Tomorrow's Professor Blog

Folks:

The posting below is a short piece on the development of a new book, Demystifying Dissertation Writing: A Streamlined Process from Choice of Topic to Final text, by Peg Boyle Single, Ph.D. Published by Stylus Publishing, LLC  22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, Virginia, 20166-2102.  ©2010 Peg Boyle Single.

All rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission.

Special Note: I was so impressed with this book that I offered to write the forward for it.. If you are interested in using Demystifying Dissertation Writing in a course or seminar, please go to http://www.styluspub.com/clients/STY/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=182911 and click on “Teachers-Request Exam Copy.” If you are interested in recommending it to your students, they can use code DDWEM9 and save 20% off the list price.

Regards,

Rick Reis

reis@stanford.edu

UP NEXT: TBD

Tomorrow’s Graduate Students and Postdocs

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Demystifying Dissertation Writing

A win-win. That is what I am proposing: a win-win. Far too many doctoral students leave graduate programs without completing their dissertations. Latest estimates put the number at just under 50%, with the humanities and the social sciences having higher attrition rates than the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Faculty members are juggling jobs already overflowing with teaching, scholarship, research, service, and advising. And at a time when doctoral students may be most in need of support from and access to dissertation advisers and when the camaraderie of courses has passed, newly graduated Ph.D.s reported that their advisers were least available to them during the dissertation preparation and dissertation defense phases. So what is the solution? Or at least a solution?

I propose that all doctoral programs offer structured writing seminars. I do not mean research seminars or pro-seminars, where faculty members present their research. Although these are great professional development activities, they do not directly help students write and finish a dissertation. Nor am I talking about seminars focused on research or methodology, where students can discuss and conduct their dissertation research as part of the seminar. I am talking about seminars that focus on the writing process. On how to take useful notes, to prepare functional outlines that include references, to sit down every day and put fingers to the keyboard, to overcome writer’s block, to revise adequately, and to know when to stop. I am talking about seminars that teach habits of fluent writing.

When I was a graduate student, I excelled in my courses. I was required to take two years of grueling coursework on psychological theories, research methodologies, and statistical methods. Although I excelled in my courses, I was still at risk for being ABD (all-but-dissertation) because I had no idea how to write a 100+ page manuscript about a self-directed research project. I could pull off writing course-length papers, but the dissertation was a whole different matter.

I was fortunate in that I met Robert Boice, an expert on academic writing and faculty development, and he agreed to facilitate a writing seminar for me and a group of graduate students. He also agreed to advise one last doctoral student before he retired, and that last doctoral student was me. Through him, I learned how to take notes in a way where I kept the purpose in mind, that is, using and citing the research to support my argument; I learned how to write in what he called “brief daily sessions” and give up my practice of writing only when I had ridiculously large blocks of time (and often an impending deadline); I learned how to turn off my internal critic and overcome my penchant for procrastination. Had I not met him, I may have completed my dissertation, but I truly fear that I may not have.

Because of my experience, I have spent the past fifteen years offering writing workshops and seminars to doctoral students and new faculty members and provided writing coaching to quite a number of academics. While teaching a dissertation writing seminar at the University of Vermont, I tried various writing books as required reading. Many of them are very good. But none of them served my purpose for the course. I wanted a book that emphasized the importance of working within a group setting and of sharing outlines and drafts, encouragement and accountability. So, I wrote it. Or at least I wrote outlines for each class. Then, when I taught the seminar the next year, I expanded and revised the outlines, and revised them again the following year. Before I realized it, I had written a book that could serve as the central text for a dissertation writing or proposal writing seminar or could be used by a group of students who informally met to support each other as they wrote their dissertations.

My book, Demystifying Dissertation Writing: A Streamlined Process from Choice of Topic to Final Text is practical, motivational, and yes, even at times comical. I address the nuts-and-bolts of writing a dissertation. I write at length about the importance of prewriting and how prewriting is the best antidote for writer’s block. I provide explicit guides on how to use bibliographic programs to take useful notes and then sort and play around with the notes as you organize your dissertation. The book is focused on students in the humanities and social sciences, not because doctoral students in the STEM fields couldn’t find a book like this useful, but because the context of working on the dissertation is different. Often students in the STEM fields have ready-made social support in the forms of more advanced doctoral students and post-docs who work in their lab. Also, advisers may be more available as they have a vested interest in and an investment in (often in the form of grant support) the research their students are conducting since often the students are working on one aspect of a STEM adviser’s program of research. While this situation does occur in the humanities and social sciences, it is far less common.

