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(More customer reviews)Dr. Single really does "demystify" the dissertation (and Master's thesis) writing process and provide a great deal of very useful information on how to WRITE a dissertation. She doesn't get into the research process (we get trained pretty well for that already), rather she focuses on what is needed to put words on "paper" and get this important milestone in an academic career written.
The ability to write the actual dissertation (thesis) appears to be something that is taken as a given by administrators in many PhD (Masters) programs. Perhaps it is because the students have actually made it into the program and to do so, they must have written many papers. The work required to write a (multi?) hundred page work is an order of magnitude higher than writing a class paper. Fortunately, Dr. Single breaks it down into manageable pieces. A series of ~forty page "papers", if you will. The dissertation becomes approachable and something that can be accomplished.
She also dispenses with two (IMO, fatal) "myths" that (1) you need to have a large block of time to write and (2) you should know everything about your topic before you start writing.
I have a family and between the family and other obligations, finding large blocks of time was almost impossible, thus dramatically slowing down my writing. Now I grab every opportunity to write, no matter how short. For me, the real benefit was that I am now always writing and because I am always writing, I am always thinking about my dissertation! And because I'm always thinking about my dissertation (even on a sub-conscious level), I am gaining insights and MAKING PROGRESS I was not before buying this book. I enjoy writing again!
Now, I am always writing. I no longer worry about knowing everything about the field or making it perfect. I just get the words down and know that I will be able to edit/revise them later. If I find a hole in my knowledge, I can fill it while writing. Most importantly, I am now giving my chair and committee members something to read and provide feedback on. It is good for them because they can see the work I am doing and I can get much needed feedback!
In addition, Dr. Single emphasizes creating writing support groups with your peers to help with various issues that come up during the dissertation and to provide useful constructive criticisms, advice, and information.
Finally, in what was the biggest surprise for me in the book, she provides a very efficient way to take useful "Citeable Notes" that are immediately useful in your dissertation. I had not realized how inefficient I was in note taking and how my focus when taking notes was not assisting me in finishing my dissertation. Learning her method for reading articles and note taking while using a reference program like Endnote, Reference Manager, etc. was truly an epiphany. For me, learning this one thing was easily worth the price of the book by itself.
IMO, the only shortcoming in the book is that it needs a full chapter on the dissertation proposal process and the differences in approach and process for writing the proposal vs. the final dissertation. Fortunately, there are currently a couple highly rated books here on Amazon.com on how to complete the proposal process.
However, do not take this as a reason to not buy this book! Rather, it is just an area I would like to see Dr. Single address in her next edition.
This book provides Dr. Single's 15+ years of experience guiding students through their dissertation and teaching the writing course at the University of Vermont. She has the experience and insights to help you know you too can finish your dissertation! Best of all, the price is such that it should not break the budget of students on a tight budget.
The bottom line is this book is about WRITING the dissertation. It is focused on that topic. Whether you are a PhD student in the middle of your coursework, ABD, an adviser/committee member, someone teaching a graduate-level research writing seminar, or a family member/friend of someone who is working on their dissertation, you should get this book! You would be sorry if you did not.
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