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    Writing a successful thesis or dissertation : tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences / Fred C. Lunenburg, Beverly J. Irby.

    • Title:Writing a successful thesis or dissertation : tips and strategies for students in the social and behavioral sciences / Fred C. Lunenburg, Beverly J. Irby.
    •    
    • Author/Creator:Lunenburg, Frederick C.
    • Other Contributors/Collections:Irby, Beverly J.
    • Published/Created:Thousand Oaks, CA : Corwin Press, ©2008.
    • Holdings

       
    • Library of Congress Subjects:Dissertations, Academic--Authorship.
      Academic writing.
      Social sciences--Authorship.
    • Description:xvii, 333 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
    • Notes:Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-320) and index.
    • ISBN:9781412942256 (pbk.)
      9781412942249 (cloth)
    • Contents:Pt. I. Getting Started
      1. Selecting a Suitable Topic
      Sources of Topics
      Criteria for Topic Selection
      2. Selecting a Chair and Committee
      Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair
      Composition and Role of the Committee
      Research Prospective Committee Members
      Desirable Student
      Pt. II. What You Need to Know
      3. Quantitative Research Designs
      Descriptive Research Design
      Correlational Research Design
      Causal-Comparative Research Design
      Quasi-Experimental Research Design
      Experimental Research Design
      Theory Development
      4. Basic Statistics
      Descriptive Statistics
      Inferential Statistics
      5. Qualitative Research Designs
      Phenomenological Research Design
      Case Study Research Design
      Ethnographic Research Design
      Grounded Theory Research Design
      Mixed Methods Research Design
      Pt. III. Dissertation Chapters
      6. Writing the Introduction Chapter
      Background of the Study
      Statement of the Problem
      Purpose of the Study
      Significance of the Study
      Definition of Terms
      Theoretical Framework
      Models
      Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
      Limitations
      Delimitations
      Assumptions
      Organization of the Study
      7. Writing the Literature Review Chapter
      Searching the Literature
      Writing the Literature Review
      Synthesizing the Literature
      8. Writing the Methodology Chapter
      Selection of Participants
      Instrumentation
      Data Collection
      Data Analysis
      9. Writing the Results Chapter
      Descriptive Statistics
      Testing the Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
      Additional Analyses
      10. Writing the Discussion Chapter
      Summary of the Study
      Discussion of the Findings
      Guidelines to Structure Your Discussion Section
      Implications for Practice
      Recommendations for Further Research
      Pt. IV. Defense and Afterward
      11. Proposal and Final Oral Defense
      Prepare a Well-Written Document
      Know the Format
      Prepare Your Presentation
      Practice Your Presentation
      Anticipate Questions
      Final Oral Defense
      Tips for Avoiding Common Mistakes
      12. Presenting and Publishing Your Dissertation
      Presentations
      Job Interview
      Academic Journals
      Books
      Chapters in Books
      Popular Press
      Internet Publishing
      Desktop Publishing
      Planning the Writing Process
      App. A. Initial Letter Soliciting Participation
      App. B. First Follow-Up Letter
      App. C. Second Follow-Up Letter
      App. D. Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)
      App. E. Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance and Regression)
      App. F. Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)
      App. G. Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)
      App. H. Qualitative Research Critique
      App. I. Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation
      App. J. Checklist for Dissertation Quality.
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