide realistic examples of problems encountered by graduate students, and the best part of that solutions for each problem are suggested. The professor/student dialogue is invaluable and very readable. I found myself fascinated by the cases, and I couldn't put the book down. I only wish that I had this new graduate student Bible when I was working on my doctoral degree!"-Robin R. Ganzert Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration Babcock Graduate School of Management Wake Forest University
"Thomas and Brubaker have done it again! Avoiding Thesis and Dissertation Pitfalls is the ideal companion to Theses and Dissertations. It allows students to go backstage, behind the scenes, and come face-to-face with the problems so frequently encountered in completing the thesis or dissertation. Its engaging format, built around conversations between a student and a progessor, illustrates each problem and offers strategies for resolution. It invites discussion and further conversation--among students and with faculty, rather than prescribe a remedy. Avoiding Thesis and Dissertation Pitfalls will be a wonderful resource as I work with my students to resolve the usual dilemmas of the dissertation."-Ronald D. Williamson Associate Professor of Educational Leadership Eastern Michigan University

Author Bio

R. MURRAY THOMAS is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara. DALE L. BRUBAKER is Professor, Educational Leadership and Cultural Studies, University of North Carolina, Greensboro.