Hiring the Best Medical Proofreading Service

Hiring the Best Medical Proofreading Service

All medical documents need to be professionally proofread before being submitted to international publications. These vital documents need to be reviewed and checked for mistakes, to avoid readers’ confusion and misunderstanding. Regular proofreading is a difficult task, but medical proofreading is even more challenging. Therefore, it is best to hire the services of qualified and experienced medical proofreaders to review and improve your medical document.

There are many editing and proofreading services available online. However, most of them only offer basic document editing services. Some companies that do offer medical proofreading services charge high fees. To help you hire the best medical proofreading service, here are some points to consider when choosing the right service provider.

Proficiency

The professional medical proofreader must be an expert in the chosen medical field, and have a strong command of the English language. Trusted proofreading companies often employ native English-speaking medical professionals with PhD qualifications. This allows the experts to efficiently handle both technical and linguistic aspects of the medical document.

Experience

Before hiring, ensure that the service provider you choose employs only experienced experts. Experienced professionals can easily handle various types of medical document, and deliver results within a shot amount of time.

ISO certification

A reliable and trusted medical proofreading firm should possess ISO certification, which assures that their service quality meets the international industry standards. ISO-certified service providers are a safer choice than freelancers, as their qualified proofreaders are guarantee to deliver you quality results within the appointed deadlines at reasonable rates.

Safety

Plagiarism is a serious and criminal offense. It is best to hire a medical proofreading company that protects their clients’ medical document and personal details. Professional proofreaders should not, and would not, disclose private details within the medical documents to any third parties. Additionally, trusted proofreading companies provide their clients with secured platforms where the documents can be uploaded, and payments be made.  

Choose an experienced and reliable company like OnLine English for quality service from professionals at affordable prices. Hire us today!

Complete MBA Dissertation

Complete MBA Dissertation

It is obligatory for apprentices to write an MBA dissertation in organize to absolute their MBA program and get their degrees. Your MBA dissertation demonstrates that you have unstated the material enclosed in your exacting courses. It essentially serves as evidence that you have educated and unstated the subject well.

There are a variety of forms of MBA dissertations and you can decide any form that you like or a grouping of research-based document, a case study, a commerce report or a business plan. So, you can do your study into an commerce wide subject your business plan should include a planned analysis, a case study that explains a exacting happening, a business report that looks at a exacting issue and supply solutions.

All through your MBA, you will no hesitation have been toiling with the unlike areas of your prepared knowledge and organization that must have importance in dissertations and projects that you have been working on.

How to Choose the Right Online Editing Service

How to Choose the Right Online Editing Service

Sometimes, one feels unsatisfied with one’s own writing, despite having put much time and effort into it. While it is recommended to reread your own content, you risk overlooking certain mistakes. Therefore, it is best to hire a professional online editing service to review your document. Professional editors offer a fresh and objective view, and will help polish your content by rectifying errors and offer suggestions for improvement.

When choosing the best online editing service provider, always consider the following points:

Customer Feedback

Customers and clients usually leave feedback, or testimonials, regarding the service they received. It is important to review this feedback, as it can help you determine the company’s service quality. You can also ask colleagues for recommendations.

Editors’ Profile

Always check the editors’ profiles and background before hiring. While there are many available editors online, not all are trusted or reliable. Some might be inexperienced freelancers, or even scammers. Look for native English speakers with PhD qualifications in their chosen subject field. You want a professional editor who can handle both linguistic and technical aspects of your content.

Security Measures

Choose only a service provider that provides security for your private data and sensitive information. A professional editor would never share such information with third parties.

Fees and Payment Options

Many professional online editing companies provide online calculators on their websites to help clients determine the fee for their services. Use it to consider if their service charges are within your budget. The service providers should be transparent with all their transactions, so clients would know there are no hidden fees. The company should also provide a secured platform for clients to pay.

OnLine English is one of the most trusted companies within the online editing industry. Our professionals have edited and proofread documents for satisfied clients worldwide for over twenty years. Hire us today!

English Editing – More than just Spelling Correction

English Editing – More than just Spelling Correction

It is a common misconception that Microsoft Word’s spell check is adequate for document editing, and

it is unnecessary to waste money on hiring professional editors. The truth is, professional English editing involves more than correcting spelling mistakes.

It is a challenging task that is best left to the experts, as only they can accomplish it effectively.

Professional English editors are experienced and well-trained. They are aware of the possible mistakes an author might make,

and how to best rectify them. They will carefully scrutinize your document, ensuring no error is overlooked. Below-mentioned are some benefits

offered by a certified English editing service provider such as OnLine English.

