Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation

Tips and Strategies for Students in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Fred C. Lunenburg - Sam Houston State University, USA
Beverly J Irby - Sam Houston State University, USA
Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation
December 2007 | 352 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781452294315
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ISBN: 9781412942256
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Description

"Accurate, clearly written, and easy to understand even for the beginning researcher, with equal coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only book to combine a textbook approach with a how-to approach."
—Carol Roberts, Professor, University of La Verne
Author, The Dissertation Journey

"This is a very practical book and will be immediately usable for graduate students at any stage in their research. The multitude of examples is wonderful, and the content is very current."
—Mary Betsy Brenner, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara

The advice and resources you need to complete your thesis or dissertation!

No matter what state or stage your project is in, this how-to manual provides comprehensive guidance to help you tackle your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Covering both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this essential resource offers direction for every step of the process. Drawing on 40 years of experience supervising dissertations, the authors provide examples from 100 completed projects to guide readers through:

  • Choosing a topic and writing research hypotheses
  • Selecting a chair or committee
  • Ensuring a successful proposal and oral defense
  • Adapting the finished product for publication
  • Using the Internet and desktop publishing effectively

With a conversational style suitable for both faculty and students, Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation demystifies the writing experience and presents step-by-step directions for successfully completing your project.

Contents

Preface

Preface

About the Authors

About the Authors

Part I. Getting Started

  • 1. Selecting a Suitable Topic
  • Sources of Topics
  • Criteria for Topic Selection
  • Summary
  • 2. Selecting a Chair and Committee
  • Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair
  • Composition and Role of the Committee
  • Research Prospective Committee Members
  • The Desirable Student
  • Summary

Part II. What You Need to Know

  • 3. Quantitative Research Designs
  • Descriptive Research
  • Correlational Research
  • Causal-Comparative Research
  • Quasi-Experimental Research
  • Experimental Research
  • Theory Development
  • Summary
  • 4. Basic Statistics
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Inferential Statistics
  • Summary
  • 5. Qualitative Research Designs
  • Phenomenological Research
  • Case Study Research
  • Ethnographic Research
  • Grounded Theory Research
  • Mixed Method Research
  • Summary

Part III. The Dissertation Chapters

  • 6. Writing the Introduction Chapter
  • Background of the Study
  • Statement of the Problem
  • Purpose of the Study
  • Significance of the Study
  • Definition of Terms
  • Theoretical Framework
  • Models
  • Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
  • Limitations
  • Delimitations
  • Assumptions
  • Organization of the Study
  • Summary
  • 7. Writing the Literature Review Chapter
  • Searching the Literature
  • Writing the Literature Review
  • Synthesizing the Literature
  • Summary
  • 8. Writing the Methodology Chapter
  • Introduction
  • Selection of Participants
  • Instrumentation
  • Data Collection
  • Data Analysis
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • 9. Writing the Results Chapter
  • Introduction
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Testing the Research Questions (Hypotheses)
  • Additional Analyses
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • 10. Writing the Discussion Chapter
  • Summary
  • Discussion
  • Implications for Practice
  • Recommendations for Further Research
  • Conclusions
  • Summary

Part IV. The Defense and Afterward

  • 11. The Proposal and Final Defense
  • Prepare a Well-Written Document
  • Know the Format
  • Prepare Your Presentation
  • Practice Your Presentation
  • Anticipate Questions
  • Final Oral Defense
  • Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes
  • Summary
  • 12. Publishing Your Dissertation
  • Presentations
  • Job Interview
  • Academic Journals
  • Books
  • Chapters in Books
  • Popular Press
  • Internet Publishing
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Planning the Writing Process
  • Summary
  • Appendix A: Initial Letter to Participants
  • Appendix B: First Follow-up Letter to Participants
  • Appendix C: Second Follow-up Letter to Participants
  • Appendix D: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)
  • Appendix E: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance)
  • Appendix F: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)
  • Appendix G: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)
  • Appendix H: The Qualitative Research Critique
  • Appendix I: Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation
  • Appendix J: Checklist for Dissertation Quality
  • References
  • Index

Description

"Accurate, clearly written, and easy to understand even for the beginning researcher, with equal coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only book to combine a textbook approach with a how-to approach."
—Carol Roberts, Professor, University of La Verne
Author, The Dissertation Journey

"This is a very practical book and will be immediately usable for graduate students at any stage in their research. The multitude of examples is wonderful, and the content is very current."
—Mary Betsy Brenner, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara

The advice and resources you need to complete your thesis or dissertation!

