3 tips to beat procrastination and save your inundating PhD dissertation

You may go weak on your knees just by the idea of writing the dissertation. To add more to this, how about folding the sleeves and getting ready to plunge into the writing process but you start twitching and your hands get paralyzed? Nothing can be more terrifying experience than this. More often, research scholars fall victim of a writer’s block (especially at crunch time). While there are various forms of writer’s block, most common ones include stress, anxiety, perfectionism, and procrastination. Among all others, procrastination is considered as the major writer’s block. Procrastination is nothing but putting off writing task unless it is too late. “Procrastinating is a vice when it comes to productivity, but it can be a virtue for creativity” – A Grant. 

Some of the reasons that lead to procrastination are:

  • Fear of failure –  If one is afraid that the writing isn’t going to turn out well, then he/she avoids working on it to circumvent that fear of failure.
  • Fear of success –  Some fear that if they will turn workaholic if they start working at their full capacity and envision hunching over the computer. Such kind of procrastinator assumes that by working hard they will turn cold towards people and lose their valuable relationship. 
  • Fear of losing autonomy – People who believe that ‘I am my own person’ delay the writing task just to have their control over the situation and to maintain their independence. 

Whether these fears arise from conscious or subconscious, it keeps you away from the course of action and paralyzes you at the nick of time. Are you one of the procrastinators? Do not mope! We have enlisted few proven hacks that can help you get back to work.

  1. Develop a mind map – This may sound a little crazy, but you can forge ahead without even writing a single word in your dissertation. This is done through mind map and the basic idea here is to organise the information visually. To create a mind map, first of all note down the subject, include its aspects around, draw a line for each piece of information and continue it by radiating outwards.
  2. Cognitive restructuring – You might want your dissertation to look impeccable. But the truth is, a complete dissertation is the best dissertation. Your need not include perfect words in the very first time; you can go back and revise. Although leaving back the idea perfection is not easy, leaving behind this thought and completing the rough draft will help get through the writing task and relieve you from the writing pressure.section and start writing it. Complete just one piece a day; there is no need to hurry if you are with the writing process in the early stage. Tip: It is better to allot dates/deadlines for the completion of each section in a PhD planner sought of diary. The planner not just lets you record your queries, maintain the data collected you have collected, etc but also guides you in crafting each section and can serve as your greatest PhD writing coach
  3. Break it down – As per most experienced PhD dissertation consultants in US, it is advisable to break your dissertation into the smallest possible bits. By doing this, you need not worry about the gigantic dissertation. You can concentrate only on a piece of

A comprehensive guide to types of reliability in research methodology

During the research journey, one uses a number of approaches to collect the relevant data and also perform the experiments. When the experiment is conducted several times by using the same research method, the end results obtained must remain the same. This is when the research performed is considered to be consistent, and this is measured via reliability. 

Reliability is nothing but a way of evaluating the quality of the measurement procedure utilised and the extent to which the same output is obtained by using the same software/tool but more than once. Reliability consists of three attributes including,

  1. Stability –  This is nothing but the consistency of outputs using an apparatus with repeated testing
  2. Homogeneity – This is the extent to which all the elements on a scale to measure one construct
  3. Equivalence –  Consistency among responses of several users of an apparatus, or among alternate forms of an instrument

Reliability is classified into inter-rater, test-retest, parallel-forms, and internal consistency. 

  • Inter-rater reliability 

When several individuals are giving assessments or are the subjects of some test, then similar people must lead to the same end results. Inter-rater reliability is used in two major ways (a) testing how similar individual categorise elements, and (b) how similar individual score elements. Inter-rater reliability thus assess reliability across different individuals. This approach is considered as the best way of evaluating the reliability, especially when you are using observation method. It can also be used to calibrate people.

  • Parallel-forms reliability 

The issue with the questions or assessments is finding out which questions are the best ones to ask. A possible method of discovering this is by performing two tests in parallel but by using different questions. Parallel-forms reliability evaluates various questions and question set that determines to evaluate the same construct. If you want any help in preparing question set to perform parallel tests, consult professionals offering PhD dissertation coaching services. 

