Doctoral Dissertation: My recipe for success!
For those of you who have finished your data gathering and/or experimentation phase- way to go! Now “all” you have to do is write it! I got a really early start on my thesis and handed it in before my PJ started- that way I had a clear head to start studying for the Hammerexamen and USMLE2 during the PJ (and work). No, I’m not trying to brag, I’m trying to motivate you- it feels soooooooooo good to be done- and the hardest part was getting started! A lot of my friends are in the writing phase now which inspired me to make it today’s topic.
Step 1: getting started is half the battle. The key word here is: baby steps! Start by looking at some dissertations in your subject- either online or through your university library. Then look at the current guidelines for format- just starting the Word file with your dissertation with all of the headings and necessary pages (CV, dedication, whatever) including pertinent notes (bibliography in seattle style) is huge.
Next, go to pubmed and put in some key words related to your study. You will soon see what things can be excluded. It helped me to copy and paste all relevant abstracts (don’t forget the bibliography info!) into a word file- if I needed the full-length article, I could always get it through my university or ask my advisor. A lot of times, you can get a lot of info from the abstract.
Then just make subheadings with key words for each section- for example, almost every introduction with start with demographic information of some kind (such as incidence, prevalance, etc.) If you already have a reference for that you can put it into your outline (I would highlight the author’s name and the year). Finding other similar studies that your findings support or don’t agree with are key for the discussion.
It can be so helpful to go to your advisor with your detailed, annotated outline. Find out if you are on the right track! If not, you didn’t waste 6 months writing tons of worthless sentences. Plus, I find it easier to write sentences once I’ve seen the document in a key-word format. It’s like a road map. You can scroll down and see where the arguments are going. You can juggle around the references- try putting them in a different order. Once the concept has been established- it is really easy to write. I swear! The battle plan is the problem! Anyone can fill in sentences between the references and ideas! You don’t have to be a literary hero.
Once you’ve done all that work (and probably after corrections) it is really easy to take a shortened form for a publication! You owe it to yourself for all of the work- just ask your advisor- there may be 2-3 papers focusing on a certain aspect each from your dissertation.
Good Luck and Godspeed!