Customer Reviews

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am about 70% of the way through my PhD thesis, and this book has helped me tremendously. After less than two years of part-time study (working full-time as well), I have not only written around 200 000 words of draft and edited text, but I have published three papers and have a fourth currently sumbitted. I credit most of this from the advice in Bolker's book. Sure, I adopted my own partiucular way, but I have followed much of what is in the book.

As Bolker suggests, if you write as you go, all the bits and pieces begin to thread themselves together. Simply passively reading or collecting data won't do it.

The biggest problem with this approach is that I will almost certainly finish well ahead of the minimum four years required for part-time PhD candidates at my university (the English PhD system is more arduous and longer than the American system).

I highly recommend this book for all PhD and masters students, and I only wish I'd known about it when I was an undergraduate, as it would have helped me tremendously then, also.

When I read the title of this book I couldn't believe it - fifteen minutes a day! I then bought it and found it very interesting and amusing. I must say however that the book hinges sometimes on simple good sense or says something that the student perceives the minute he gets into grad school. This book is very recommended if you don't have a clue on what you'll do next and you really need some advice. It is also great if you haven't had any contact with the "academic culture" before you entered graduate school.

The subtitle for this book is probably the more telling about the contents. This book is more of a guide to the whole process of writing the dissertation rather than the physical act of writing. Bolker discussing the writing as well as choosing a topic, choosing an advisor for your dissertation, and choosing a committee for your dissertation defense. Covered in the book are some of the psychological barriers that can hinder your finishing the dissertation, and some pitfalls to avoid (such as political battles with your advisor).

The primary thought is to develop the habit of writing. Some of the ideas may sound familiar to you, but they are no less true. Bolker states that you must develop the habit of writing everyday if you are going to build up the stamina and fortitude to completing the task. She does suggest a support group to assist in this.

The biggest draw for this book, for me, was that Bolker is an authority. She started two dissertations, one of which she did not finish. She has also worked with many students in writing their dissertations, and she knows from experience what works and what doesn't (she points out a problem that can arise from writing solely on the computer).

I would recommend this book to anyone beginning the journey to finishing a dissertation. Do not take this information lightly.

Save your money. This book might be a good resource for someone CONSIDERING grad school, but overall, it does not provide any profound advice if you are already in grad school. If you've been accepted into grad school then the info in this book is a no-brainer. If you're already writing your dissertation, then you already know the information in this book. (And if you don't, then you're an idiot and you have no business being in grad school.) Maybe it was published for the catchy title, but the actual info in the book is really for that chipper undergrad romantically hoping to emulate his or her favorite prof...

I read some of the other reviews that said this book was merely common sense or a waste of time, I have to disagree. Writing is a difficult process and the author gives some practical advice that some people will find useful and others will not. The most useful part of her book (for me ) was explaining how to get into a habit of writing. If you write every day, even if some days it is only for 15 minutes, it is still better than doing nothing. It's building a momentum of productivity and it helps.

I think some of the reviewers wanted a magic bullet for their writers block. There isn't one, writing is work, this book provides some useful tools for you to get that work done faster.

I bought this book just before I began to write my dissertation for a doctorate in counseling psychology. The main strength of this book is it helps you plan and break down the dissertation process in small steps that can be easily managed. It is easy to get overwhelmed or discouraged with the dissertation and many do. The advice in this book will help you finish. I did complete my dissertation in about two years while working full time.

I am in the middle of writing my masters and this book was perfect for overcoming my writers block. I can't thank the author enough for helping me through this anxiety. My favorite quote is from her daughter about focusing on "Writing One Day at a Time." This book seems to be the reverse of alcohols annonymous (where you are trying to give up an addition to drinking alcohol), instead this book seems to be about learning how to become addicted to writing every day.

Many kudos to the author for a well written book!

This is a quick read that provides some of the best advice on controlling and writing the dissertation that I've seen. Much of the advice Bolker provides seems common sense but I've known few graduate students to use it without a guide like this. Applying her suggestions for writing and organizing will get you done with less agony.

This is one of the most helpful guides to writing a dissertation ever published. Bolker suggests that students write early and often as they shape their dissertations. Her hints, especially the concept of a "zero draft", help students avoid or overcome procrastination. I'm a clinical psychologist who coaches grad students, post-docs and faculty, and this is one of the first books I recommend. It is especially useful for students in the humanities and for those still searching for a dissertation topic.

This book is a gem. I like it because it takes a process approach to teach people how to write. The book suggests process measures and promises that if you make sure you meet these targets, they will lead you to achieve your performance measures - the piece of writing your desperately want to finish.

My favorite quote is:
"Writing in order to think rather than in order to write", pp. xvi

My favorite measures are:
- Using a "Model dissertation", pp. 12
- Maxims, pp. 18
- "Write first ...every day", pp. 38, 47-78
- Set daily goals (# of pages - i.e. 3 - 6 per day), pp. 45
- "Don't waste words" - write it down using a notebook, a pocket computer, ... etc, pp. 47
- A tentative timetable (deadlines you set need to be very generous), pp. 74