  • Test-retest reliability 

As per the rule, the assessment or test of an individual must provide the same outcome whenever the test is applied. Reliability varies with various factors such as time of the day, how the individual responds to the test, interruptions, and many more. However, a good test will cope with such factors and provide little variation. Whereas an unreliable test will be highly sensitive to the above mentioned factors and provide highly varying results even if the test is conducted merely after half an hour. Test-retest reliability assess reliability across time and is used in experiments that makes use of no-treatment control group that measure pre-test and post-test. 

  • Internal consistency 

As said earlier, different questions that evaluate the same construct must give consistent end results. Internal consistency reliability assess individual questions in comparison with another to give apt outcomes. 

If your research is reliable, the chances of it getting accepted by the research community improves significantly. Hence ensure that your study is assessed and the reliability is properly explained in your research methodology chapter. If you need assistance in penning down the reliability, get in touch with writers providing PhD writing coach service. 

Inclusion & exclusion criteria: 3 tips to choose studies for systematic review process

To synthesise information and present it to your target audience, you have to review the previous studies in your study domain. In academics, you often find different types of literature review process, of which includes, meta-analysis, systematic and narrative review. Among these, the most widely used is systematic review process. The reason behind being, although it has a defined structure, it compares and answers the research question as well as describes methodological approach.  However, performing a systematic review process is a tough row to hoe. It stages involved in the process are inclusion of research question, location of data sources, study evaluation, data collection, analysis & interpretation. Among the various stages, the most challenging step is locating and choosing the studies for the review process. 

The search of multiple databases to locate a study that is used to determine the effectiveness of intervention is the first step in the systematic review process. However, the search process will be based on the eligibility criteria a reviewer establishes before starting with the process of identifying, locating, and retrieving the study required to address the problem of evidence-based practice. 

The eligibility criteria specifies which study can be included and which must be excluded from the systematic review. As per the PhD dissertation consultants in US, some of the key elements to be considered while choosing the study for your review process are:

  • Apply inclusion or exclusion criteria to titles & abstracts – The search process produces a bibliography of studies including titles and abstracts of relevant studies. The integrity of the study selection task is analysed by (1) assessing the inclusion/exclusion criteria from the bibliography of studies, and (2)  inspecting the reliability of evaluator’s decisions. The result of piloting, the inclusion/ exclusion criteria can be modified to identify relevant studies and are subject to change throughout the selection process.
  • Eliminate studies that meet one or more exclusion criteria – Here, the emphasis is on excluding studies that meet the exclusion criteria. Bibliography of studies must be eliminated if the titles as well as abstracts disqualify them. The abstracts in journal databases consist of (1) a statement of the problem, (2) details about participants, and (3) specification of the experimental design. 
  • Include studies that meet inclusion criteria but not exclusion criteria – As per the consultants at PhD writing coach, evaluate the studies to make sure that individual study meets all the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. If the studies report incomplete or ambiguous approaches, you can seek further details from the original authors. However, if essential information is not available, a decision to exclude such studies can be justified. 

The concept of inclusion and exclusion of studies in a systematic review offers a basis on which you can draw valid and reliable conclusions regarding the review process. If you need some assistance in choosing the studies for your review process, take help from PhD dissertation consultants in US.

Inclusion & exclusion criteria: 3 tips to choose studies for systematic review process

To synthesise information and present it to your target audience, you have to review the previous studies in your study domain. In academics, you often find different types of literature review process, of which includes, meta-analysis, systematic and narrative review. Among these, the most widely used is systematic review process. The reason behind being, although it has a defined structure, it compares and answers the research question as well as describes methodological approach.  However, performing a systematic review process is a tough row to hoe. It stages involved in the process are inclusion of research question, location of data sources, study evaluation, data collection, analysis & interpretation. Among the various stages, the most challenging step is locating and choosing the studies for the review process. 

The search of multiple databases to locate a study that is used to determine the effectiveness of intervention is the first step in the systematic review process. However, the search process will be based on the eligibility criteria a reviewer establishes before starting with the process of identifying, locating, and retrieving the study required to address the problem of evidence-based practice. 

