The Elements of an Effective Dissertation and Thesis: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting it Right the First Time

Here is a student guide to writing an effective doctoral dissertation or a master's thesis. This book disaggregates the elements of the dissertation and provides the student with a description, definition, and example of each dissertation element. The author presents multiple viewpoints that include both quantitative and qualitative approaches. When using this book, the student, based on departmental norms, will understand what belongs in the dissertation and thesis and where it belongs. The elements are presented in a traditional five-chapter format for ease of use and not for indicating a preferred format for the dissertation. There are over 100 examples of completed dissertations from well-known universities and colleges. This book allows the student to concentrate on what makes sense and what is important to completing his or her research.

Table of Contents:
1 Preface: How to Use This Book 2 Introduction and Rationale 3 Review of Literature 4 Methods 5 Results 6 Interpretation and Recommendations

About the Author :
Dr. Raymond L. Calabrese is professor of education at Wichita State University in Kansas and the recipient of their 2004-2005 College of Education, Research Award. Dr. Calabrese is author of over 90 journal articles for national and international educational journals and author of seven educational books, serves as reviewer for scholarly national and international journals, and serves on an international editorial advisory board.

Review :
Calabrese’s book should be required reading in graduate programs. Clearly written and intelligently organized, it presents a comprehensive roadmap to a successful dissertation. Without doubt, it will sharpen understanding, guide the entire process, and improve the final product. But this is not just a book for graduate students. Professors will find it of genuine value for advising as well as teaching courses that prepare graduate students for dissertation research. In The Elements of an Effective Dissertation, Dr. Raymond Calabrese provides a user-friendly and highly polished product to assist graduate students in facing the challenges of writing the dissertation.…This book should be on the reading list for doctoral students as they enter terminal degree programs and could easily serve as a primary text for courses and seminars that address the development of the prospectus and the dissertation. Calabrese describes the basic units of the five-chapter economy that is a thesis or dissertation. He describes how to develop and write the introduction and rationale (including that pesky section on delimitations), the review of literature, methods such as research design and pilot studies, results, interpretation and recommendations. I really like the book. It gives good recommendations and then examples to illustrate. The examples were excellent, and I am certain they will be very helpful to researchers. Every facet of the dissertation process is very well covered and documented. I found the book very 'user friendly'. I wish I would have had it when I did my dissertation, but more importantly it would have been so helpful to me at KU and my students as well.