In Demystifying Dissertation Writing, not only do I teach writing techniques and habits of fluent writing, I also provide tips to doctoral students on how to work with their doctoral advisers. Among other suggestions, I coach them on how to prepare for meetings with advisers and how to use their advisers’ time wisely. For instance, I suggest that when students submit either a chapter or their whole dissertation to their advisers for review, they also include an outline of their whole dissertation. I write:

By including the outline, you provide your adviser with a quick refresher on your project. It will also provide him or her with an efficient way to assess your progress. Remember that you are working on one dissertation while your dissertation adviser may be advising numerous students, along with working on his or her own writing projects, teaching courses, presenting at conferences, and serving on committees. Make it as easy as possible for your dissertation adviser to provide you with useful feedback and to think you are making great progress.

When I taught my seminar, the students got a “win.” While I did not research this rigorously, I do know that the students who took my course tended to graduate six months to a year prior to the members of their cohort who did not take a structured writing course. Plus, I worked with many students who had been unengaged with their dissertations for a few years and they admitted they would have remained ABD had they not taken a structured writing seminar. Since I have been in graduate school, many more programs are offering writing seminars, and for this I am thrilled. And from exchanging anecdotal evidence, many of the faculty members in these programs state the same thing: The students finish quicker (that is, with reduced time-to-degrees) and more of them complete their degrees (that is, with reduced attrition rates).

Along with the students, the faculty members get a “win.” As I mentioned earlier, faculty members have plenty on their plates. The demands of an academic job only seem to be increasing; especially during the current economic downturn, the external resources and supports seem to be decreasing. The many faculty members that I know really enjoy advising doctoral students. They find it stimulating and fun to interact with doctoral students on new projects and research. Although, many of them have confided in me that they just don’t know what to do when they have a student who struggles with the writing process and misses writing deadlines, as many doctoral students do. So, when I started teaching my dissertation writing seminar at UVM, I was pleasantly surprised when the faculty members who were advising doctoral students made a point of contacting me to thank me for offering the seminar. They told me how much it was helping their students. They also shared that they were freed up to provide advice and direction on the dissertation topic and the methodology without also having to be a writing coach.

I would say that the faculty members who lead a writing seminar get an even bigger win. I wrote my book to help students with their writing and to facilitate the offering of such seminars. You can develop a seminar around the ten chapters in the book. Plus, if you decide to teach a dissertation writing seminar, I can assure you that it will be one of your favorite courses. The students are highly motivated to make progress on their dissertations. You get to learn from students passionate about their dissertation topics. They learn from one another and you will get to learn from them. The nature of the course seems to foster a spirit of collegiality and shared mission, with plenty of opportunities for good-natured ribbing and comic relief.

Ah yes, and the university benefits. Students are becoming increasingly savvy about choosing graduate programs. In addition, organizations are encouraging programs to publish time-to-degrees and attrition/completion rates. While I have never seen a research project addressing the outcomes associated with programs offering structured writing seminars (hum, a possible dissertation topic??), the anecdotal evidence weights heavily toward showing that students graduate more quickly and more of them graduate. So the university gains a “win” also. I am hoping that more doctoral programs will begin sponsoring dissertation writing seminars. Eventually, I am hoping that every program offers such a seminar. So, I guess I don’t see it as a win-win after all. Rather I view it as a win-win-win for the students, the faculty members, and the university.

References

Gravois, J. (2007, July 27,). In humanities, 10 years may not be enough to get a Ph.D. The Chronicle of Higher Education, pp. A1 & A9-10, Jaschik, S. (2007, July 13). Why and when Ph.D. students finish. Inside Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/07/17/phd.

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Folks:

The posting below gives some excellent tips on what to do before and during a job interview. The article is by Jef Akst and is from The Scientist: Magazine of the Life Sciences,  Volume 23, Issue 9, Page 68, http://www.the-scientist.com/ © 1986-2009 The Scientist. All rights reserved, reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis

reis@stanford.edu

UP NEXT: Higher Education and the New Society – Review

Tomorrow’s Graduate Students and Postdocs

Talking Yourself Up

How to score points during an interview and what to do after it’s over.

