Customer Reviews

The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and Defending Your Dissertation

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I took a gamble on ordering this book since sample pages were not available to be previewed. I was not dissapointed. As a doctoral candidate just starting the disseration work,I have found this book both inspirational and constructive. The information is timely unlike many of the other guides including the one recommended at my own school.

Nearly half of all doctoral students complete their course work but not the necessary final step of composing their dissertations. The Dissertation Journey is a no-nonsense guide by Carol M. Roberts to avoiding procrastination, wasted effort, and confusion; it outlines practical, step-by-step guidelines from conceiving a topic to publishing its results. Packed with both helpful general suggestions and specific tips, tricks, and techniques tailored to the needs of doctoral students, The Dissertation Journey includes checklists, sample forms, time management advice, the latest insights to making use of technology, recommendations for support groups, lists of resources for further inquiry, and much more. The Dissertation Journey is especially recommended reading for anyone approaching or hard at work on their own dissertation.

Dr. Roberts seems to know exactly what to say to the graduate student who is about to commence a journey which can may make or break an individual. She write with candor and integrity of what to expect and what to be cautious about.
It is written in a non-formal and a non-textbook manner with just enough humor to keep one interested in the subject matter.
There seems to be a sense that regardless of the subject matter, which an individual is writing about, there are specific steps and procedures to the format of a thesis or dissertation.
A book well worth keeping in your graduate library.
TML

The frightening thing about the PhD journey is not having someone to turn to OUTSIDE the school. I don't want everyone to know my questions! This book is not only supportive in organizing your thinking for your Thesis it is also surprising 'educational' to the journey itself.
Thank you Carol Roberts.

Thank you, Dr. Roberts, for putting into concise form an overview for those of us that need it!

This book should be highly recommended to doctoral candidates as they begin their adventure- it approaches the journey as a reasonable and woth-while effort.

I wish I had known about this book when I started my PhD program four years ago. Thankfully, however, I found it before I began the actual work of putting together my dissertation proposal. Her suggestion of doing a short 3-5 page prospectus has not only helped me focus my own thoughts but I believe will assist me in communicating my research topic concepts to my prospective committee members. I'll find out very soon as the semester starts next week. In short, though, I would recommend this for every PhD student and moreover would urge professors and PhD program coordinators to recommend it to their students as early in the PhD process as possible. Heck, if it were up to me the PhD programs would provide this as part of their introductory packet for prospective students!

LOVING this book!! I'm getting ready to enter a doctorate program, and wanted to learn more about this scary thing called a "dissertation". Dr. Robert's style is easy, straightforward, and relevant. I am enjoying this book and feel more empowered in entering the doctoral journey. This should be in EVERY doctoral candidate's library!!

As both a dissertation student and a dissertation mentor, I utilize this straight-forward, step-by-step text. In all, this book is by far the best book of the many that are out there regarding the writing of the dissertation. This book has many great features. First, it provides a no-nonsense, clearly stated approach to the dissertation writing process. In my own dissertation writing and in the dissertation mentoring process that I undertake with many, many mentees, this book lays out not only the successful processes that finish dissertations, but provides clear information about each section and how to go about each step of the process. Second, Dr. Roberts' second edition is not only updated for the latest and greatest, but also has numerous added features. For example, in the first 84 pages, she offers all the prework that needs to be undertaken to start the research process. In my experience, this is one of the most lacking areas in both writers and the books that talk about the dissertation process. The 150 pages that follow offer a wonderful step-by-step discussion of each STEP of the dissertation process -- which is slightly different than chapter-by-chapter approach. Many people reading this will be caught up in "writing chapter 1" when they should actually be "Reviewing the Literature" as the book suggests. This was the BIG "AH-HAH" that got me propelled at lightning speed to finish my dissertation -- and Dr. Roberts was the one that gave me this realization through her book. READ THIS CHAPTER!!! (Chapter 9). Finally, Dr. Roberts provides the reader the ability to check out each chapter of the dissertation before writing it. Before writing each chapter, I would read the associated chapter in the book and see the clear purpose of this chapter. She does this "what is the purpose of this?" approach to nearly every section of the dissertation. VERY VERY cool. In all, if you want a book that will propel you in completing your dissertation, get this book. It will help you (as long as you read and follow it)! :)

The book helps you writing dissertations. It lays out how to plan and write dissertations. I read many other books and this book is definitely comparable to other disseration books.