No matter what state or stage your project is in, this how-to manual provides comprehensive guidance to help you tackle your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Covering both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this essential resource offers direction for every step of the process. Drawing on 40 years of experience supervising dissertations, the authors provide examples from 100 completed projects to guide readers through:

  • Choosing a topic and writing research hypotheses
  • Selecting a chair or committee
  • Ensuring a successful proposal and oral defense
  • Adapting the finished product for publication
  • Using the Internet and desktop publishing effectively

With a conversational style suitable for both faculty and students, Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation demystifies the writing experience and presents step-by-step directions for successfully completing your project.

Contents

Preface

Preface

About the Authors

About the Authors

Part I. Getting Started

  • 1. Selecting a Suitable Topic
  • Sources of Topics
  • Criteria for Topic Selection
  • Summary
  • 2. Selecting a Chair and Committee
  • Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair
  • Composition and Role of the Committee
  • Research Prospective Committee Members
  • The Desirable Student
  • Summary

Part II. What You Need to Know

  • 3. Quantitative Research Designs
  • Descriptive Research
  • Correlational Research
  • Causal-Comparative Research
  • Quasi-Experimental Research
  • Experimental Research
  • Theory Development
  • Summary
  • 4. Basic Statistics
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Inferential Statistics
  • Summary
  • 5. Qualitative Research Designs
  • Phenomenological Research
  • Case Study Research
  • Ethnographic Research
  • Grounded Theory Research
  • Mixed Method Research
  • Summary

Part III. The Dissertation Chapters

  • 6. Writing the Introduction Chapter
  • Background of the Study
  • Statement of the Problem
  • Purpose of the Study
  • Significance of the Study
  • Definition of Terms
  • Theoretical Framework
  • Models
  • Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
  • Limitations
  • Delimitations
  • Assumptions
  • Organization of the Study
  • Summary
  • 7. Writing the Literature Review Chapter
  • Searching the Literature
  • Writing the Literature Review
  • Synthesizing the Literature
  • Summary
  • 8. Writing the Methodology Chapter
  • Introduction
  • Selection of Participants
  • Instrumentation
  • Data Collection
  • Data Analysis
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • 9. Writing the Results Chapter
  • Introduction
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Testing the Research Questions (Hypotheses)
  • Additional Analyses
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • 10. Writing the Discussion Chapter
  • Summary
  • Discussion
  • Implications for Practice
  • Recommendations for Further Research
  • Conclusions
  • Summary

Part IV. The Defense and Afterward

  • 11. The Proposal and Final Defense
  • Prepare a Well-Written Document
  • Know the Format
  • Prepare Your Presentation
  • Practice Your Presentation
  • Anticipate Questions
  • Final Oral Defense
  • Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes
  • Summary
  • 12. Publishing Your Dissertation
  • Presentations
  • Job Interview
  • Academic Journals
  • Books
  • Chapters in Books
  • Popular Press
  • Internet Publishing
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Planning the Writing Process
  • Summary
  • Appendix A: Initial Letter to Participants
  • Appendix B: First Follow-up Letter to Participants
  • Appendix C: Second Follow-up Letter to Participants
  • Appendix D: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)
  • Appendix E: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance)
  • Appendix F: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)
  • Appendix G: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)
  • Appendix H: The Qualitative Research Critique
  • Appendix I: Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation
  • Appendix J: Checklist for Dissertation Quality
  • References
  • Index
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Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation

Tips and Strategies for Students in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Fred C. Lunenburg , Beverly J Irby
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December 2007 | 352 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/01/2025 9781412942256 $52.95
Hardcover 27/02/2023 9781412942249 $99.95
Lifetime 01/01/2025 9781452294315 $48.00

"Accurate, clearly written, and easy to understand even for the beginning researcher, with equal coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only book to combine a textbook approach with a how-to approach."
—Carol Roberts, Professor, University of La Verne
Author, The Dissertation Journey

"This is a very practical book and will be immediately usable for graduate students at any stage in their research. The multitude of examples is wonderful, and the content is very current."
—Mary Betsy Brenner, Professor of Education
University of California, Santa Barbara

The advice and resources you need to complete your thesis or dissertation!