Anthony Brown has always been good at pharmaceutical medicine, but recently he’s become a pro at being interviewed as well. Just 1 month and two interviews after graduating from St. John’s University in Queens, New York with a bachelor’s degree in toxicology and chemistry in May 2005, Brown landed a job in the pharmaceutical industry as a quality assurance professional, doing safety assessment and regulatory work for the company’s pharmaceutical and biotech clients. Eight months into the job, the limited opportunities for advancement prompted Brown to pursue graduate studies in pharmaceutical sciences.

After a couple of semesters, the prohibitive cost of graduate school forced Brown back into the job market. But with the help of Kelly Scientific, an industry staffing company, and his quickly improving interviewing skills, he found work at a large pharmaceutical company in upstate New York. Feeling as though he was finally in a position that fit, Brown was disheartened when in November 2008, a merger forced massive reductions, and his post was cut.

By now, Brown is used to this part of the process. While he used to get nervous about interviewing, which sometimes had the unfortunate result of causing him to forget things he wanted to mention or stumble over tough questions, Brown now enters every interview calm and collected. “I’m a professional interviewer at this point,” he says. “It all comes with experience.” He has started to be more precise in his answers, citing specific scenarios and examples that highlight his abilities. That’s what employers want to hear, he says.

Fortunately, many scientists are not subjected to the grueling interview process to the extent that Brown has been. But, with the recent waves of layoffs, they may now find themselves in a position where their career depends on their ability to win over interviewers. The Scientist talked with career counselors who work with researchers to find out the best ways to prepare for an interview, and how to make the most of the ones that go south.

Before the Interview-7 tips

1. Get on the networking circuit Scientific conferences offer a great opportunity to make new contacts and casually strengthen ones you’ve already made. The senior investigators are “the ones who know about the jobs or know where the funding is,” career management coach Bettina Seidman of SEIDBET Associates in New York says. If you’re too shy to walk up to the large crowds that can aggregate at big meetings, Seidman suggests joining a committee at a professional association. Getting to know people with similar interests and goals can benefit both your job hunt and your chances once you land the interview. Being personally acquainted with your interviewers can give you a boost in confidence. “The bigger your network, the more people you know in your profession, the better you can a raise your profile,” before and during the interview, Seidman says.

2. Cultivate your professional image Personal social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace, are “not a forum for professional development,” says Megan Driscoll, President of PharmaLogics Recruiting. “You have no control [over] what other people write about you,” says Driscoll. In order to avoid potentially embarrassing questions in the interview, ensure your private life is not accessible by changing your security settings, or closing down publicly accessible sites.

3. Scan the tweets before you meet “Research the company that you’re interviewing with, and the individual you’re interviewing with,” says Analissa Tamaren, a regional recruiting manager for Kelly Scientific. This means going beyond simply looking at the company’s Web site and understanding its product line, says Driscoll. Twazzup.com will “scour twitter” for any recent articles and breaking news about the company’s state of affairs, Driscoll says. “It’s a quick way to gather some fast viral information before [you] walk in the door.” Showing that you understand the culture and current events tells the interviewers that you are really “dialed into their company,” Driscoll says.

4. Find common interests While researching the company or institution (and your interviewers), look for points of common interest. Professional and social networking sites, like LinkedIn and Facebook, are great places to dig up details such as the professional organizations that the interviewers belong to, Tamaren says. Follow that up with a PubMed search using the last names of your interviewers and the name of the company, and take notes about their research. “You should try to work that into the conversations,” as it builds rapport with the interviewers, says Driscoll.

5. Focus on improvements There’s one question that job applicants dread, but employers love to ask: What are your weaknesses? The “weakness question” is one that can be tricky to answer, Seidman says. Answering too honestly about your shortcomings can be as damaging as answering in a way that implies you have no faults to speak of. The key is to not “focus on the word ‘weakness,’ [but to] focus on the concept of professional development,” says Seidman. “[This] takes some anxiety off the word,” and allows you to talk about the areas where you hope to mature, without concentrating on a particular limitation.

