Avoiding Thesis and Dissertation Pitfalls: 61 Cases of Problems and Solutions

Being aware of thesis and dissertation pitfalls can help the graduate student make efficient use of resources available to him or her and bring precision to research and writing of that important project. The authors present 61 cases cast as an envisioned conversation between a student and a professor whom the student consults about a problem.

The cases are presented within ten chapters that proceed through a sequence of typical stages in the production of a thesis or dissertation. Chapter titles include Choosing and Defining a Research Topic, Searching the Professional Literature, Developing a Proposal, Getting Help, Devising Data-Collection Procedures, Organizing the Collected Information, Interpreting the Results, Writing the Report, Defending the Finished Product, and Publishing the Study.

R. Murray Thomas is professor emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dale L. Brubaker is Professor, Educational Leadership and Cultural Studies, University of North Carolina, Greensboro. He is the coauthor of Theses and Dissertations: a Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing (Bergin & Garvey, 2000).