1. Professional English editors offer honest and objective opinions about your writing. It is their duty and responsibility to polish and perfect your work, making it fit for publication. Expert editors are always straightforward and

open regarding areas needing improvement; it is up to the author to decide whether to accept or reject the comments.

2. A technical paper’s format is as important as its research content; unfortunately, many writers ignored this fact, or simply did not realise it.

Established journals have strict requirements, with limitations regarding font, format, word count, units etc. The professional editors are well-aware of the

 standards set by different publishers, and will edit your document accordingly to your intended publication’s guidelines.

3. Research writers often include inappropriate jargons unintentionally as they became too focused in their writing. Professional English editors remove such unsuitable language, improving the content to give it a reader-friendly and easily-understood presentation.

4. Publishers are more likely to accept professionally edited submissions. Both publishers and readers appreciate a flawless article they can easily

comprehend, and will have maintain, or even raise, your reputation as a writer.


While hiring professional English editing services might seem costly, it is

definitely well worth the advantages you will receive. At OnLine English, our experienced editors have been offering best quality services to clients

worldwide for over twenty years. Our rates are affordable, and we guarantee speedy results, so hire us now for all your English editing needs!

Steps of MBA Dissertation

Steps of MBA Dissertation

1. Make A List Of All The Resources Available For Your MBA Dissertation Topic

This is important because as a ‘working professional’ you need quick and immediate access to the required information.

2. Consider Your Preferred Career Path

If you have a clear idea of the direction you would like see your career go, then pick an MBA Dissertation Topic that will accommodate this.

3. Decide the ‘voice’ your MBA Dissertation Topic will adopt

Is your MBA Dissertation Topic designed to convince or argue? Consider the impact you would like to have on the readership.

4. Write With The Readership In Mind

Keep your target audience in mind as you consider your MBA Dissertation Topic.

5. Collaborate With The Marketplace

If you’re not yet in full employment then why not match your MBA Dissertation Topic with the needs of a recognized company - they may even sponsor you!

6. Incorporate A Business Plan Into Your MBA Dissertation Topic

By doing this you confirm an intention to deliver practical solutions in the ‘real’ marketplace.

7. Use An Established Company To Help With Ideas

Any MBA Dissertation's Topic

Any MBA Dissertation's Topic

Already have your MBA dissertation's topic planned but can't find the research?

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MBA Dissertation/ Thesis

MBA Dissertation/ Thesis

MBA dissertation writing… sounds quite alarming, doesn't it? For the greater part of students it does, because they understand what it means to write an MBA dissertation paper. The procedure of writing an MBA dissertation paper can last for pretty a while, and this work cannot be called an easy one.

Writing an MBA dissertation is an actually back-breaking and time-consuming assignment. What is the objective of MBA dissertation paper writing? Why should student to expend days and nights working on this type of educational assignment?

The reason of MBA dissertation paper writing is to demonstrate your stage of knowledge as well as to intensify it in the procedure of implementation this project, so that you can relate all skills and information on perform, in the real life. That's why if you desire to demonstrate your best, you'd enhanced do not put off writing your MBA dissertation papers and establish working on it correct now.

Stages of MBA Dissertation

Stages of MBA Dissertation

A dissertation for Masters in Business Administration needs outstanding researching and writing skills beside with the time and possessions to complete the MBA dissertation. Students have to go throughout the precise stages of writing a dissertation for Masters in Business Administration. The stages concerned in Masters in Business Administration dissertation are collection and formation of attractive and applicable topics for Masters in Business Administration dissertation, getting of Masters in Business Administration dissertation topics by the superior, writing a dissertation proposal for MBA based on the MBA dissertation topic, endorsement of MBA dissertation proposal, preliminary and researching for absolute Masters in Business Administration dissertation in order to absolute the specific chapters of the Masters in Business Administration dissertation which comprise MBA dissertation introduction chapter, MBA dissertation literature review chapter, MBA dissertation research methodology chapter, MBA dissertation findings chapter and MBA dissertation conclusion chapter along with other relevant chapters of Masters in Business Administration dissertation if required and finally acceptance of Masters in Business Administration dissertation by the supervisor. 

Hiring an Online Journal Editing Service

Hiring an Online Journal Editing Service

Professional journal editing services are very helpful to companies and researchers. Online editing companies are organized and available anytime – making it convenient for clients to hire their services.

Below are the steps when hiring an online editing service provider:

Privacy Agreement

Before you submit your journal, it is important to check the editing company’s terms and conditions. Established ones ensure the security of the information you disclose. Since the documents that you submit are intended for magazine or journal publications, it is also important that your research is not disclosed to third parties to avoid plagiarism.

