Finish Your Dissertation, Don't Let It Finish You!

An all-inclusive, practical guide to help you design, conduct, and finish your academic dissertation―with minimal drama

Sharing the secrets for successfully navigating through the dissertation and thesis process while maintaining your sanity, Finish Your Dissertation, Don't Let It Finish You! presents comprehensive coverage of the entire dissertation process, from selecting a committee and choosing a research topic to conducting the research and writing and defending your dissertation.

Joanne Broder Sumerson follows the sequential flow of a dissertation, to help you move through the process in a logical, step-by-step manner, with an abundance of practical examples and useful tips on:

• Proper dissertation etiquette―smarts and strategies for managing the committee
• Breaking ground on your study
• The anatomy of the five chapters of your dissertation
• Making a compelling argument for why your study should be done
• Creating an exemplary literature review
• The best practices in research design
• Getting official approval from the Institutional Review Board
• Organizing your freshly collected data
• Concluding your dissertation
• Presenting a smooth oral defense

Joanne Broder Sumerson, PhD, is a research psychologist dedicated to closing the gap between research and practice. Her research processes were developed from over 20 years’ experiences as a research practitioner, program evaluator, academic, and, of course, former student. She has worked with a multitude of private and public organizations in topics such as group process, leadership, emotional intelligence, social media, and wellness. She is a research professor and advisor at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a co-founding editor of Psychology of Popular Media Culture, published by the APA, and writes a blog, Research Notes, for Psychology Today Magazine.