Dissertation Resources
Whether you’re just getting started on your dissertation or are close to completion, Stanford offers a variety of resources to support you along the way.
Synchronous Resources
Academic coaching - center for teaching and learning.
For most graduate students, the dissertation is the most extensive writing project they have ever encountered, and in addition, it has unique demands that make it different from other genres of writing. As a result, it may require adapting some of the approaches you’ve used in the past when it comes to planning, managing your time, staying motivated, and navigating other aspects of academic life. Academic Coaches can meet with you (in-person or online) to develop strategies and plans to support your dissertation goals. Some potential coaching topics include:
- Identifying subtasks within the larger project and developing a timeline for completion
- Managing roadblocks and recalibrating your plan
- Creating a sustainable writing routine
- Communicating effectively with your advisor and dissertation committee
- Tracking progress and maintaining motivation
Writing and Speaking Consultations - Hume Center
Graduate students can schedule individual consultations with a Hume tutor and can choose to meet with a Lecturer or a peer Graduate Writing Tutor (in-person or online). Consultation topics may include:
- Brainstorming ideas
- Outlining and planning
- Developing an effective literature review
- Revision strategies
- Organizational strategies
Dissertation Support Group - Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
The Dissertation Support Group is a six-session online group which provides space to vent, meet other people like you, share goals and perspectives on navigating common themes (isolation, motivation, relationships), and learn some helpful coping skills to manage the stress of dissertation writing. This is a supportive graduate student space with the expertise of a Graduate Life Office Dean and a CAPS therapist co-facilitating and sharing skills, resources, and support specific to your situation.
Dissertation Boot Camp - Hume Center
The Dissertation Boot Camp is a free program that provides structure and motivation for graduate students who are wanting to make significant progress on their dissertation or other writing project. Dissertation Boot Camps are offered throughout the academic year and the summer. Interested graduate students can register to attend an in-person bootcamp at the Hume Center or an online bootcamp.
Asynchronous Resources
Starting an effective academic writing group - hume center.
This guide from the Hume Center provides strategies and structures that can be used to start and maintain a writing group. Writing groups can be a great way to integrate structure and accountability throughout the dissertation writing process. Dissertation writers often find it helpful to meet regularly with other graduate students who are also at this stage for the purpose of providing feedback, co-working, and/or setting and monitoring writing goals.
Dissertation Success Curriculum - National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity
Graduate students can access Stanford’s institutional membership to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), which provides webinars, newsletters, and other resources related to topics such as writing productivity and time management. To access NCFDD’s Dissertation Success Curriculum, first follow the instructions using the link above to activate your Stanford-sponsored membership. Once you have created an account, navigate to the “Resources” section on the homepage, then select “Dissertation Success.” The curriculum includes 12 training modules covering topics such as creating a dissertation plan, understanding writing resistance, and overcoming academic perfectionism. Participants can also join a moderated discussion forum for peer mentoring and tracking writing progress.
Books on Graduate Writing - Stanford Libraries
A number of books related to writing in graduate school and completing a dissertation are available through the Stanford Libraries. A few examples are listed below:
- Demystifying Dissertation Writing: A Streamlined Process from Choice of Topic to Final Text by Peg Boyle Single
- How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing by Paul Silvia
- The Productive Graduate Student Writer: How to Manage Your Time, Processes, and Energy to Write Your Research Proposal, Thesis, and Dissertation and Get Published by Jan Allen
- Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing your Doctoral Thesis by Joan Bolker
- Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success by Wendy Belcher
Check out our other Tips, Tools, & Resources
The “15-minute rule” is one of my favorite motivation and productivity strategies. Bolker (1998) recommended that students begin by writing for an absolute minimum of 10 minutes everyday and then expand to 15 minutes and then to longer periods of time. Bolker suggested that students make a commitment that no matter what, they will absolutely write for 10 minutes a day. Bolker said, “anyone can write for 10 minutes a day, particularly if one is freewriting” (p. 41). I usually recommend that students work for a minimum of 15 minutes but the number is somewhat arbitrary so long as it is enough time to help you get warmed up to working on your dissertation.