Submission

Various online editing companies have different procedures when it comes to submission. First, you need to confirm the file formats accepted by editing company. Always convert your document to an acceptable file format before submitting it for editing. When you fill out the order form, leave a comment for the editors if you have special requests.

Payment

After the submission, the company will send a formal quotation that includes the fees and return time for your order. Check these details then process the payment. Most professional editing companies accept credit card payments. A few even accept other payment methods like online currencies, checks and bank transfers. During the payment process, you must ensure that the webpage is secure.

Editing

The editing process starts after the payment is received. Suitable editors will be assigned to review the content and language of the document. A specialist will check the manuscript for technical details. Then, a language expert will check the English. A senior editor will do a final review to ensure that no errors are overlooked. The revised document will be returned to the author together with a comparison document.

Quality Assurance

Professional journal editing services guarantee high quality service. It is wise to hire these providers for they deliver publish-worthy documents. There are a few editing providers who provide you with free editing certificate to prove that the document was edited by experts.

OnLine English is one of the leading professional journal editing serviceproviders today. They offer high quality service at affordable rates. Try their services today!

SUCCESSFUL MBA DISSERTATIONS

SUCCESSFUL MBA DISSERTATIONS

To have a really successful MBA Dissertation, you should integrate knowledge between the different subjections of your dissertation as much as possible. Knowledge building upon knowledge this is the mark of a good MBA Dissertation.

MBA dissertations usually vary in form and topic. Thus your MBA dissertation can be a business plan, a business report, a case study, or most frequently a combination of these forms as long as it follows the MBA style of referencing. So this type of dissertation may consist of research into some specific company research, a business plan that offers strategic analysis, a business plan that focuses on some particular issue, and a case study that analyzes one or a few social phenomena.

As many of you have possibly noticed, the tendency toward acceptance into and successful completion of the more prominent MBA Dissertation programs has been on the rise over the last few years. In other words, the latest bring in of business students have responded to the increasingly competitive business world and workplace by, on average, pursuing a much higher level of academic achievement in order to carve out a more striking position for themselves once they actually enter the business world.

What Should You Know To Write Your MBA Dissertation Effectively?

What Should You Know To Write Your MBA Dissertation Effectively?

If you are looking for a vocation in organization, then MBA is measured as the obligatory international business requirement. And for receiving your MBA degree, it is required to write an MBA dissertation. You must know that writing an MBA dissertation is not that easy assignment as composing books essays. It gives an obvious view to the examiner of what all you have unstated throughout your exacting way.

Tips To Help You Write Your MBA Dissertation Productively:

Choosing the Research Topic of Your Interest

Be careful while selecting your topic as it decides your fate of getting the degree or not. Don’t choose a topic that you are some what disinterested in as at a later stage it becomes tedious to write on it. What makes writing your dissertation interesting, is the fact of making your own ideas and notions about a subject and then proving the world that your ideas are right.

Dissertation MBA Level

Dissertation MBA Level

The MBA dissertation level frequently contains a number of chapters such as preface, literature review, Findings, etc. Referencing should be there as without references, a dissertation is not measured genuine and dependable. Also if you are building use of quotations from sources with no adding the sources’ in sequence, your MBA dissertation, will be measured plagiarized. Plagiarism is an educational crime and a person found in the wrong has to stand dire penalty. To obliterate the risk of being caught with plagiarism, a references page should be there for explanation all the sources used within the paper.

For writing an MBA dissertation, the students be able to get help from Dissertationwriting.co.uk, which is the name of achievement. The writers and researchers working at Dissertationwriting.co.uk are knowledgeable qualified and have MBA, MA, MSc and PhD degrees from internationally standard universities. The dissertations, essays, research papers, reviews, critical summaries, theses and other academic papers, we are contacted from all over the world as our customers are always satisfied with our written performance.

The MBA Dissertation: A How-To and More

The MBA Dissertation: A How-To and More

As If You Didn't understand It Already, Here's Just One clarification as to Why The MBA Dissertation Has Become So Important

As many of you have possibly noticed, the tendency toward acceptance into and successful completion of the more prominent MBA Dissertation programs has been on the rise over the last few years. In other words, the latest bring in of business students have responded to the increasingly competitive business world and workplace by, on average, pursuing a much higher level of academic achievement in order to carve out a more striking position for themselves once they actually enter the business world.

So, as many of you are probably dying to know, what can one do to ensure successful completion of the ever-important MBA Dissertation? The following tips and explanations will provide you with the necessary tools to do so.

First Things First: What Exactly Is an MBA Dissertation, and How Does It Differ From an MBA Thesis?

