Sociology Graduate Student Organization Workshop Series “Crafting a Winning Dissertation Proposal” October 20, 2011 Presented by Dr. R. Khari Brown, Graduate Director Dr. Heather Dillaway, Department Chair Chasity Bailey-Fakhoury, Ph. D. Candidate

Where, Oh, Where to Begin? Have a conversation with your advisor Identify your area of interest Formulate your research question(s) Think about… Accessibility of the Data Limitability & Feasibility Time Clock & Your Own Available Time & Energy

Steps in Proposal Writing 1.Think, conceptualize, talk (this may take a long time!) 2.Collect and read/review literature 3.If doing secondary data analysis, learn about available data. 4.Outline your proposal before you write 5.Write the first draft of a lit review 6.Write the first draft of a methods section 7.Incorporate theory into the draft and/or write a theory section 8.Write an introductory section 9.Work with your advisor to pull together and refine the proposal 10.After your advisor approves a full draft, defend the proposal in front of a committee of 4 (i.e., 3 dept members and 1 outside member) 11.Apply for and secure IRB approval (if necessary) 12.Turn in the final draft (and IRB approval) to the Graduate School

The Dissertation Prospectus Writing the Pre-Proposal (The Outline) 1.Research Question 2.Areas of literature to review 3.Theories that might link with your research question 4.Hypotheses you might test (if quantitative) 5.Data 6.Data collection 7.Data analysis 8.Significance of the study 9.Outline of the dissertation (what should it look like?)

The Dissertation Prospectus Should include the following:  Title Page  Table of Contents  Abstract  Introduction  Define topic (what is it and why is it relevant?)  Research question(s)/Purpose  Brief Summary of Theoretical Framework/Methods  Outline of the dissertation (i.e., your plan)

The Dissertation Prospectus (cont.)  Literature Review  Refines your research question(s)  Helps to situate your research  Enables you to identify gaps/directions for future research  Allows you to position yourself in the field  Helps you formulate your study design  Documents your expertise in a subject area

The Dissertation Prospectus: The Literature Review (cont.)  Should have several subsections as well as an intro and conclusion that ties them together  If covering disparate literatures make sure you talk about how they all fit together  Make sure you cover the gaps in the literature to provide the “hook” for your own study  Probably a minimum of 20 pages, but maybe much longer depending on your topic  Definitely pull on stuff you’ve already written!  Outline your lit review before you write it!

The Dissertation Prospectus: The Literature Review (cont.)  Organizing /Coding the Literature Chronologically By field Perspective Genre Provenance  Where to look Search using WSU Library Databases d=31 Keep abreast of new articles related to your topic Find classic pieces in your subject area

The Dissertation Prospectus: The Literature Review (cont.) DISCUSSION BREAK Questions/Comments/Concerns ?????????????

The Dissertation Prospectus (cont.)  Methodology  Research Design  What methodology are you choosing? What data collection methods are you choosing? Why?  What are your research questions?  If quantitative, what are your hypotheses?  Data – what is it? Where will you get it?  If quantitative, what are your dependent and independent variables?  Procedures  Recruitment/sampling  Data collection  discussion of instruments used, as well as how data collection will go if you’re collecting your own data

The Dissertation Prospectus: Methodology DISCUSSION BREAK Questions/Comments/Concerns ?????????????

The Dissertation Prospectus (cont.)  Data Analysis  If quantitative, a discussion of statistical procedures that will be used  If qualitative a discussion of the ways in which you’ll analyze/code the data (and possible themes you expect)  Study Limitations and Contributions  Conclusions  Short Summary of What is Covered in the Prospectus  Significance of the Study  Time line for Dissertation Work  References  Appendices (e.g., any instruments, consent forms, flyers, IRB approval, list of variables, approval letters, etc.)

The Dissertation Prospectus  Need help or advice?  Have ongoing conversations with Advisors, Committee members, and Peers who’ve successfully done it  Need Writing Assistance?  WSU Writing Center Graduate Student Tutor Call for an appt or visit the website Proofreading Tips  Graduate Writing Resources  Hire an editor!

Helpful Resources Books: o “Destination Dissertation” by Foss & Waters o “How to Prepare a Dissertation Proposal” by Krathwol & Smith o “Telling a Research Story” by Feak & Swales o “Academic Writing for Graduate Students” by Swales & Feak o “Designing Research” by Creswell o Websites:

The Proposal Defense You can only defend after your chair/advisor has approved the prospectus draft! Other committee members see the draft for the first time at this point (unless you’ve enlisted their help with a specific section of the proposal) To prepare: Discuss the defense with the chair of your committee Prepare a PowerPoint Presentation that can be presented in minutes; review the presentation with your advisor Write out and rehearse answers to possible questions on methodology, theory, lit. review, and the aspects of study related to the personal research agendas of your committee members What to expect in the defense (order of events)

The Proposal Defense (cont.) DISCUSSION BREAK Hear from those who’ve done it Questions/Comments/Concerns

Getting Stuck in Proposal Writing Why are you stuck? Possible ways to get make progress: Outlining and mapping out ideas Writing small sections rather than big sections Writing the sections you know how to write first Writing in specific time increments Designating dissertation workdays/times Holding yourself accountable to deadlines Not being intimidated by your own project! Getting help when you need it Hand in rough drafts