Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less [Paperback]

Evelyn Hunt Ogden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0742552896 | ISBN-13: 978-0742552890 | Edition: 3

This newly updated guide describes how to effectively and efficiently manage the dissertation or thesis process in two semesters or less. Written for doctoral and master's degree students enrolled in on-campus programs and students pursuing accelerated and online-based degree programs, this book demystifies the seemingly daunting process. From choosing a topic and advisor, to efficient researching and the actual writing and defense, Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less provides students with all the information needed to conquer this academic experience.

Updates to this edition include:
·An update to the length of graduate studies
·Technological advantages now available to graduate students

Editorial Reviews

Review

The major strength of the book is that it is easy to read and gives good sound 'common sense' suggestions and a process that is understandable and works. I believe a doctoral student will find comfort in reading the book and using the prepared forms and checklists that are provided. (Dr. Ron Joekel, professor emeritus of educational administration at The University of Nebraska and former executive director and past internatio )

About the Author

Dr. Evelyn Hunt Ogden is deputy superintendent of schools in East Brunswick, New Jersey. As a consultant and state education deputy assistant commissioner for research, planning, and evaluation, she has worked with doctoral students from major universities in fields a wide range of fields. She has also served on the U.S. Department of Education's Program Evaluation Panel, which reviews research study claims. She lives in Trenton, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; 3 edition (December 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742552896
• ISBN-13: 978-0742552890
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.4 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Thesauruses
  • #11 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Adult & Continuing Education
  • #19 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Research

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 115 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, practical, dissertation advice. May 26, 2009

By E. Drannbauer

Format:Paperback

It was obvious to me that some people who wrote reviews only read the title and sample pages, or just didn't comprehend the message of the book.

The author does NOT say a dissertation is the same as a thesis. What the author DOES say, is that a dissertation or thesis CAN be completed in two semesters of less. The author does NOT say your dissertation should only be 100 pages. What the author DOES say, is that 100 pages is an INITIAL GOAL, and that your thesis or dissertation will probably have more pages than that.

Many dissertation guides out there (and I feel like I have read them all) talk about things like topic selection, emotions of being a grad student, statistics, and choosing/working with committee members. This book also touches on all those topics. What this book does better than all the others, is to help you lay out an actual plan to writing the dissertation. (i.e. how long will you need for the lit review, how long will you need for data collection, etc.) The book helps you map it all out whether you are in the sciences, humanities, or somewhere in between.

If you are already pretty far along with your dissertation, you probably won't get much from this book. If you are in the first half, or you are coming back to the dissertation after time away from it, this book will help you get into gear. If I had to recommend one dissertation guide, this one would be it.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars will be of little help for those in the humanities February 15, 2009

By S. Lee VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Although there are examples drawn from the humanities and social sciences, the book is primarily intended for those in the sciences and engineering and will be of little help for ones in the humanities. Much of what it contains actually sounds very different from how things are really done in the humanities. Certainly, some of what it says is right on the money to humanists too, but even so, it is really more about the tried and true way of doing doctoral research in any field than about giving some 'innovative' ways of finishing the dissertation real quick. But then there wouldn't be such a thing as a quick fix for a stuck doctoral disseratation. To sum up, since there's nothing new and little helpful in this book for humanists, if you're one of them, look elsewhere. Joan Bolker's Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day does look much better than this one.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars For those embarking on the dissertation journey, helpful but not without its drawbacks September 20, 2010

By Matt McCloud

Format:Paperback

Dissertation timelines are typically very long, often taking years to complete. This dissertation guide presents constructive advice on how to move through all phases of a dissertation project as quickly and headache-free as possible. While the time frame suggested by the title -two semesters or less--is unrealistic, following Ogden's advice will certainly lead to an earlier completion date.

Although every chapter in the book is helpful, I found chapters covering committee choice and topic selection of particular interest. Ogden presents a variety of different professor-profiles as potential advisor (mentor) candidates. She succinctly elaborates on the factors that a PhD candidate should consider when choosing an advisor, including his or her availability, career position, commitments, interests, capability, and personality type. As I read this chapter, I began to reevaluate my own assumptions about what a good advisor is in terms of the bottom line--completing the dissertation.

The chapter on choosing a dissertation topic was full of useful information, although the author certainly guts any idealism or excitement when she says, "Make your objective a topic that is `tolerably non-boring,' a topic that has a high potential for success (finishing)" (p. 38). True to the title of the book, the chapter (as is with every chapter) is all about being practical. Topic choice is dictated by such considerations as access to the data, feasibility of data collection, and short-cut means-to-an-end topic mining (rather than interest).

The emphasis on efficiency and practicality, coupled with the brevity of the text, leads to some problems, however. In the chapter on research design, Ogden champions the experimental method over every other type, attempting to keep things as simple as possible. Not only does she leave out other types of quantitative approaches, such as observational studies, but she seems completely ignore any qualitative method. Speaking of case study research, she erroneously claims that "it is difficult to draw conclusions from the data and justify them with what amounts to a small sample" (p. 42). While it may be hard, if not impossible to make statistical generalizations with small case study samples, analytic generalizations and generalizations using case-comparison strategies are often made (see Yin's Case Study Research: Design and Method). Rather than arguing for a particular method, perhaps the author could have argued for using a structured method and provided more design options. Further, because design and topic choice are interdependent, the student may find an experimental design does not fit the topic of choice.

A final caveat I have with the book is, despite its realistic approach, ironically, her claim that a dissertation can be completed in two semesters or less is more fiction than reality. No wonder the author glosses over the revision process, typically a painstaking one that requires time. In Chapter 6, covering the writing phase, she states that after only three weeks of writing, "Figure another week for revision and voila--the end is in sight" (p. 85). She makes the revision process sound as quick and pain-free as painting the living room. Devoting a few pages to the revision process and how to speed up that particular end of things would have been helpful to the reader and in keeping with the practical nature of the book although might have conflicted with the book's slant. Despite such issues, the book provides a wealth of practical information when read with caution.