This is a very important question that, amazingly enough, more and more MBA students do not seem to know the answer to. In fact, many MBA students are laboring under the misconception that the MBA Thesis and the MBA Dissertation are "pretty much the same thing."

The MBA Thesis and the MBA Dissertation Are Not The Same Thing!

The best way to describe the MBA Dissertation so that it can be easily understood is to describe its purpose. The purpose of the MBA Dissertation is to condense all that you have learned from your particular courses into one long project. The dissertation is much like "written proof" that you have indeed learned the material and have understood it well enough to write about it on a major academic level.

Tips to Help You Research and Prepare a Successful MBA Dissertation

Take advantage of faculty help whenever possible. While the MBA Dissertation and MBA Essay are meant to be an individual project so that you are able to prove your own thorough understanding of the entire range of subjects and course materials, most universities mandate that students work with a faculty supervisor along the way to the completion of the dissertation. Therefore, it is important to take advantage of the help of the mandated faculty supervisor whenever possible. This is especially true because, in the case of most universities, the faculty member assigned to supervise to creation of your dissertation is often chosen because she or he has experience within the field of study and can provide valuable insight into the production.

Demonstrate an Adequate and Working Knowledge of The Research Process

One of the least recognized, and actually more simple, methods of ensuring the acceptance of an MBA dissertation is to prove to those that will review it that you are an expert at performing research. The reason this is so important to those who will review your dissertation is that a student that has the ability to perform solid research can thrive within almost any business setting. If you methodically illustrate within your dissertation that you are an expert researcher, there is a much greater chance of success.

Choose an MBA Dissertation Writing Company That Will Allow You to Perform Adequate Research

The choice of dissertation topic usually revolves around the analysis of a business or a group of businesses in the real world, and research into how what was learned in the course material actually affects these businesses under the conditions of reality. As such, it is vital you choose to analyze a business that you will be able to gather adequate information on. After all, the strength of your analysis will only be as good as the information you gather.

The path to a successful MBA Dissertation is a long, difficult road - be prepared to put in the work!

Book Review: Writing the Doctoral Dissertation

Book Review: Writing the Doctoral Dissertation

At the beginning of any dissertation journey, both the journey and its destination seem hazy and amorphous. As the years of coursework rolled by, I had felt as if the diss was a huge, distant thing on the horizon that was painfully, slowly coming into view. It started to take a shape, and it became more and more real as I could see it looming there. But when I found myself close up, at the end of coursework, at the top of the field exam climb, I realized it wasn't a thing at the top of that mountain. I looked out across another chasm instead, with no clearer image of what the diss really was than before all my hard work.

Enough of that! I won't deny that this poetic sort of thinking about dissertating can be helpful, and is my usual mode as an English major. But especially as a disorganized English major, and as anyone in any discipline who has ever had trouble seeing the clear shape and scope of a project, I needed help thinking practically. I needed help making a plan. There are so many good books on the market, but many of them are titled in metaphorical language, some inspiring, some terrifying: Survival Guide! One of the books in our office has a cover image of a stormy sea with a flimsy lifesaver floating on it.  No thanks.  My dissertation is not the Titanic.

In Writing the Doctoral Dissertation: A Systematic Approach, the dissertation is not characterized as a "quest" or a "trial by fire" or anything other than what it is. It's a writing project! The book turns the diss into a procedure, like any other.  A procedure with linear steps (some cyclical ones too), with deadlines, and with clear goals. Gone are the musings about "demystifying" the "journey" or some other useless crap that a person in the throes of drafting could have thought of themselves.  If what you need is a clear, disinterested voice, untinged by commiseration or by condescension, to say to you "DO EXACTLY THIS"... then this is the book you should read.

Also, this book is fairly new, like of-this-decade new.  Its authors know about current trends in scholarship in various fields, alternative sorts of dissertations, and contemporary expectations for research in an age of globally accessible information and project collaborations.

In my youth I was always the straight-through writer, never an outliner. In grad school I began to see the purpose of having a structure and some goal-points in mind before beginning a project. But I never put that to use beyond the twenty or so pages required for my term papers.  Assorted piles of papers with color coded post-it notes were enough semi-organization to get me through. But now, as I face this new ~200 page project (journey, chasm, abyss, whatever you want to call it), this book has me obsessed with the checklist, the calendar, the breakdown, and even the "budget" of the dissertation.  In a very good way.

Now You Get The Greatest Mba Dissertation

Now You Get The Greatest Mba Dissertation

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MBA Dissertation Topics: The Most Important Choice to Make

MBA Dissertation Topics: The Most Important Choice to Make

What approach produce in your spirit when inquiry the words “MBA Dissertation”? Do you sense like life is a nightmare? Do you shake with fear at the consideration that your frequent nights will be sleepless? Do you mourn over parties you will miss because of the MBA dissertation you have to complete? Relax! Writing MBA dissertation is not a death sentence if you know the secret.

