Customer Reviews

Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing

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The revised classic THESES AND DISSERTATIONS should be on the bookshelves of any basic college-level collection catering to graduate students: it helps this audience understand the thesis writing process and offers references and new details on Internet searching, plagiarism, and Internet publishing options alike. Checklists and numerous examples allow students to understand the entire process, from preparing a topic and collecting information to interpreting results and making a presentation that is original and acceptable for either college credit or publication. A top pick for graduate school holdings, it's sure to be a popular, often-consulted and practical reference.

It advertises itself as a general guide in planning your theses or dissertations; however, when I got the book, the introduction says that it only applies to social sciences and not other fields. Everything in the book has to do with social science related research, so the book was of no help. I wish I could get my money back!

There are many books filled with dissertation advice out there and, sadly, much of it is subpar. I wasn't looking for comfort, nor did I need a "lifesaver" moment. I needed a straightforward line of attack to get moving as I draft my formal proposal. `Theses and Dissertations: A guide to Planning, Research, and Writing (2000), by R. Murray Thomas and Dale L. Brubaker, fulfilled the search through a no-nonsense nuts-and-bolts process to succinct writing. In my case, I needed specific examples for the proposal stage: tone, expression, and communication issues. This was the only text out a series of rejected titles that finally provided the information I was seeking. Again, this is not a "Dr. Feel Good" read, so don't expect any hand-holding. I would put it more in the "here's-what-you-need-to-do-to-get-it-done" category.

This is one of the best publications that I've seen on theses and dissertations. It is well written in a conversational voice and makes the process of understanding and writing a good research paper manageable. I would highly recommend this book to all students.