No matter what state or stage your project is in, this how-to manual provides comprehensive guidance to help you tackle your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Covering both quantitative and qualitative research methods, this essential resource offers direction for every step of the process. Drawing on 40 years of experience supervising dissertations, the authors provide examples from 100 completed projects to guide readers through:

  • Choosing a topic and writing research hypotheses
  • Selecting a chair or committee
  • Ensuring a successful proposal and oral defense
  • Adapting the finished product for publication
  • Using the Internet and desktop publishing effectively

With a conversational style suitable for both faculty and students, Writing a Successful Thesis or Dissertation demystifies the writing experience and presents step-by-step directions for successfully completing your project.


Table Of Contents:

  • Preface
  • About the Authors
  • Part I. Getting Started
  • 1. Selecting a Suitable Topic
  • Sources of Topics
  • Criteria for Topic Selection
  • Summary
  • 2. Selecting a Chair and Committee
  • Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair
  • Composition and Role of the Committee
  • Research Prospective Committee Members
  • The Desirable Student
  • Summary
  • Part II. What You Need to Know
  • 3. Quantitative Research Designs
  • Descriptive Research
  • Correlational Research
  • Causal-Comparative Research
  • Quasi-Experimental Research
  • Experimental Research
  • Theory Development
  • Summary
  • 4. Basic Statistics
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Inferential Statistics
  • Summary
  • 5. Qualitative Research Designs
  • Phenomenological Research
  • Case Study Research
  • Ethnographic Research
  • Grounded Theory Research
  • Mixed Method Research
  • Summary
  • Part III. The Dissertation Chapters
  • 6. Writing the Introduction Chapter
  • Background of the Study
  • Statement of the Problem
  • Purpose of the Study
  • Significance of the Study
  • Definition of Terms
  • Theoretical Framework
  • Models
  • Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
  • Limitations
  • Delimitations
  • Assumptions
  • Organization of the Study
  • Summary
  • 7. Writing the Literature Review Chapter
  • Searching the Literature
  • Writing the Literature Review
  • Synthesizing the Literature
  • Summary
  • 8. Writing the Methodology Chapter
  • Introduction
  • Selection of Participants
  • Instrumentation
  • Data Collection
  • Data Analysis
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • 9. Writing the Results Chapter
  • Introduction
  • Descriptive Statistics
  • Testing the Research Questions (Hypotheses)
  • Additional Analyses
  • Summary
  • Conclusion
  • 10. Writing the Discussion Chapter
  • Summary
  • Discussion
  • Implications for Practice
  • Recommendations for Further Research
  • Conclusions
  • Summary
  • Part IV. The Defense and Afterward
  • 11. The Proposal and Final Defense
  • Prepare a Well-Written Document
  • Know the Format
  • Prepare Your Presentation
  • Practice Your Presentation
  • Anticipate Questions
  • Final Oral Defense
  • Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes
  • Summary
  • 12. Publishing Your Dissertation
  • Presentations
  • Job Interview
  • Academic Journals
  • Books
  • Chapters in Books
  • Popular Press
  • Internet Publishing
  • Desktop Publishing
  • Planning the Writing Process
  • Summary
  • Appendix A: Initial Letter to Participants
  • Appendix B: First Follow-up Letter to Participants
  • Appendix C: Second Follow-up Letter to Participants
  • Appendix D: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)
  • Appendix E: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance)
  • Appendix F: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)
  • Appendix G: Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)
  • Appendix H: The Qualitative Research Critique
  • Appendix I: Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation
  • Appendix J: Checklist for Dissertation Quality
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

Great book , students love it
Dr Dawn Piper, LMS Administration, University of Fort Lauderdale
"During 40-plus years of working with doctoral students, this reviewer has encountered a large number of manuscripts written by various professors who give advice to doctoral students in writing their research in dissertation styles. None comes close to comparing to this work done by Lunenburg and Irby, who have developed their book with a plethora of examples of every sort in order to demonstrate to the student many ways of dealing with a host of issues that are encountered in writing a dissertation."
Education Review, November 2010
"This book may soon become as dog-eared in my reference library as my APA manual. Some may see a dissertation journey as a thousand miles, but these authors help the writer see the process one step at a time."
Monica Kempland, Academic Advisor, St. Louis University, NACADA Journal, Vol. 28, No. 2
"This is a very practical book and will be immediately usable for graduate students at any stage during their research. The multitude of examples is wonderful, and the content is very current."
Mary Betsy Brenner, Professor of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara
"Accurate, clearly written, and easy to understand even for the beginning researcher, with equal coverage of both qualitative and quantitative research. This is the only book where the authors combine a textbook approach to teaching research with a how-to approach."
Carol Roberts, Professor, University of La Verne, Author, The Dissertation Journey

Recommendations