Does anyone set out to write a bad essay? It hardly seems possible. Most of us probably start our doctoral programs convinced that the ideas we present in our dissertations will change the face of our disciplines forever! But after spending years reading hundreds of doctoral dissertations, first as a graduate student, then as a professor, and now as a thesis editor and professional trainer, I can’t help but observe: there are much of bad dissertations out there!

 

Really good essays are pretty rare. They require unique vision, groundbreaking research, rigorous logic, and a touch of art. So I’m not sure I can promise you exactly how to do your dissertation. great. But I have found that there are some common threads that run through most of the lousy dissertations I have read. So I thought I could share with you some of what I have learned by reading bad doctoral dissertations. That way, if you want to write a bad dissertation of your own, you will know how to do it. Or better yet, if you want to write a well own dissertation, you would have an idea of ​​common pitfalls.

 

Here are ten common mistakes to avoid if you want your dissertation to pay off.

 

1. Surround yourself with like-minded people.

We all like to be right. And what better way to convince yourself that you are right than to be surrounded by people who agree with you? When choosing a PhD program, it is natural to gravitate towards schools, departments and professors who share our views: conservative or liberal, this or that methodology, a particular school of thought or perspective or approach. The good news is, if you manage to surround yourself with like-minded people, you will encounter little resistance as you type. The bad news is that when you’ve finished writing, your research will be much less likely to withstand serious challenge, as you haven’t had to deal with opposing points of view along the way. In short, serious defiance has a way of forging solid arguments, and lack of it has a way of softening thinking. Do yourself a favor: find an environment that provides you with a challenge as you write, and you will find that your dissertation is much better prepared for the challenges you will face when UMI makes it available to everyone beyond your University.

 

2. Pick a topic that only interests you.

It is a common joke that “no one knows as much as a freshman”. In other words, part of the learning process is learning how much we have to learn. When we set out to write our dissertations, we are like freshmen starting school: we still don’t know how much we don’t know, because we haven’t yet had a chance to fully explore what others have done. In this initial stage of the thesis project, it is possible to convince ourselves that a topic is fascinating when, in fact, that topic has gone out of style because of the treatment it has already received; It is also possible to deal with questions that are divorced from the real concerns in the field today. Two of the best sources for making sure your thesis topic is relevant and valuable are recent dissertations and current periodicals. Dive into these resources at the beginning of your project. Even if you only read the titles, you are more likely to put your work in the context of what other scholars are doing right now.

 

3. Keep the scope of your study broad and terms vague.

Work at the doctoral level requires examination of a subject in large depth. And in this type of investigation, the number one enemy of depth is amplitude. An essential key to writing a good dissertation is having a clear and precise focus for your work. Other interesting ideas will emerge along the way; resist them – for now. When you’ve finished your dissertation, you can go back to those other ideas for the articles and books you’ll write later in your career.

 

4. Don’t limit your creativity with an outline.

For years, teachers have told him to sketch his papers before writing. And you’ve probably been ignoring them for years. But here he is, starting his PhD, it was obviously some advice he didn’t need! Thesis writing is different. You are going to write hundreds of pages over a period that can take years; it will be easy to get lost along the way, especially as your ideas evolve. Planning ahead is the only way to make sure your dissertation is focused, well structured, and clearly argued; It is also the only way to ensure that it will ever end! A careful and detailed outline is essential. You can modify it as you go through your research, but don’t skip or abandon it. As a thesis writer, the outline is your yellow brick road!

 

5. Limit your bibliography to sources that support your point of view.

Contrary to popular opinion, the purpose of a dissertation is not to prove a predetermined point; is studying a question that is worthwhile. After all, if the answer can be determined even before the investigation is done, what is the value of the work? In the end, a thesis that refutes your initial hypothesis is just as valuable to the academic community as one that proves you right. What is of no value at all is half a dissertation because you have only considered Some of the evidence, arguments and points of view available. Don’t stack the deck in your favor; read everything that is relevant to your topic, from all points of view. In the process, your ideas will mature. The end result will be a thesis that has much greater depth and credibility.

 

6. Suppose if it is not in English or on the Internet, it must not be important.

Believe it or not, there is a reason for those linguistic requirements that PhD programs place on us. It’s not just that smart people speak more than one language! The point is to open the door to the valuable literature available, but not in English. Relying solely on English means that some of the literature (and ideas) will not be available to you, and other literature will be available only through the interpretation of a translator. It is really worth the effort to learn to read the languages ​​in which your most important sources are written. Without them, your investigation is incomplete.

 

And read books. . . and articles! As fortunate as we are to have access to so many fonts available on the Internet, we cannot forget that there is something that printed fonts have that fully web-based fonts do not: goalkeepers. For a book or article to appear in print, someone (usually a group of academics in the field) has determined that it was worth it. They may not necessarily agree with his point of view, but they found that he met the standards of sound methodology, rational argumentation, and timeliness. On the Internet, anyone can post anything at any time, making the quality of web fonts dangerously uneven. Internet research is here to stay, and that’s a good thing. But there is no substitute for books and articles written by renowned scholars in their field. Make sure that web-based sources don’t make up the bulk of your bibliography, or you might find that you have left the mainstream without even realizing it and drifted away from some of the more important resources available to you.

 

7. Let your claims stand by force, not evidence.

Spend enough hours listening to cable news and you may start to get the impression that the point of the debate is to win, and the way to win is to shout to the other side! Being a geek by nature, I sometimes like to play little academic games when I watch TV, and one of them is “telling the fallacies” in the arguments that TV experts make: ad hominem arguments, red herrings, non-sequiturs–sometimes they serve to entertain television, but they never lead to a solid discussion. If your thesis is going to withstand serious criticism and will make a contribution to your field, each The claim must be justified and each The argument must be free from fallacies.

 

8. Submit your first draft.

The review process is about polishing your work. Weak arguments are strengthened, confusing ideas are clarified, redundancies are eliminated, language is hardened. If you’re like most PhD candidates, you’ll always rush toward the next deadline. When time is up, the easiest thing to eliminate is the review process. Resist that temptation.

 

9. Don’t bother with the opinions of others.

You’ve probably had only one or two statistics courses; Why not let a professional statistician help you with the statistical parts of your job? You may not be sure of your APA format (or whatever stylesheet you are using); Why not let a professional editor check your text? What if someone from your department gives you feedback on the strength of your arguments? There is nothing like a fresh pair of eyes to catch things that you are already too close to see. Staying within the bounds of academic integrity, don’t be afraid to ask for help with areas of your job in which you are not an expert, so that the experience you have is presented in the most effective way possible.

 

10. Prove your point at all costs.

What’s wrong with being wrong? The process of determining that fact will be a valuable contribution to your field. Academic work is a process of discovery, and sometimes that means discovering that our initial hypotheses were wrong. Your honest presentation of the solid methodology that leads you to that conclusion will be worth reading for your colleagues. Any effort to circumvent the facts will show bias– the biggest threat to a worthwhile dissertation. In the academic world, there are no failures where there is genuine learning. On the contrary, there is nothing but flaws when points are “proven” by manipulated results, ignored evidence, false methodologies provided after the investigation has actually been conducted, and forced arguments designed to cover up the truth and reach a preferred conclusion. . You can start your project with this confidence: If you conduct your research with integrity, follow a solid methodology, consider all relevant points of view, and honestly report what you find, then any conclusions you reach will be worth it. And if it doesn’t, it won’t.

 

Wishing you success in your research and writing,

Albert L., Ph.D.