The Dissertation

Many otherwise strong doctoral students get stuck at the dissertation stage, but this trusty guide takes students from the early planning phase to finishing the final draft. It contains straightforward advice for each stage of the dissertation process: selecting a chair, completing the literature review, developing a hypothesis, selecting a study sample and appropriate measures, managing and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data, establishing good writing habits, and overcoming obstacles to completing the dissertation on schedule. Practical guidelines, tips and strategies, and action steps checklists in each chapter make this a handy pocket guide for students as well as advisors seeking a comprehensive, unintimidating road map to the social work dissertation.

Peter Lyons, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Social Work at Georgia State University.
Howard J. Doueck, Ph.D., is Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.