Surviving Your Dissertation: A Comprehensive Guide to Content and Process

"Surviving Your Dissertation is an ideal book for individuals on initial training courses, providing an overview of the research process, from the literature review through to writing it up. The all-important steps of defining the problem and choosing an appropriate methodology are clearly written, offering a framework which, if followed, would avoid many of the common difficulties experienced by trainees." --School Psychology International "Kjell Erik Rudestam and Rae R. Newton cover the problems and difficulties of successfully completing a doctoral dissertation with honesty and a sense of humor in Surviving Your Dissertation. . . . The authors write from the position of the ideal mentor, presenting the issues doctoral students would like their chairpersons to discuss with them yet rarely have done. . . . Although there are several related handbooks on the market, few combine the complexities of dealing simultaneously with content and process. Surviving Your Dissertation provides a readable, comprehensive guide to maximized success for doctoral students." --The Library Quarterly "Would this book be useful to doctoral students in accounting? My answer is a qualified yes. . . . Students who read and absorb the content of these chapters will be able to construct better proposals and dissertations with less wasted time and effort--both their time and effort and that of their advisors." --The Accounting Review "I was somewhat skeptical when I first heard the topic of this book. Is there really that much to say about dissertations that can apply to a wide variety of fields? My skepticism vanished when I saw this book. I was tremendously impressed. The author was very clever in considering all of the issues that might pop up in performing a dissertation. Also, the writing is excellent, and the organization is generally first-rate." --Robert L. Greene, Department of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University "The authors include material that most other books ordinarily miss, such as learning how to write, discovering one′′s learning style, criteria for choosing statistical consultants, and tips for using computers. . . . This book is a must for graduate students for whom thoughts of planning and completing a doctoral dissertation are accompanied by feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and dread. This book is also a must for doctoral advisors who have long wished for a compendium of down-to-earth wisdom about the dissertation process that could help students get the most out of their doctoral experience." --Craig L. Frisby, Department of Psychology, University of Florida "A useful update. It includes contemporary developments regarding computer technology and some aspects of preparing/writing qualitative reports. I like the extent to which the authors organized chapters in their book corresponding to the chapter/section headings found in the conventional dissertations." --Bruce A. Thyer, School of Social Work, The University of Georgia "This is a useful book for a new graduate student who needs to start thinking about doing a thesis or dissertation at the earliest possible time. I would recommend it this way as a personal purchase. I would also think it might be useful as a supplement to a methods course. I would describe the book as a systematic treatment of the process of doing a thesis or dissertation." --Alan C. Acock, Human Development and Family Services, Oregon State University "An extremely useful guide in assisting me to mentor my graduate students. . . . A wonderful resource for any student beginning a serious research project." --Judy Stevens-Long, Department of Liberal Studies, University of Washington "This is a very readable, well-organized, and comprehensive guide to the dissertation process in the behavioral and social sciences. I will recommend it to all of my graduate students as essential reading both in the beginning and throughout the process of completing the dissertation. Unique for this type of guide is the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches as well as the chapters on writing and computer software. The guide is especially good in discussing the logic of the dissertation argument and the presentation of quantitative results." --John Landsverk, School of Social Work, San Diego State University "Successful completion of a thesis or dissertation is a unique challenge which need not be as painful if one reads and implements Surviving Your Dissertation prior to undertaking the effort. The book contains a great deal of wisdom about a broad array of issues that can be potential pitfalls. "Surviving Your Dissertation is what it claims to be, i.e., a survival kit for those contemplating doing a dissertation or thesis. Utilization of the ideas and methods incorporated in it will save one many hours of frustration and non-productive effort. It is an invaluable tool to be incorporated in classes on research and research methodologies." --Joseph E. Havranek, Ed.D., CRC, Bowling Green State University "This book provides a lot of useful and necessary information for all marketing doctoral candidates. It can be equally valuable to young faculty members who are just becoming involved in doctoral programs and need to provide structure so they can project successfully from their own experiences. I am certainly recommending the book to my colleagues and graduate students. . . ." --Journal of Marketing Research The dissertation can often seem like an overwhelming and insurmountable obstacle to obtaining that advanced degree--unless you have a handy, comprehensive guide to help you survive the process. Surviving Your Dissertation offers students the perfect guide for preparing the best dissertation. Using examples from a wide range of disciplines, Kjell Erik Rudestam and Rae R. Newton provide readers with expert advice on the entire dissertation process: selecting a suitable topic, conducting a review of the literature, building an argument, presenting the material, presenting data and results and managing data overload, methods for developing appropriate writing skills, ways to construct tables and figures, working with faculty committees, and dealing with emotional blocks. Whether you are a student attempting to write a successful thesis or dissertation, or a professor attempting to guide your students in the right direction, Surviving Your Dissertation is your personal handbook for making the whole process a rewarding experience.

Kjell Erik Rudestam is Professor of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, California, where he served as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for many years. He was previously a psychology professor at York University, Toronto, and Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, after receiving his PhD in Psychology (Clinical) from the University of Oregon. He is the author of Your Statistical Consultant: Answers to Your Data Analysis Questions, 2nd edition (also with Rae R. Newton), Handbook of Online Learning, 2nd edition (with Judith Schoenholtz-Read), and eight other books, as well as numerous articles in professional journals on topics including suicide, psychotherapy, and family and organizational systems. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 12), a Diplomate of the American Board of Examiners in Professional
Psychology (Clinical), a Diplomate of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and holds an Honorary Doctorate of Science from The Professional School of Psychology.

Rae R. Newton is Professor of Sociology Emeritus at California State University, Fullerton. He recently joined the faculty of the School of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University where he serves as a research consultant and statistical advisor to doctoral students and faculty. He received his PhD in sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed postdoctoral training in mental health measurement at Indiana University. His primary interests include longitudinal modeling of outcomes for high risk youth and foster care populations, family violence and statistics education. He is author, with Kjell Erik Rudestam, of Your Statistical Consultant: Answers to Your Data Analysis Questions, now in its second edition and numerous articles in professional journals on topics including family violence, child maltreatment, and measurement. In semi-retirement he enjoys traveling with his wife in their RV and surfing throughout Mexico and Central America.