Making the transition on a daily basis from not being engaged in dissertation work to actually sitting down and putting words on a page, analyzing data, reading, etc. can be very tough. Many people find that committing to dissertation work for a relatively short amount of time such as 15 minutes makes it easier to make the transition to a meaningful work session. The 15-minute rule means that you commit every day (at least the days you plan to work) to work for at least 15 minutes no matter what. Here is how it works. You commit to working on any relevant part of your dissertation for an absolute minimum of 15 minutes. I recommend setting a timer if possible. Some of my clients actually buy an egg timer at the supermarket or use a sports watch as their 15-minute rule dissertation timer. You set the timer and then start working. If you are writing, write with abandon, letting go of concerns about sentence structure, flow, spelling, or grammar. You just write your ideas as they come out of your head. If negative critical voices pop in your head you can write down what they have to say. If you extraneous thoughts pop into your head, write them down too with the aim of getting back to your dissertation and staying on task as much as possible. When the 15 minutes is over, you can stop and highlight what you want to keep and the rest you will ignore. Or you can keep going if you are so inspired. Often, my clients tell me that once the 15 minutes are over, they feel “warmed up” to writing and it is easier to continue. A short period of forced writing, where you commit to writing no matter how much you do not feel like working, can often get you over the motivational hump and lead to a productive writing session. Sometimes, students need several planned 15-minute periods in a day to help them stay on course as motivation and energy because writing ebbs and flows throughout the day for most writers.
The 15-minute rule can be a great way to deal with the basic fact that warming up dissertation work can be unpleasant. No matter how detailed your action plan and timelines or how inspired you felt the night before, when you wake up in the morning you may feel like a thick fog of apathy rolled in during your sleep. The next thing you know, hours, even days go by and you have completed little or no meaningful work. Inspiration and motivation rarely come from inaction. Every day you intend to work but do nothing puts you at risk of becoming disengaged from your dissertation and makes it that much harder to get started in your next work session. It is often the act of writing, making discoveries, articulating and connecting ideas, or analyzing data or sources that will inspire and motivate you.
Am I saying that you need to work first before you are motivated and inspired? Yes. Sure there are times when you are rearing to go first thing in the morning. But if you wait for those days to just happen to you, your dissertation may to take a long time to complete. I suggest that you commit to working a minimum of 15 minutes two to three times a day as a way to get your intellectual juices flowing and to motivate yourself when you are struggling to work consistently. Staying connected to your dissertation, outlines, ideas, argument, intellectual quandaries, data, what you have written, and what you hope to write on a regular basis are important ways to keep the fires of motivation and inspiration alive. Do your best to write or do other dissertation work for at least 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is over, push yourself to go for 5, 10, or 15 more. Stretch out the work for as long as you can. Then plan another 15-minute session later in the day and repeat your efforts to stretch the work session longer. If you consistently engage in the 15-minute rule, you will likely be able to work for longer periods of time on a regular basis.
References:
Bolker. J. (1998). Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day. New York, NY: Henry Holt
This article was written by Alison Miller, PhD, owner of The Dissertation Coach, a business dedicated to helping doctoral and master’s students successfully earn their graduate degrees.
Copyright August 2007 by Alison Miller, Ph.D., The Dissertation Coach
How To Be A Productive & Motivated Graduate Student
- 910.250.8767
- Write Beginner Drafts to Make Writing Happen
- Learn to Let Go of Perfectionism
- Maintain a Rational, Positive Outlook
- Learn to Better Tolerate Ambiguity
- Stop Competing with Others
- Make Your Dissertation Your Priority
- Use the 15-Minute Rule to Progress Your Dissertation or Thesis – It Works!
- Plan Small Actions to Start the Day
- Make the Transition Into Your Work
- Get Set Up For Each Work Day
- Manage Your Work Environment
- Minimize Distractions
- Increase Your Sense of Accountability
- Read Other Dissertations
- Conduct an “Email Intervention”
- Push Through
- Seek Support
- Revise With A Strategy
- Back Up Your Work
- Take Good Care of Yourself
- Acknowlede Yourself & Your Accomplishments Along the Way
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