Writing Dissertations and Theses in Psychology: A Student's Guide for Success

by Stephen Haynes, John Hunsley

Overview

This accessible guide equips students to succeed in their master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation in psychology. The authors provide concrete assistance to the myriad tasks and requirements that students will encounter as they plan, conduct, and present their dissertation or thesis research.

Drawing upon their many years of experience in working with graduate students, the authors address the multiple stages of the dissertation and thesis process. They take you through drafting the proposal, the advisor-advisee relationship, interacting with committee members, the writing process, handling obstacles, and the final presentation. Chapters provide guidance on using a research team, collecting data, conducting a literature review, and even acquiring financial support. Finally, students will find additional resources such as practical information on copyright issues, research methods, case analyses, and teleconferencing.

This is an essential book for both graduate psychology students working on their master’s theses or doctoral dissertations and their advisors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000292633
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/28/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	659 KB

About the Author

Stephen N. Haynes received his PhD from the University of Colorado, USA, in 1971 and is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, USA. He has served on 14 editorial boards, published more than 130 articles and nine books, and supervised 70 theses and dissertations.

John D. Hunsley received his PhD from the University of Waterloo, Canada, in 1985 and is Professor of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Canada. He has served on numerous editorial boards and has authored over 140 articles, chapters, and books. He has supervised 17 doctoral dissertations and served on numerous dissertation committees.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Writing Dissertations and Theses in Psychology: A Student’s Guide for Success
2. Your Dissertation Advisor
3. Your Dissertation Committee
4. Developing the Focus and Methods for Your Dissertation
5. How to Conduct and Organize Your Literature Review
6. How to Write Your Dissertation Competently and Efficiently
7. Strategies for Organizing Your Dissertation
8. Moving Your Research Along: Pilot Studies, Research Teams, Initial Data Collection, Funding, and Getting Unstuck
9. Submitting Drafts to Your Dissertation Advisor and Responding to Feedback
10. Principles of Dissertation Research Methods
11. Getting Your Dissertation Research Approved by Institutional Review Boards
12. Preparing and Presenting Written Sections of Your Dissertation to Your Advisor and Committee
13. Presenting Your Proposal and Your Dissertation to Your Committee

Editorial Reviews

"Students can find the dissertation to be a daunting, anxiety filled process. They often feel at sea trying to complete an important task for which they do not have a good road map. They are not even sure what are the right questions to ask, let alone what the answers are. Faculty are not always helpful, since they often simply assume that the student understands the nature of the task. This book will be very useful to students, spelling out implicit assumptions and making the entire dissertation process less opaque and more manageable." – Kenneth Solberg, PhD, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, USA

"Overall, I think that this book provides an important contribution to the literature and will help many graduate students to navigate through the dissertation process. I think the book is very good. In addition to excellent chapters on the process of completing a dissertation (from finding your advisor to defending and publishing the dissertation), there are a number of resources for students; covering strategies for overcoming various barriers and obstacles is also an important feature of the book." – David Dozois, PhD, Professor and Director, Clinical Psychology Graduate Program, University of Western Ontario, Canada

"Students can find the dissertation to be a daunting, anxiety filled process. They often feel at sea trying to complete an important task for which they do not have a good road map. They are not even sure what are the right questions to ask, let alone what the answers are. Faculty are not always helpful, since they often simply assume that the student understands the nature of the task. This book will be very useful to students, spelling out implicit assumptions and making the entire dissertation process less opaque and more manageable." – Kenneth Solberg, PhD, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, USA

"Overall, I think that this book provides an important contribution to the literature and will help many graduate students to navigate through the dissertation process. I think the book is very good. In addition to excellent chapters on the process of completing a dissertation (from finding your advisor to defending and publishing the dissertation), there are a number of resources for students; covering strategies for overcoming various barriers and obstacles is also an important feature of the book." – David Dozois, PhD, Professor and Director, Clinical Psychology Graduate Program, University of Western Ontario, Canada

From the Publisher