On good dissertations (or the pleasure of completing an onerous task).
Tonight, I invested my evening in reading a dissertation.
I recall submitting mine.
My dissertation was 300+ pages. One paper. It was a monster. It was super dull.
I don't know whom it caused more pain.
Me? or my committee?
Once it was defended, I cut out the one obligatory paper & never looked back.
I learned a lot about how not to do research.
Tonight, I was pleased to see how much this student had learned about research.
The dissertation was 300+ pages. Multiple papers. It was a monster. It was not super dull.
I suspect that this dissertation caused little joy.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Once it is defended, the student will cut out one more paper & look forward to the next study.
This student learned a lot about how to do research.
So how do you craft a dissertation? That is fun to read? & positions you to look forward?
First, it depends on your discipline.
I am explicitly writing for applied disciplines focused on solving real-world problems.
If you are a humanist, my apologies. My advice is not for you. Y'all write books.
My discipline favors multi-paper dissertations. So go to the next point if yours does too.
Second, it does a good job of articulating a problem.
A good dissertation includes at least one essay that problematizes an exciting phenomenon.
What does that mean? Either through interacting with the world or a literature review, you define a problem, bound it, & articulate why it needs to be studied.
Second, it contains an interesting, well-executed study.
The study can be qualitative, interpretive, quantitative, positivist, a simulation, design science - it doesn't matter to me.
The study translates the problem into something tangible & offers a new understanding.
The study (one hopes) says something that translates to actionable advice for the world (yes, that matters).
Third, it contains a tedious, well-executed study.
See above for types.
It likely will be hard to extract actionable advice from it.
It's just that every dissertation contains one not-so-fun essay. It's fine. Accept it.
The committee will if the study is well-executed.
Fourth, its essays logically build on each other.
A problem or a theme unifies a strong dissertation.
I have seen slipshod dissertations where students bundle three unrelated studies. This is a function of lousy advising. (Now all my friends hate me).
Check out Michelle Carter's three-essay bundle on IT Identity- the papers appear in MIS Quarterly & the Journal of Association for Information Systems.
Her essays define a concept, operationalize the concept, & probe its implications.
A good dissertation is systematic.
Finally, it lays a foundation.
Sometimes, it is the area you plan to study.
Other times, it is learning by trial & error.
Always, it should help you think about what comes next.
A good dissertation is a pleasure, albeit onerous, read!
Best of luck!
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