A small confession: when I was writing my own dissertation, I lost one entire month of August to a heady combination of over-ripe peaches, second-rate mystery novels and a home-organization project that resulted in exactly zero new pages written. If you’ve just looked...
Five Smart Ideas for Ph.D. Students Ready to Choose a Dissertation Topic By September, most doctoral students entering the dissertation phase have had the summer to think about possible topics for their research projects (as well as relax and unplug, I hope). Here are...
Let’s be honest: perfectionism is exhausting. Most graduate students believe the introductory chapter of their dissertation must be flawless before moving forward with their draft. They imagine that if Chapter One isn’t completely solid, the whole dissertation will...
When I was working on my dissertation years ago, one thing was certain: my home had never been cleaner. Every writing session was the perfect opportunity for distraction…and I took full advantage. Floors were scrubbed, bookshelves meticulously rearranged and dust...
Recently, I decided to put ChatGPT to the test. I asked it a question I often hear from many of the Ph.D. students I coach: “How can I strengthen my dissertation argument?” The AI response was technically correct and well-structured—it suggested reviewing...
I have a working theory: winter is the season when dissertations go into hibernation. The days are short, the nights are long and, understandably, your motivation to write disappears along with the sun at 4:30 PM. If your dissertation stalled out over the winter...
