Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End

Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation offers comprehensive step-by-step guidance and practical tools for navigating the personal and professional challenges that can arise during the qualitative dissertation journey. Authors Linda Dale Bloomberg and Maria Volpe skillfully blend the conceptual, theoretical, and practical, empowering readers to successfully master both the content and the process of their qualitative dissertations. The Fourth Edition has been thoroughly updated to respond to developments in the field, allowing the book to have wider application for dissertation work within the evolving world of qualitative inquiry. Included in this edition is a new chapter titled "Achieving Alignment Throughout Your Dissertation," a greater focus on how all qualitative traditions can encompass activist research and social justice inquiry, and enhanced coverage on the role of the researcher, emphasizing the importance of reflexivity and approaching research critically.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables List of Figures List of Appendices Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors PART I. TAKING CHARGE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK 1. A Complete Dissertation: The Big Picture Objectives Overview Front Matter Dissertation Chapters Back Matter Evaluating the Quality of a Qualitative Dissertation 2. Gearing Up: There Is Method in the Madness Objectives Overview Identifying and Developing a Researchable Topic Selecting and Forming Your Dissertation Committee Stakeholder Responsibility and Standards of Good Practice Organizing and Managing Your Project 3. Choosing a Qualitative Research Approach Objectives Overview The History of Qualitative Research Defining Features of Qualitative Research Knowledge Claims The Role of the Qualitative Researcher The Current Landscape of Qualitative Inquiry Qualitative Research Methodology (Genres or Traditions) Moving Forward With Your Chosen Qualitative Methodology Annotated Bibliography 4. Developing Your Research Proposal Objectives Overview Proposal Components Guidelines for Academic Writing Integrity Matters Institutional Review Board Approval Annotated Bibliography 5. Achieving Alignment Throughout Your Dissertation Objectives Overview Research Problem and Research Approach Research Problem and Research Purpose Research Problem, Research Purpose, and Research Questions Research Problem, Research Purpose, and Research Methodology (Qualitative Genre or Tradition) Research Methodology and Research Methods Research Problem and Literature Review Literature Review and Theoretical/Conceptual Framework Theoretical/Conceptual Framework, Research Questions, and Research Findings Research Methodology, Research Design, and Data Analysis Research Methodology, Research Design, and Presentation of Findings Research Findings, Interpretations, and Conclusions Conclusions and Recommendations Chapter Summary Annotated Bibliography Part I: Summary and Discussion PART II. CONTENT AND PROCESS: A CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER ROAD MAP 6. Introduction to Your Study Objectives Overview Section I: Instruction Reflexive Questions for Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study Chapter Summary Discussion Quality Assessment Chapter Checklist Section II: Application Annotated Bibliography 7. Developing and Presenting Your Literature Review Objectives Overview Section I: Instruction Reflexive Questions for Chapter 2: Literature Review Chapter Summary Discussion Quality Assessment Chapter Checklist Section II: Application Annotated Bibliography 8. Presenting Methodology and Research Approach Objectives Overview Section I: Instruction Reflexive Questions for Chapter 3: Methodology Chapter Summary Discussion Quality Assessment Chapter Checklist Section II: Application Annotated Bibliography 9. Analyzing Data and Reporting Findings Objectives Overview Section I: Instruction Reflexive Questions for Chapter 4: Analyzing Data and Reporting Findings Chapter Summary Discussion Quality Assessment Chapter Checklist Section II: Application Annotated Bibliography 10. Analyzing, Interpreting, and Synthesizing Findings Objectives Overview Section I: Instruction Reflexive Questions for Chapter 5: Analyzing and Interpreting Findings Chapter Summary Discussion Quality Assessment Chapter Checklist Section II: Application Annotated Bibliography 11. Drawing Trustworthy Conclusions and Presenting Actionable Recommendations Objectives Overview Section I: Instruction Reflexive Questions for Chapter 6: Drawing Trustworthy Conclusions and Presenting Actionable Recommendations Chapter Summary Discussion Quality Assessment Chapter Checklist Section II: Application Part II: Summary and Discussion PART III. NEARING COMPLETION 12. Some Final Technical Considerations Objectives Overview Revisiting the Importance of Alignment Crafting a Title Writing the Abstract Assembling the Manuscript Proofreading and Editing Quality Assessment Checklist for Your Complete Dissertation: All Together Now! 13. Defense Preparation and Beyond Objectives Overview Pre-Defense Preparation Post-Defense Preparation Annotated Bibliography Part III: Summary and Discussion Afterword Appendices References Author Index Subject Index

About the Author :
Dr. Linda Bloomberg is a cofounder of Columbia University’s Global Learning and Leadership Institute, and previously served as senior researcher for the South African Human Sciences Research Council and National Institute for Personnel Research, focusing on change management, diversity initiatives, and workplace learning. For the past two decades she has served as dissertation chair and subject matter expert in doctoral programs where she also develops curriculum for graduate research courses. Linda consults to numerous research and nonprofit advisory boards, including the Future Talent Council, Global Advisory Board for Faculty and Staff Development, Mentor in Residence for SAGE Publications, and educational blog contributor to Teachers College Publications. She presents regularly at national and international professional conferences on topics related to qualitative research, online learning, and professional development for online pedagogy, and is the author of multiple publications in the fields of qualitative research, organizational evaluation, leadership development, ensuring equitable student success, adult learning, and distance education, and a contributor to The Sage Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (2018). Her two most recent books include the 5th edition of Completing your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End (2023) published by SAGE and Designing and Delivering Effective Online Instruction: How to Engage Adult Learners (2021) published by Teachers College Press, Columbia University. The latter publication was nominated for the 2021 and 2022 Division of Distance Learning for the Association of Educational Communications and Technology and for the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) award for Excellence in Instructional and Teaching Practice (2024). Dr. Bloomberg holds master’s degrees in counseling psychology, organizational psychology, and adult education. In 2006, she completed her doctorate in adult education and organizational learning at Columbia University.  In 2021 she received a diploma in executive coaching from the Goizueta Business School, Emory University, and is qualified as an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF). Marie Volpe is adjunct faculty in adult learning and leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she teaches dissertation seminars and serves as advisor to doctoral candidates. She conducts workshops for teachers in Mongolia and lectures on qualitative research methods at Suzhou University, China. After a career spanning thirty-five years with Exxon Corporation, where she held the position of manager of education and development, Dr. Volpe embarked on a second career in higher education, in which she has practiced for the past twenty years. She has contributed to publications in the areas of staff development and informal learning in the workplace. She received her master’s in organizational psychology and doctorate in adult education from Columbia University.

Review :
"This book is a ‘must have’ for all doctoral students from their acceptance into a program until they upload their finished dissertation to their institutional library. Forget Agatha Christie; they should keep this on their bed side table until it is dog-eared and they have graduated." "I will continue to use Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation until I find a better text, and that just does not seem likely. The authors’ writing is straightforward; they write as academics, from an academic bent, yet write practically for doctoral candidates who need guidance, a "road map" of how to complete their dissertation. "An excellent resource for doctoral students! The authors take the fear of writing a dissertation, and break down each component into manageable tasks that once completed will help students deliver a scholarly research project: a project that they will be proud to defend!"