The top secret of writing a dissertation is in the right option of an MBA dissertation topic. Observe, the whole lot is not so difficult as it may seem. You must do your greatest and the very commencement, the victorious choice of an MBA dissertation topic will practically exclude failure. Now you know what to do. Still, the question is HOW to do this properly. Here we will also help you and offer the principles of choosing an MBA dissertation topic.

THE PRINCIPLES OF CHOOSING MBA DISSERTATION TOPICS

Decide MBA dissertation topic that will be attractive for you. Writing a dissertation is a tough work, you should try to optimize it by choosing an MBA dissertation topic that will assist you in the future or widen your knowledge.

Keep in mind that the short form “MBA” means that your MBA dissertation topic should be connected to business. This means that is should have sensible worth. There is no use concentrating your attention on theory only, business demands activity.

Director, Advisor, Partner? Find Your Type of Committee Head

Director, Advisor, Partner? Find Your Type of Committee Head

This is the second post of a two-part series on choosing a thesis or dissertation director. The first post was called “To Choose or Not to Choose … A Director, That Is!” published on March 24, 2016. Today's post focuses on models of working arrangements with advisors.

Sonja K. Foss and William Waters note that such working arrangements often wind up being one of the main disputes between a student and his or her advisor. (For more information on what Foss and Waters call the “three common misalignments” between advisors and students, see  Destination Dissertation: A Traveler’s Guide to a Done Dissertation, starting on page 298.)

In fact, I recently talked with a student who encountered some problems working with her committee head. This director instructed this student to conduct her research on an entirely different subject group than the group she had proposed to study, and the student had to change her project as a result.

While the student above was satisfied at the conclusion of her dissertation, she was upset that she couldn't pursue the exact study-avenue she had wanted to. So we hope to reach those early in the thesis/dissertation process. Perhaps in knowing the different working arrangements that are possible, you can ask more relevant questions at the outset of setting up your committee.

Advising Models

Foss and Waters define an advising model as “the basic approach to mentoring that the two of you will use to do the work of the dissertation,” and they describe three working models: “replication, apprenticeship, and cocreation” (299). 

The Replication Model

In Foss and Waters' “Replication Model,” a director “supplies the basic plan for your dissertation" (300). This model might even lead to the student’s researching of a question of interest to the director as opposed to one of the student's own interests. With this arrangement, the student should “listen to the instructions of [his] advisor” and try to “perform as close to [the advisor’s] ideal” as possible, say Foss and Waters (300).

• I’ll call this committee head a “director,” then, based on the connotative control inherent in that term.

The Apprenticeship Model

In the “Apprenticeship Model,” according to Foss and Waters, “you have some freedom in how to accomplish the tasks involved in the dissertation, but [these tasks] are assigned and directed by your advisor” (300). Foss and Waters say that with this arrangement, a student’s “primary job is to perform an insightful and credible interpretation” of the study while the advisor “monitors [the] work” (300). This plan calls for the student to attempt to complete “the processes [one’s director] recommends, listening to her critiques and … negotiating places where [one’s] own vision … can come through” (301).

• I’ll call this committee head an “advisor” based on Foss and Waters’ description that this person also gives “mini-lectures on best practices “as well as her recommendations” as to “how far you can deviate from the boundaries she has established” (300 – 301).

The Cocreation Model

Finally, Foss and Waters describe the “Cocreation Model” of direction, where both student and advisor “contribute in substantial ways to the plan for [the] dissertation”; the advisor and student work together to synthesize ideas, but the student “drive[s] the research agenda” (301). Foss and Waters say that in this model, “communication is reciprocal” and that an advisor may “deliberately hold back” on offering advice (301) in order to urge the student towards taking on more responsibility.

• I’ll dub this committee head a “partner,” being a literal interpretation of the model described.

My Experience

Obviously many committee chairs will employ working models that fall somewhere in the middle of these "types." If I had to choose the model of the working relationship I have with my advisor, I'd call it an “apprenticeship,” though it may approach a partnership in some respects. My advisor has always given me direction on my proposed study, she has sent me relevant articles, and she did once become concerned that I was deviating too much from the original plan (after I had changed my focus a bit). Here, she indeed indicated to me how far I could deviate from my proposal, but overall, she has allowed me to take my research where it needs to go.

From what I've heard from others, the "apprenticeship" is probably the most common working arrangement between student and committee head. However, the director mentioned at the start of this post obviously followed something like the “Replication Model.” 

