Writing the Doctoral Dissertation

While it is a very compact book, and has lots of useful information, it's a bit like reading a style manual. Several books for social scientists are available (see Howard Becker), and some of the books that deal more with the psychology of writing (and staying motivated to write) the dissertation might be a better buy.


A Dissertation Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers: ala Bob Vila   April 7, 1998
 33 out of 46 found this review helpful

If you'd like to know dissertation specifics like how many pages your proposal should be, then this is the book. Also, if you're not working in a warm, fuzzy discipline (e.g. most social sciences), this is probably the only book that is fully aware of your existence; one of the authors is a professor of management. Buy this book, if only for its practicality.


A decent overview, but not a text that stands alone.   August 28, 2004
 25 out of 25 found this review helpful

Although written in 1997, much of the information in this book still provides a good overview of how to manage the dissertation, or even the thesis process for traditional students. Davis and Parker start off good by providing case studies of doctoral students in the first chapter; however, it is only at this point where such easy to relate to scenarios are presented. It is clear that this book was written with conventional students in mind. If you are an individual enrolled in a nontraditional program, for instance at a distance education institution, you will find that this book lacks pertinent information that pertains to you.

In addition, at some points, the text becomes overly mechanical making the read a tad bit dry, while not providing enough about other significant issues (e.g. the literature review, the components of the proposal, or the dissertation defense). As one would suspect, the information on technology is dated. What's more, the book lacks an index, which could make it a user-friendlier tool. Maybe Davis and Parker will rectify this in the next edition.

Despite these weaknesses, there is some very useful information that can be garnered from this book, such as its thorough discussions of working relationships with and selection of advisors and committee members, topic analysis and selection, page length, and tips for presenting the proposal. I would recommend this book to my graduate student clients as an introduction to the dissertation process, but not as a text that can stand-alone. If your goal is to really understand what goes into a dissertation, or thesis, in addition to Davis and Parker, you will need to read a more comprehensive text.



An incredibly practical guideline!   April 13, 1999
 21 out of 47 found this review helpful

As someone who works privately with students, helping them with dissertations, I highly recommend this book. When students call me in regard to assistance with their dissertation, I recommend that they buy this book and use it as an ongoing reference. The information contained in this book anticipates and answers many of the questions that students have about the dissertation process. It is the most practical guideline for writing a dissertation that I have come across in recent years.


Probably the best buy   November 9, 1999
 17 out of 24 found this review helpful

I have read several books on dissertation writing and this one seems to cover all the bases in the most concise form. However, I gave it only four stars because there is no guide to further reading, which I think is essential.