6. Study for the tough questions The best way to attack the questions aimed at discovering your weaknesses or how you dealt with mistakes is to prepare answers ahead of time. Anthony Brown found that the best way to combat the stage fright was to Google typical questions, then generate a list of relevant experiences he was willing to share. Seidman usually coaches her clients through this task. “I talk to [clients] about their accomplishments,” Seidman says. Very often, they come up with stories that demonstrate “a level of leadership” that isn’t bullet-pointed in their resume. They discuss a time “they came up with an idea or recommendation, or changed a component or member of the team” to the benefit of a project, which is just the kind of story interviewers look for, says Seidman.

7. Nail the easy questions Always be prepared to answer specific questions about the jobs and projects you have listed in your resume. Everyone forgets, but stumbling over the details of a project you worked on 5 years ago can make you look like you weren’t invested in the work.

During the Interview-3 tips

1. What not to do “You might have a skill that was important in your last job, but it’s not quite as important in this job.” If that’s the case, don’t bring it up, says Seidman. “I’ve worked with all kinds of smart clients and [they] all make this mistake from time to time,” she says. Resist the desire to rattle off all of your shining qualities, and focus on the experience that this job requires to convince your employers that you’re ready for the job.

2. Market yourself Interviewing, and the rest of the job search process, is all about “marketing your skills and abilities,” Seidman says. “Focus on what you bring to the table.” Don’t forget to reiterate your strengths at the end of the interview, Seidman adds. “Help the interviewers do their job. Find a way to say, ‘My understanding is that you’re looking for somebody who can do A, B, C, and D, and I bring all of these skills to the table.’” It is important to show them “that you have everything that they’re looking for” just before walking out the door. If the interviewer doesn’t ask “Why should we hire you?” provide a summary anyway, she says.

3. Don’t botch the presentation “Scientific presentations can be the kiss of death,” says Driscoll. It is important to “speak about your work coherently, concisely, and clearly.” One common downfall is cramming too many projects into one presentation, which can be confusing and too cursory for your audience. Choose one project, and tell it like a story, Driscoll says. Include the problems you encountered, how you tackled them, and what the end result of it all was. Employers want to see how you handle difficult situations, and “it shows your creativity as a scientist,” she says. Also, never present someone else’s research. It’s “totally irrelevant,” Driscoll says.

Finally, give a presentation you’ve already practiced, if possible, Driscoll says. For anyone with less than 5 years of experience, this will likely be their dissertation work. If you have more than one to choose from, give the company the option. It’s always best to present the project that is most relevant to the company’s research.

After the Interview-3 tips

1. Follow up Sending a thank-you letter may seem outdated, but with the simplicity that email affords the process, it’s really a must, says life sciences recruiter Toby Freedman of Synapsis Search in California. In addition to the respect it implies, it allows you to “include things [you] may have forgotten to mention” in the interview, Brown says. “It’s also a good opportunity to address anything you thought didn’t go right in the interview,” Driscoll adds. In addition to thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in the position, you should personalize the note, highlighting a particular part of the conversation you had during the interview. “It’s not a good idea to send the same exact email to every person,” Driscoll says.

2. Expand your network “Every interview you go on is a networking opportunity,” says Tamaren. Driscoll recommends sending the thank-you followup in a LinkedIn note inviting the interviewers to be a part of your professional network. While there are many networking sites, Driscoll suggests picking one and sticking with it. “You can hurt yourself by using too many of these sites,” she says. Maintaining contacts after a rejection is another way to increase your professional network and open up more avenues for learning about future interviewers you may encounter. “It’s a great networking tool for your job search and your career in general,” says Driscoll.

3. Make the most of a rejection “I really encourage people to get feedback,” Driscoll says. If you are working with a recruiter, they are usually able to obtain such information for you, she says, but if you are job hunting on your own, contact human relations for specific feedback as to why you didn’t get the job. “They’re very reluctant to be completely honest with you,” Driscoll warns, but encourage honesty by explaining that you are simply looking to improve your interview skills, and they will likely submit to your request. “Generally speaking,” she says, “people want to help you.” This feedback can help you identify a problem area that you need to work on.