COMPREHANSIVE MBA DISSERTATIONS

COMPREHANSIVE MBA DISSERTATIONS

THE MBA DISSERTATION

The best way to describe the MBA Dissertation so that it can be easily understood is to describe its purpose. The purpose of the MBA Dissertation is to condense all that you have learned from your particular courses into one long project. The dissertation is much like "written proof" that you have indeed learned the material and have understood it well enough to write about it on a major academic level.

Tips to Help You Research and Prepare a Successful MBA Dissertation

Take advantage of faculty help whenever possible. While the MBA Dissertation and MBA Essay are meant to be an individual project so that you are able to prove your own thorough understanding of the entire range of subjects and course materials, most universities mandate that students work with a faculty supervisor along the way to the completion of the dissertation. Therefore, it is important to take advantage of the help of the mandated faculty supervisor whenever possible. This is especially true because, in the case of most universities, the faculty member assigned to supervise to creation of your dissertation is often chosen because she or he has experience within the field of study and can provide valuable insight into the production.

To Choose or Not to Choose … A Director, That Is!

To Choose or Not to Choose … A Director, That Is!

This is the first of a two-part series on thesis and dissertation director styles and different models of working together. We hope to help those beginning their thesis or dissertation can choose their best director for the long haul. In this post, I will use the terms director, advisor, and supervisor interchangeably; in the second post, I will offer my thoughts on some possible differences in those terms’ meanings.

Lack of Direction in Choosing a Director

I don't know about you, but I never thought about a director's "style" when I began my dissertation. Some time into my project, I joined the MOOC "How to Survive Your PhD," which covered the topic. Since then, I've noticed that publications discuss director styles only briefly, if at all. In The Portable Dissertation Advisor, Miles T. Bryant talks about the importance of one’s thesis or dissertation advisor, saying that the “advisor is a key factor” in a student’s overall program (4). Then he quickly moves to topic selection and components of the study.

And I recall having a hard time choosing my dissertation director. In my department, I felt comfortable with any faculty member within or near my field of study. I held great respect for all the professors who could have directed my study. I finally chose my director based on our coinciding interests as well as her expertise in such matters, which is actually quite logical! Plus, I wrote the term paper that led to my dissertation topic in her class, so I felt she had a stake in the project. I learned along the way, however, that I got lucky in terms of my director’s style, and our compatible working styles, considering some of the unpleasant stories I've heard from students all over.

So How Should You Choose a Director?

I've found that writers on this topic mostly agree: students typically choose an advisor based on departmental hearsay. I'm wondering if this is a good method, as my experience differed from some of the stories I'd heard "around."

However, R. Murray Thomas and Dale L. Brubaker, authors of Theses and Dissertations: A Guide to Planning, Research, and Writing, state that departmental buzz is a good method of determining how a director will direct, and they list “fellow graduate students who are farther along than you are” as one of the “best sources of information about advising styles,” which includes professors “who are willing to talk about their colleagues’ modes of guidance” as the second best source (11).

Okay: maybe getting other peoples’ input on your prospective directors is the place to start, but I still wish to give you ideas on how to assess a director’s style with a bit more precision.

What to Ask Regarding Different Styles

Thomas and Brubaker say that “at one end of a monitoring scale” there are advisors who “closely control each phase of the student’s effort”; while at the other “end of the scale,” some directors may simply “tell students to work things out [… even] to finish a complete draft of the project before handing it in for inspection” (10).

Wow, that's quite a range! I’ll bet that most advisors fall somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, but I would definitely recommend asking your director how often and at which stage/s he or she will want to monitor your writing.

Thomas and Brubaker also point out that directors “vary in how available they are when students need them” (10), and that professors “differ in the way they offer advice and criticism” (11).

Again, these are good topics to ask prospective advisors about, though I'd guess that some professors may not agree exactly with the general opinion as to how they assess student work :)

A Link to One Supervisor's Thoughts on Best Style

And what are directors' thoughts on this issue? We should probably ask ours, but I've got one source handy. Dr. Inger Mewburn is the author of The Thesis Whisperer blog and has worked with thesis and dissertation writers for over ten years. In one of her posts called “Supervisor or Superhero,” Mewburn addresses the expectations and concerns of advisors or, to use her term, "supervisors," on this matter.

In this post, Mewburn first mildly chastises supervisors who stop learning about their role; she feels it is their duty to always improve in that capacity as in any other. Next she includes an expert’s checklist of the things that supervisors should do and know. Here, Mewburn becomes reflexive, wondering whether she herself needs more training or if those particular demands are just too great for one person. Finally, she borrows a student’s comparison of a supervisor to Rupert Giles from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer series, saying that Giles models the best director style. Read Mewburn's post to get her take on the topic.

