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Top 10 Tips for Avoiding Acne
You're Not Alone. More than 80% of us will have acne at some point in our lives. Many people will continue to have acne as adults. There are several factors that play a role in acne such as genetics, hormones, stress and using synthetic skin care ...
Top 10 Tips For Buying Property In Greece
For a foreigner the Greek real estate market can be mind-boggling experience and at first seems to be a very complicated purchasing process. Approaching the problem step by step shows that it is not that hopeless. By law foreigners can own property in ...
Top 10 Tips on Starting a Successful Home Business
Home based businesses are rapidly gaining in popularity. Not only do they offer you the opportunity for freedom andthe flexibility to set your own work terms, but you also have control over your financial independence. What do successful home businesses ...
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10 Tips to Selecting a Thesis or Dissertation Topic
Welcome to TA-DA! FinishLine Newsletter. This newsletter was designed to help you accomplish your educational goals -- to get started, to keep going, and to finish your degree. Because writing a thesis or dissertation is a lonely process, you should use this newsletter as a tool to keep connected to others like yourself and to keep on task.
TA-DA! Thesis and Dissertation Accomplished™ CD is based on a step-by-step process to help you complete your masters thesis or dissertation. If you read the first newsletter, How to Start and Finish Your Thesis or Dissertation This Year, you already know the importance of setting a deadline and posting your goals for others to see. If you haven't set a start date yet, you can get started by going to our website, filling out a commitment certificate, printing it out and posting it on your wall. To those of you who have already filled out the commitment certificate, I want to say congratulations on taking the first step to completing your degree!
The next step involves selecting a topic. Although selecting a topic might seem to be simple and easy, the prevailing research on this issue finds that some graduate students take over two years to complete this task -- this does not have to be you. Understand that the longer you take to complete this task -- the more money the university makes on your continuous registration. Hence, educational institutions are not encouraged to help you figure the thesis and dissertation process out.
Don't wait until you are finished with your qualifying/comprehensive exams to start thinking about a thesis or dissertation topic. Use your graduate courses to pursue a possible topic. Procrastination in selecting a topic can sometimes cause gridlock in your graduate career. Without a topic, you cannot proceed to writing or defending the proposal phase; and more importantly, you cannot begin researching or writing the thesis or dissertation
I have provided 10 tips to help you get moving toward your goal of completing your degree:
1. Don't Panic -- Keep Things in Perspective Let's face it, not too many people will read a masters thesis or doctoral dissertation. A thesis or dissertation is not the type of document that piques the general public's interest mainly because of its academic rigor and writing style. The topic is generally of interest only to the student, experts in the field and the student's advisor and committee members.
2. Be Organized -- Maximize Your Research Efforts In order to maximize your research efforts, you must be organized and efficient in your search efforts. The more organized you are in the beginning, the more time you will have to write your thesis. Be diligent about keeping track of your files in the early phases of your research to reduce your stress levels later on when your enthusiasm begins to wane. If you have to back track on your research efforts, being organized from the beginning will help make the process less painful.
3. Choose a Subject Area First -- Then a Topic The more information you consume in your broad subject area, the more patterns will emerge. In your coursework readings, you may notice repeated results and conclusions by more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. Paying attention to these patterns should help you become more conversant with the relevant literature as well as help you to narrow your focus. Narrowing your topic should be done with help from your advisor and committee members.
4. Consider Expanding a Masters Thesis Into a Dissertation If you're working towards a PhD
and you wrote a Masters thesis, consider expanding on that topic for your dissertation. You already are familiar with the topic and much of the research is done. This approach can accelerate your progress towards your goal: Completion!
5. Make Sure The Topic Is Interesting It is imperative that both you and your advisor are interested in your thesis/dissertation topic. Some advisors are reluctant to suggest topics because of the implicit responsibilities associated with guiding a student through the process from start to completion. Your advisor's enthusiasm for your topic will determine his or her willingness to read, support, fund, and provide timely feedback and direction to your work.
6. Choose a Solvable And Manageable Research Problem It is important to select a problem that is narrow enough that you can address it or solve it in a reasonable period of time. You should select a topic that can be completed within a two-year time frame.
A longer time frame could allow many unexpected and competing events to occur. If you find yourself spending an exorbitant amount of time pursuing and identifying a research problem, it is possible that the problem is not solvable. With a longer time frame, you also run the risk of someone else identifying and solving the problem before you do. Hence, the concept of "original" contribution to the field is lost and you might have to start over. Moreover, you run the risk of your enthusiasm diminishing.
7. The Research Problem Must Be Worthy Of Your Time Choosing a topic that is compelling enough to sustain further research is critical. Employers evaluate potential employees based on the student's ability to not only finish the dissertation but also make future contributions to the field.
8. Make Your Research Topic Original- Has It Been Done Before? The prerequisite for finding a new research topic is to be informed because most things have been studied before. Staying on top of the current debates in your academic field puts you in a position to identify the gaps in knowledge. After identifying the gaps, all you need to figure out is what kinds of information will fill these gaps.
9. Hone Your Research Skills One way to evaluate your research skills and make sure they are up to par is to pursue a potential topic in your Research Methods or Statistics courses where you can get immediate feedback from an instructor. You can use these courses to work out potential problems in your methodology or your review of the literature; thus allowing you to work out any kinks earlier in your academic career rather than later.
10. As You Read -- Ask the Following Questions.
* What is the Research Question in the Study? * Did the Researcher Focus on the Wrong Group/subjects? * Did the Research Leave Some Group/Something Out? * Is the Methodology Faulty? * Were the Findings Faulty? * Can I Pursue the Author's Recommendation for Future Research? * What Are the Limitations of the Study? Reprinted from TADA! www.tadafinallyfinished .com Dr. Carter's motto is a Good Thesis/Dissertation is a Done Thesis/Dissertation. Contact her at: drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com
About the author:
Raised in a home challenged by poverty, alcoholism, and abuse, the statistics said that Dr. Wendy Y. Carter would not graduate high school or attend college. Ignoring those statistics, Dr. Carter completed three masters' degrees and a PhD. after becoming a single parent. Dr. Carter understands the obstacles to success has a passion for helping people succeed.
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Top tips for landing a loanAdelaide NowYour Money columnists David and Libby Koch say its tougher to borrow money. Source: Supplied LANDING a loan from the bank these days is no laughing matter. A generation of borrowers have had easy access to credit. Now it's a lot harder.and more » |
Hong Kong Standard |
`Top' tips win big for tycoonHong Kong StandardAt the K Wah Group spring reception, I saw chairman Lui Che-woo, and congratulated him for being one of the few tycoons whose net worth wasn't impacted by the poor performance of the investment market last year. Lui responded in his usual mild manner, ... |
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Top Tips for Tax SavingsMorningstar.comBy Christine Benz | 02-12-12 | 06:00 AM | E-mail Article We're kicking off a Tax-Wise Investing Week on Morningstar.com in the week ahead, and we'll be providing many tips on how to reduce the drag of taxes on your investments. |
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Top tips for running on tropical holidayVictoria Times Colonist (blog)So here are my top tips for running while on holidays, especially to somewhere warm. Rule #1 – Bring all your necessary gear but just one of anything. In warmer climates, you can rinse out your very sweaty togs and they'll dry overnight. |
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Grammys 2012: 10 top tipsThe Guardian (blog)This weekend, 78 prizes will be distributed at the 54th Grammy awards. Some statuettes will go to veterans, some to newcomers – and many will probably go to Adele. But nobody watches the Grammys for the prizes: here are 10 better reasons to follow ...and more » |
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