LibGuides: Graduate Research: Theses & Dissertations: Getting Started &amp; Planning

Graduate Research = Building Advanced Information Skills

Graduate research and the process of writing a thesis or dissertation involves honing advanced skills in managing information: gathering and organizing information, analyzing information, synthesizing information, creating information, sharing information, and communicating or teaching information. This requires many specialized skills, often discipline specific, as well as generalized work productivity skills such as time management, team building, and stress management. This research guide is designed to lead you to general resources that may help you in your learning process as a graduate student and support your success.

Find resources to get started on this page, then navigate to additional resources using the tabs above, or click a link to a topic area below:

Understand your responsibilities for Research Integrity and avoiding research misconduct
Find guidance for conducting your Literature Review
Peruse resources for managing Data & Analysis
Explore tips and tools to help in Writing a Thesis / Dissertation
Consider Academic Publishing of Your Research in an academic journal, university press book, or another academic format
Establish Your Scholarly Identity with author identifiers
Find Tips for Presenting Your Work at professional conferences
Take advantage of other UW Resources to support your graduate studies
Link to the Graduate Students' Guide to the Library

Research Process

Project Planner (from Sage Research Methods)
Content describing steps in the research process. Jump to any of the stages or subtopics as needed.

Exploring Research Ideas

Where Can I Get Ideas for My Thesis or Dissertation Topic?
Tips for deciding on a research topic (from ProQuest).

Dissertation (& Thesis) eLearning from ProQuest

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

An Individual Development Plan is a good way to reflect on your interests and develop career goals. This is best done in collaboration with your faculty advisor or mentor, but can be done by yourself. Some research funding agencies, such as NIH and NSF, encourage use of IDPs for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars. Here are a few resources to help you get started creating an IDP.

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eBooks / Guides

The Complete Researcher by Joshua N. Hook; Don E. Davis; Daryl R. Van Tongeren
ISBN: 9781433839054
Publication Date: 2023-09-05
A Field Guide to Grad School by Jessica McCrory Calarco
ISBN: 9780691201108
Publication Date: 2020-08-25
The Productive Graduate Student Writer by Jan E. Allen This book is for graduate students--and others--who want to become more productive writers. It's especially written for those who want to: * increase their motivation, focus, and persistence to move a project to completion * overcome procrastination and perfectionistic tendencies * reduce (or write in spite of) their anxiety and fear of writing * manage their time, work, energy (and advisor) for greater productivity The process or craft of sustained writing is not a matter that's taught to undergraduate or graduate students as part of their studies, leaving most at sea about how to start a practice that is central to a career in academe and vital in many other professional occupations. This book grew out of conversations Jan Allen has held with her graduate students for over 30 years and reflects the fruit of the writing workshops and boot camps she has conducted at three universities, her own and numerous colleagues' experiences with writing and advising, as well as the feedback she receives from her popular Productive Writer listserv. While Jan Allen recognizes that writing is not an innate talent for most of us, she demonstrates that it is a process based on skills which we can identify, learn, practice and refine. She focuses both on the process and habits of writing as well as on helping you uncover what kind of writer are you, and reflect on your challenges and successes. With a light touch and an engaging sense of humor, she proposes strategies to overcome procrastination and distractions, and build a writing practice to enable you to become a more productive and prolific writer. Jan Allen proposes that you read one of her succinct chapters - each devoted to a specific strategy or writing challenge - each day, or once a week. When you find one that increases your concentration, motivation or endurance, make it a habit. Try it for two weeks, charting the resulting increased productivity. It will become part of your repertoire of writing and productivity tools to which you can progressively add.
ISBN: 9781620368923
Publication Date: 2019-07-02
Succeeding with Your Master's Dissertation by John Biggam
ISBN: 9780335264490
Publication Date: 2015-01-01
Mastering Your PhD by Patricia Gosling; Lambertus D. Noordam "Mastering Your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond" helps guide PhD students through their graduate student years. Filled with practical advice on getting started, communicating with your supervisor, staying the course, and planning for the future, this book is a handy guide for graduate students who need that extra bit of help getting started and making it through. While mainly directed at PhD students in the sciences, the book's scope is broad enough to encompass the obstacles and hurdles that almost all PhD students face during their doctoral training. Who should read this book? Students of the physical and life sciences, computer science, math, and medicine who are thinking about entering a PhD program; doctoral students at the beginning of their research; and any graduate student who is feeling frustrated and stuck. It's never too early -- or too late!This second edition contains a variety of new material, including additional chapters on how to communicate better with your supervisor, dealing with difficult people, how to find a mentor, and new chapters on your next career step, once you have your coveted doctoral degree in hand.
ISBN: 9783642158476
Publication Date: 2010-11-19

Blog on Research & Writing

The Thesis Whisperer
Written by Professor Inger Mewburn, director of researcher development at The Australian National University. Topics especially helpful for Ph.D. students, but useful for any researcher.

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