What Can Directors Do to Help?

The Oxford Learning Institute insists that directors explore “with students their expectations of supervisory style, so that any differences in styles do not lead to miscommunication.” 

The Oxford Learning Institute further refers to a study of four main supervisory styles, which are detailed on the Australian National University website and plotted on a quadrant by coordinates of how much support and how much structure a director offers the writer (e.g., high support with low structure vs. high support with high structure, etc.). Click the ANU link if you want to learn more.

The ANU writers also believe that mentoring characteristics, such as long-term interest, enthusiasm, and sensitivity to a student’s personal and professional needs, are even more valuable than any supervisory traits are for most students. 

The Take-Away, "Writer" (?) Beware

If your prospective director doesn't bring up any of the above issues, you should. Do your research, ask questions, and try to select a director that matches your needs and style. I’m glad my director is supportive, helpful, and understanding; however, you might want an advisor with a different style. I believe that with some knowledge and probing, any “pairing” should work--at least, it should work better--when we students know a little bit more about what to expect.

Time Management for the Worst Procrastinators

Time Management for the Worst Procrastinators

Photo by Emilie Ogez on Flickr

Time management is not something I am good at.  I'm good at staring out the window, doodling plans and lists, and doing every other project except the one I need to finish by May 2018. I get a lot done (a doctoral student and a mother has to), but it isn't easy.  And it doesn't often happen through careful planning, but through sheer will!

So as I worked through grad school, my early teaching career, and now the beginning of the dissertation... I realized I need to get my act together. Just like writing a paper without an outline stopped working, so did living a day without an outline. But no loose planning in a bullet journal or motivational mantra on a bulletin board could help this daydreaming procrastinator. Any wiggle room would ruin me. So, desperate for a method, I focused on the smallest unit of time that could be put to excellent work, coupled with a proven system for fighting the distraction of other projects -- the Pomodoro.

What is it?

What the heck is a Pomodoro? It's a tomato. But more on that later.

The Pomodoro work method is based upon research that shows we can most successfully work in something like 25 minute bursts.  This is enough time to get into a groove without wearing out our eyes or our carpal tunnels, and it's enough time to produce a substantial work chunk, say, to grade three long papers or to write a page. It's also a short enough time that we can completely ignore everyone else in the universe and they'll be just fine until we get back from our little Pomodoro planet. Close tabs, log out, hide phone -- blast off!

Photo by Luca Mascaro on Flickr

So why not make it half an hour? Because that 5 minutes at the end gives you a chance to look up from the screen (recommended by doctors, brain doctors, and opticians alike), and move around a bit.  Then you dive back into another 25 minutes or work. Four of these productivity bursts makes for almost two hours of work, only slightly (and restoratively) interrupted.  Four timer sessions = a "Pomodoro."  Say it out loud: "I just did a Pomodoro!"  Get up and take a long break.  Exercise, pet the cat, feed your starving kids, whatever. You earned it!  Then, you can choose to do more Pomodoros or call it.

The method is named as such because the original timer, designed by Francesco Cirillo, is shaped like a tomato. Imagine one of those egg timers that looks like an egg. Now it's a tomato. Tada!

Pomodoro praxis

I began the method with a stack of grading last spring, and it worked like a charm. It is absolutely flawless for clerical tasks like grading, organizing notes and sources, making tables, etc.  Although, I had to practice and get comfortable with it before I could really write in a flow state a la Pomodoro. You may have to work with it awhile until you can do real "knowledge work" on a timer.  But now that is an easy habit for me.

As important as the timer is the minimization of distraction. CLOSE THE TABS!  Nothing bad will happen.  Some online timers can even do it for you.  Half the point of this thing is work-life balance. This is the part where you have to let life slide -- it's only 25 minutes.

I do not use the actual physical tomato, but I may start.  Instead I use one of many online timers specifically geared towards the technique.  You can of course use any timer that goes to at least 25 minutes (but for obvious reasons, don't use your phone!).

I have used some great Pomodoros online. There are dozens if you search:

Tomato Timer
https://tomato-timer.com/
A super simple platform with start and stop key commands (or mouse buttons) and no frills. My favorite.

Tomatoid
https://www.tomatoid.com/
A tricked out timer that lets you create an account and track projects and time spent.

