The Dissertation Desk Reference: The Doctoral Student's Manual to Writing the Dissertation

This book is to preparing a dissertation what musical notations are to creating a symphony. The Dissertation Desk Reference provides ready access to plainly worded explanations and well-crafted examples that guide nascent scholars and assist dissertation advisors. The Dissertation Desk Reference is an ideal resource for pro-seminars where doctoral candidates explore the organization and writing of the dissertation. It specifically addresses the more traditional five-chapter dissertation format and equally supports less traditional dissertation formats. -- Jon M. Engelhardt, dean, School of Education, Baylor University, TX In The Dissertation Desk Reference, Calabrese offers a resource that serves as a safe harbor for doctoral students embarking on the journey of writing a dissertation. With examples to illustrate the key components of the dissertation as well as checklists to guide the writer, this is a definitive resource for the doctoral student and the major professor. I highly recommend this book as requisite reading. -- Sally J. Zepeda, University of Georgia; author of Professional Development: What Works, Second Edition A must-read for anyone who wants to complete a doctorate. This wonderfully inspiring work demystifies the dissertation process. All participants in Eastern Kentucky University's doctoral symposium will have to have this book! -- Bill Phillips, professor and dean, College of Education, Eastern Kentucky University Every doctoral student and dissertation advisor should have this book in his/her library. Finally, a single reference that serves as a comprehensive guide to terminology and concepts commonly used when designing and writing dissertation research! The book is user-friendly, with terms organized alphabetically (with cross-references). Not only are terms defined, but Raymond L. Calabrese also provides examples of how these terms are used and applied in actual dissertations. -- Patti L. Chance, chair and professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University, CA

The dissertation process is one of endurance, willpower, and patience. To simplify the journey for today's graduate students, The Dissertation Desk Reference harvests the components that consistently appear in dissertations, with a separate entry for each component. Each entry includes a comprehensive example taken directly from a high-quality dissertation accompanied by a note describing what the researcher did. This book is user-friendly for doctoral students and their faculty advisors.