Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less

by Evelyn Hunt Odgen

This newly updated guide describes how to effectively and efficiently manage the dissertation or thesis process in two semesters or less. Written for doctoral and master's degree students enrolled in on-campus programs and students pursuing accelerated and online-based degree programs, this book demystifies the seemingly daunting process. From choosing a topic and advisor, to efficient researching and the actual writing and defense, Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less provides students with all the information needed to conquer this academic experience.

Updates to this edition include:
·An update to the length of graduate studies
·Technological advantages now available to graduate students

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Research

138 pages, Paperback

First published December 21, 2006

Reviews

[Aprisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initial to my ordering the book through Amazon, I downloaded the sample on Kindle and the book seemed fun and easy to read. After I started to read, the book context is way out of date. The author did not update the book with online/web-based reference manager, LaTeX, etc. Even it still mentions trouble shooting if we're not familiar with computer. Umm....
Also, the timeline that I was expecting a lot from, I couldn't really relate my situation there. There are many ways to make it more flexible and applicable for different cases. The author forces the thesis/dissertation writing in the end of study, while I believe that it's better to start writing or learning to write, whatever it is, even crappy stuffs. Especially if your dissertation is a collection of papers. I'm not expecting her to explain step by step for all the different types of dissertation (well, but she actually has to, at least a little bit), but she can give a broad understanding on how to utilize her timeline in different cases, adjusted for recent situation. The only takeaway from this book for me was "I can complete my thesis in 2 semesters or less".

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the most useful advice in this book is to remember what writing a dissertation is for. It is not your magnum opus; it is a rite of passage to show your university that you can interact with issues and topics in your field in a meaningful way. Ogden offers a great deal of practical advice all the way from setting up a good work space to planning your dissertation by distilling it down into many small and manageable tasks.

Where it was not as useful for me is that she *must* be coming at this from a social science angle. 1. She addresses quantitative statistics and studies as research primarily, which isn't really used in my field. 2. She bases all her timelines on a 100 page dissertation. What the heck? Who gets to write dissertations that are only 100 pages long? In my school and my field (humanities), a 200-300 page dissertation is typical, and the research is based in difficult philosophical readings. So for me, I don't think her timeline or research methodology is applicable.

Nevertheless, it was motivating and helpful in many regards.

[Theryn Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so this book's title is hilarious, but it got you to read it, right? Given university timelines that basically require you to be done an entire semester before defending, there is zero chance anyone is completing their dissertation in two semesters (or less!). That said, one of the best pieces of advice in this book is to decide when you want to graduate and work backwards to create a timeline. That'll light a fire under ya. There are also some good ideas for structuring your research proposal (and dissertation), which is what I was looking for when I picked this up.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with some useful advice. You can pick and choose which sections to read, as not all may be relevant to you at your stage of degree. However, I get the impression that Ogden's program was far less demanding than my own. The requirements of study and time invested for me, and knowledge of methodology, require far more than two semester, or event two years. However, granting that two semester is a ridiculous underestimate, the remaining advice still applies.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a terse, cynical guide to getting your final graduate paper done? Look no further! Ogden has produced a short, kind of angry, kind of funny guide to throwing up a thesis or dissertation in minimal time. Her strategy includes not obsessing over your work, setting really clear deadlines, and choosing a subject that is doable rather than one that interests you.

Honestly, I thought this book was really helpful and far more pragmatic than many of the more popular books on the subject.

[Argum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super helpful in making a dissertation seem possible to be done in a reasonable amount of time. There were lots of examples dealing with education as that is the author's background, but it was not a hindrance to it seeming helpful in other disciplines. While reading I was planning how to put the advice into practice. Lots of helpful sample forms to organize yourself instead of wasting time.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

-full of info about "data collection" and "using statistics."
-convinced that dissertations should be 100 pages??!! (on what planet?)
-otherwise has some interesting ideas about focusing on what really needs to get done, doing it, doing just enough to be good enough and getting out

Ultimately, I'm not convinced that anyone in my field could get through a dissertation in 2 semesters unless s/he had already planned the topic, theories & methods while still in course work.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the tips for setting up a schedule and outlining the dissertation structure really helpful. I don't think the overall timeline is realistic for engineering (our research takes much longer than a month since it takes time to set up and run many experiments and/or numerical models) but the idea/challenge that my entire dissertation could be written in 20 days is quite motivating.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

READ DEC 2008

Very good, general overview of dissertation process.