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NOTE: Anyone can SUBSCRIBE to the Tomorrows-Professor Mailing List by going to:

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Folks:

The posting below looks give some terrific advice on preparing for your Ph.D orals exam. It is by Eric Hallstein, Michael Kiparsky, and Anne Short, doctoral candidates in the energy and resources group, an interdisciplinary graduate program at the University of California at Berkeley. The posting originally appeared in the May 15, 2009 Chronicle Careers section [http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/05/2009051501c.htm] of the Chronicle of Higher Education [http://chronicle.com/]. Copyright © 2009 by The Chronicle of Higher Education. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Assessing How Students Learn

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Folks:

The posting below gives some excellent – and at the same time humorous – advice on completing your PhD. . It is Chapter 2 – The PhD, in the book What They Didn’t Teach You in Graduate School: 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your Academic Career by Paul Gray and David E. Drew. who are professors at Claremont Graduate University in California, one in information systems and the other in education. Between them they were students in 6 graduate programs, taught full time at 7 universities, and mentored over 50 PhDs, many of whom are now tenured professors. Copyright 2008 by Stylus Publishing, LLC. Cartoons copyright 2008 by Matthew Henry Hall. Published by Stylus Publishing , LLC, 22883 Quicksilver Drive Sterling, Virginia 20166-2102.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Shifting Attention Spans

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Folks:

The posting below looks at what makes for outstanding, very good, and unacceptable disssertations in the social sciences. It is from Chapter 3, Aiming for Excellence in the Dissertation, in the book, Developing Quality Dissertations in the Social Sciences: A Graduate Student’s Guide to Achieving Excellence by Barbara E. Lovitts and Ellen L. Wert. Published by Stylus Publishing, LLC, 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, Virginia 20166-2102 Copyright © 2009 By Stylus Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

NOTE: This book is one of three in a series that includes Developing Quality Dissertations in the Humanities and Developing Quality Dissertations in the Sciences. To find out more go to: www.styluspub.com

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Clickers

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Folks:

The posting below by Scott Jaschik, looks at the economics of doctoral education and why this is leading some schools to reduce future enrollment in Ph.D. programs. It is from the March 30, 2009 issue of INSIDE HIGHER ED, an excellent – and free – online source for news, opinion and jobs for all of higher education. You can subscribe by going to: http://insidehighered.com/. Also for a free daily update from Inside Higher Ed, e-mail [scott.jaschik@insidehighered.com]. Copyright © 2009 Inside Higher Ed Reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Ten Ways to Grow a Backbone

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Folks:

The posting below, by Doug Lederman, describes a conference I attend each year in the Southeastern United States. It is a remarkable “happening” and one which gives encouragement to the efforts of so many to support the graduate and postdoc education minority, particularly African American, students. The article is from the October 27, 2008 issue of INSIDE HIGHER ED, an excellent – and free – online source for news, opinion and jobs for all of higher education. You can subscribe by going to: http://insidehighered.com/. Also for a free daily update from Inside Higher Ed, e-mail [scott.jaschik@insidehighered.com]. Copyright © 2008 Inside Higher Ed Reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Why Students Lose Confidence

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Folks:

The posting below is a review of the book, Playing the Game: The Streetsmart Guide to Graduate School. that gives important, if irreverent advice on how to succeed in graduate school. The review is by Dr. Mary McKinney of Successful Academic Coaching. Feel free to visit her web site at http://www.successfulacademic.com for additional tenure track tips and dissertation writing strategies. Copyright ©2006. Reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Modalities of Teaching and Learning

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Folks:

The posting below looks at the role of graduate deans and other entities in the assessment of graduate programs. It is an excerpt from Chapter 5, Using the Assessment Process to Improve Doctoral Programs by Kelly Funk and Karen L. Klomparens in the book, The Assessment of Doctoral Education Emerging Criteria and New Models for Improving Outcomes, edited by Peggy L. Maki and Nancy A. Borkowski. Published by Stylus Publishing, LLC, 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, Virginia 20166-2102. Copyright © 2006 by Stylus Publishing, LLC. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. http://www.styluspub.com/

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Learning to Shut Up

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Folks:

The posting below looks at how you can learn all, or most, of your students’ names. It is one of the best things a professor can do. The article is by Dr. Mary McKinney of Successful Academic Coaching. Feel free to visit her web site at http://www.successfulacademic.com for additional tenure track tips and dissertation writing strategies. Copyright ©2006. Reprinted with permission.

Regards,
Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Making Teaching and Learning Visible

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