Guidelines For My Dissertators

Joe Wheaton

Overview

Over the years I have been thinking about ways to make the dissertation process easier and clearer for students. I have found several consistent problems that I think can be easily addressed by some basic remediation. First, I am extremely sad to see that many Ph.D. students arrive at the dissertation without knowledge of the style in which we write, namely, APA. It is very troubling to see that after reading many articles and writing many papers over the course of their studies that they do not know APA style. Second, although students have completed the required number of courses in research and statistics, few have the grasp needed to complete the major research requirements of the dissertation. Third, all of us, including the faculty, can use help with writing clearly and concisely. This is a skill that requires constant work to refine. Fourth, I have found it easiest to edit and revise documents with students electronically. This allows me to make changes directly on the manuscript and it allows students to more quickly make revisions. To address these issues, I am making the following requirements of my advisees and of students who wish me to serve on their committees:

1. Before you begin you must be able to pass an APA competency test. Passing is 90%. Unless otherwise specified by the Graduate School, EVERYTHING must be in APA format. I will not correct APA format, I will simply give it back and tell you to fix it. I do, however, have a self-study guide that will help you.
2. The dissertation must be typed in the most current copy MS Word. Copies of Word are part of the Buckeye Bundle, which can be purchased at Unicomp. We need to use Word because it allows me to make changes on the manuscript and transmit them back to you electronically. You must then make your changes on the same copy and return it to me. Thus, only one copy will be floating around and it is the copy that both of us are working on. To facilitate this, you need to know how to use styles, comments, and how to track changes; all of these features are part of MS Word.
3. A proposal consists of completed chapters 1, 2, and 3, and the completed human subjects forms. Students are required by the School to conduct a colloquium, see the PAES Graduate School Handbook. It is the responsibility of the student to know and meet the deadlines and procedural requirements of the School and in the University Graduate School Handbook.

Chapter 2

Your lit review (chapter 2) is an on-going work and should include a thorough review of the literature. Document previous research and emphasize how your study builds on this research and why it is important. You should to be adding new citations right up to the printing of the final draft.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 is the methodology and you need to specify EXACTLY what you are going to do and why. Future researchers should be able to replicate your study exactly based on the information in chapter 3. Begin chapter 3 with the research questions, then tell the reader your procedure including, but not necessarily limited to: identifying participants, sampling, instrumentation, and data analysis.

Data analysis must be specific. You must identify all the variables in your study by defining their role (IV, DV, moderating, mediating, covariate) and scaling (nominal, ordinal, interval). For EACH research question, you must tell me the variables included, their role, the procedure, and the test. You must defend your choice of the statistic. I expect to see several sources about the choice of statistic, and you must be able to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of all the statistics you use.

Writing

When I returned to graduate school, I was determined to improve my writing. I took every course from the University of Wisconsin Writing Lab that was even remotely dedicated to writing style. You have a similar lab on campus, the OSU Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing. They offer a variety of services including links to self-help articles, review of papers submitted on-line, and face-to-face review of your dissertation chapters. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this Center.

Probably, the best “little” book on the subject is Strunk and White’s Elements of style. This classic is a must for everyone. After writing many articles and reviewing many more, I believe there is no one who could not benefit from this book. I have read it over and over and always learn something new. I have worn out two editions. When I was dissertating, I carried it with me everywhere and would read a few pages whenever I had even a few minutes to kill.

Statistics

I use SPSS and I encourage you to use it too. The Windows version is easy to use, but beware, it can sometimes be so easy that it does the “thinking” for you. This is very dangerous. You must know what you are doing before you can interpret the results. Also, always create a syntax file of all your work. SPSS allows you to “paste” the commands created in the dropdown menus, so take advantage of this. Having the syntax will help you troubleshoot problems with me, and it is a great backup of your work, in case you have to rerun it. I strongly encourage you to learn to write syntax and only use the dropdown menus as a last resort, but however you do it, always save the syntax. I really don’t want you to come to me without it. I have spent long sessions with students who are trying to duplicate the exact commands without luck. Having the syntax will prevent this from happening.

Good luck and have fun

The dissertation was the greatest single work I had produced up to that time, and the experience was one of the best in my life; my wife would tell you there were times when I didn’t express these exact thoughts, but looking back on it, it is true. In the dissertation you can apply all the things you’ve learned over your college career. For me it was an “ah ha” experience; it all came together. My goal is to help you make this experience exciting, rewarding, and of high quality. Good luck, work hard, and enjoy this experience too.

Essential books — These books are necessary for you to finish your dissertation:

[Note: Occasionally, newer editions will be published. Always purchase the most current edition.]

Cone, J. D., & Foster, S. L. (1993). Dissertations and theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

The title says it all.

Newton, R. R., & Rudestam, K. E. (1999). Your statistical consultant: Answers to your data analysis questions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

This is an excellent little book that answers many of the statistical questions you will be asking.

American Psychological Association (20010. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1999). Elements of style (4th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Suggested books

Grimm, L. G., & Yarnold, P. R. (1995). Reading and understanding multivariate statistics. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1998). Multivariate data analysis (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

This book is highly recommended. It is comprehensive and easy to understand.

Pedhazur, E. J., Schmelkin, L. P. (1991). Measurement, design, and analysis: An integrated approach. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

This book covers about everything in one volume. It is comprehensive to say the least. It stresses regression, but it also gives some of the best explanations you’ll find anywhere, including giving you the SPSS syntax, the results, and an in-depth explanation of the results.

Vogt, W. P. (1998). Dictionary of statistics (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Books that may be specific to your topic and methodology

Rosenthal, R., Rosnow, R. L., & Rubin, D. B. (2000). Contrasts and effect sizes in behavioral research: A correlational approach. New York: Cambridge University Press.

These noted authors provide a review of the issues of contrasts and effect sizes, both of which are under utilized and poorly understood.

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Computer-assisted research design and analysis. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Both this book and the next one give a thorough review of SPSS code and output.

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

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This page can change without notice, so please check it often.
Last updated: June 26, 2005