The Real Pomodoro Tomato Timer
https://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/store/ars/item/76859/Tomato-Timer/136868
The "real deal" tomato is available from many sellers, but some are mightily over-priced. I think I will get mine from The Animal Rescue Site, so my $12.95 feeds a dog or some other fuzzy guy

One more thing about TIME

Ok, I am a mother, a grad student, a teacher, a "life-partner" if you will, and a gigging musician. I know a thing or two about not having enough time (one of those things will require another blog post). So let me tell you something that we hear all the time in this office, and that I have had to turn into a Pomodoro-complementary mantra:

You do not find time.  You MAKE time.

There is no extra time anywhere waiting to be found. And if you happen to stumble upon some, you will not even realize you have found it because you will be caught up in it, looking at the TV or just resting with your loved ones.

Extra time has to be made. The only way to do this is to shorten the length of time spent doing other tasks (i.e. non-dissertation tasks and clerical dissertation tasks) so that you grow the time you have to think and write and be healthy and whole. Get efficient. Make extra time for yourself and your family, and for your knowledge work.

So, some parting questions for you:

What work can you let slide in the name of making time?  Instead of thinking of it as letting something slide, can you think of it as producing something precious -- the time you need?  

What work could you do more efficiently or delegate to a partner or child?

What unproductive time-suckers can you give up completely? We all need some. But maybe you could make time by reducing them?

What could you work on being less perfectionist about? Good tasks are done tasks! (And a good dissertation is a done dissertation.)

More on all this in a later post.  Happy tomato-timing and time-making!

Interesting Reading

Interesting Reading

It's been awhile since I've put up a post on recent-ish articles having to do with graduate school, graduate students, or having to write your thesis or dissertation.  I recently came across a couple of pieces that I found to be good reads, so I decided to share them with you.

"The No-Fail Secret to Writing a Dissertation" by Theresa MacPhail

MacPhail tells us that the secret to writing and finishing your dissertation is -- get this -- to sit down and write. She offers essentially the same advice that I wrote about in an earlier post on writing groups:

"Sit your butt down in a chair, preferably in a quiet and distraction-free room. Disable your internet and turn your phone on silent. Come into your writing space having already done the research you need for that day's writing task. You will not be researching or looking anything up during your writing time (researching and editing are discrete tasks, believe it or not, and should be done in separate blocks)."

She recommends writing every day, five days a week, 50 minutes a day. Don't write in ten minute chunks. Such a strategy does not accommodate deep thinking when writing.

Her style is conversational, making it a quick and easy read. I like a lot of what she has to tell her audience, such as: "[T]he dissertation is best thought of as the lousy first draft of an eventual book. No one but you expects your dissertation to be perfect." My director, my boss, and my committee have all told me this exact same thing. For some reason, it sinks in when I read it in MacPhail's piece.


"Your Dissertation Begins in Your First Seminar" by Rebecca Schuman

Schuman tells us that writing a dissertation is no different than writing the all-too-familiar 20-page essay for one of your seminar courses. She outlines strategies -- researching, writing, revising -- graduate students should be using to write an essay for a seminar class, as opposed to throwing something together a couple of days before the paper is due. I don't know anyone who would -- wait a second . . . oh yeah. I may have committed this egregious sin. It is actually good advice, and it reminded me that a couple of my peers in the English department expanded some of their own seminar papers into master's theses and dissertations.

Schuman's essay is a quick read, reeks of common sense, and I like her approach to the topic -- i.e. the dissertation is not some holier than thou document; it's just a longform version of a seminar paper. It made me wish I had read this back when I first started out in the graduate program.


"Master's Degree Programs Specialize to Keep Their Sheen" by Jennifer Howard

Howard's article focuses on graduate schools and how "master’s-level programs have had to adapt to keep up with students who seek an educational experience customized to their particular goals, and who put a premium on skills and experience that prospective employers will find valuable." 

According to the Department of Education, 751,000 master's degrees were awarded during the 2012/2013 academic year. Approximately half of these degrees were in health and education. While students continue to pursue higher degrees in fields like Math, computer science, and engineering, fewer students are pursuing master's degrees in subjects like education. There are a number of reasons for this drop in enrollment.

What Howard notes is that this generation of graduate students desire more specialized degrees that will be appealing to potential employers and to be taught a diverse skill set that will enable them to have an impact on the community. This is being attributed to an "activist air" among grad students. Because they want more from their higher education, graduate school programs are readjusting in order to be more appealing to future students.  
It is a fascinating read.

One last thing:

I want to remind everyone that the next session of Write Place, Write Time is coming up -- Thursday, April 14, 2016. Once again we will be meeting at 6pm in Founder's Library. Be there or be a dodecahedron. If you are still a bit confused about the group, you can read up on it by clicking here.

As always, please feel free to share your comments, concerns, random thoughts, hopes for the future, jokes of the day, etc. on our Facebook group page, or feel free to post in the comments box below.