The eligibility criteria specifies which study can be included and which must be excluded from the systematic review. As per the PhD dissertation consultants in US, some of the key elements to be considered while choosing the study for your review process are:

    1. Apply inclusion or exclusion criteria to titles & abstracts – The search process produces a bibliography of studies including titles and abstracts of relevant studies. The integrity of the study selection task is analysed by (1) assessing the inclusion/exclusion criteria from the bibliography of studies, and (2)  inspecting the reliability of evaluator’s decisions. The result of piloting, the inclusion/ exclusion criteria can be modified to identify relevant studies and are subject to change throughout the selection process.

    2. Eliminate studies that meet one or more exclusion criteria – Here, the emphasis is on excluding studies that meet the exclusion criteria. Bibliography of studies must be eliminated if the titles as well as abstracts disqualify them. The abstracts in journal databases consist of (1) a statement of the problem, (2) details about participants, and (3) specification of the experimental design.

    3. Include studies that meet inclusion criteria but not exclusion criteria – As per the consultants at PhD writing coach, evaluate the studies to make sure that individual study meets all the inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria. If the studies report incomplete or ambiguous approaches, you can seek further details from the original authors. However, if essential information is not available, a decision to exclude such studies can be justified. 

The concept of inclusion and exclusion of studies in a systematic review offers a basis on which you can draw valid and reliable conclusions regarding the review process. If you need some assistance in choosing the studies for your review process, take help from PhD dissertation consultants in US. 

Improve Your Writing Ability With Expert PhD Consultants

Every student in their graduation and post-graduation years is required to write many assignments, essays, projects, dissertations and thesis. Not only writing but also to acquire good grades in the assignments is important for success in their course. Getting good grades will further help to build a good CV for their professional career.

However, writing a good essay or dissertation is a tiresome work for students since it takes a lot of skill and practice. But with appropriate guidance from their professor or consultants, one can improve his write-up very easily. The importance of writing good quality essays and articles has gained significance at present because these are the days of strong competition everywhere, and schools and colleges are no exception. This has left students with no other choice rather than making all the efforts to write an error-free essay if he is really serious about good grades and dream job as well.

At present, universities across the globe focus greatly on helping students to develop and improve their writing ability. They mostly focus on essay writing tips and guidelines for students. The main reason why students are assigned with article writing, homework and dissertations because these give the students an in-depth understanding about the subject matter enabling them to apply theoretical concepts into practical scenario. But sometimes this regular assistance provided by professors seems less to guide some students for writing quality articles. They require extra help and guidance for understanding the basics and formats of essays and dissertation. For such students PhD consultants in the US can be a great help and result oriented.

Students can improve their abilities to write quality and error-free articles by seeking help from PhD consultants. Writing good quality essays and dissertation is an art and with help and guidance from experts of essay writing one can give a good shape to his write-up and thus improve his grades. There are a number of online tutors available in the Internet. Students can seek their professional help to enhance their writing skills. There are sites which provide online tutoring service 24×7 facilitating students to interact with tutors anytime and from anywhere.

Interactions with PhD consultants will make students comfortable with their assignments and as a result, they will be able to finish their assignment on time and with better marks. Students can discuss their dissertation, topic of their dissertation etc with their PhD consultants and thus can improve their thinking and writing ability. This will further help students to maintain healthy competition with other students.

Can you write a PhD dissertation in merely 3 months?

It is not new to see a lot of researchers quitting after having struggled hard with their PhD. It isn’t easy to be motivated each morning with the constant stress to that comes up with research and its activities, and this can actually take a toll on your personal wellbeing and health. it pushes scholars against the wall and pressurizes them to work no further and just give up.

Let me tell you, if you have it in you, in precisely three months or even lesser, you can bring out your PhD dissertation. You wouldn’t believe it unless you read the tricks to do it:

  • Become seasoned at managing stress: When your nerves wreck, that is the time not to give up. It is rather the time to pick up yourself so that you can put yourself in the right frame of mind to deal with the problem in a better and more efficient manner. By a simple act of not engaging in worthless activities and letting them augment your stress levels, you can actually save your PhD.
  • Give yourself a time phase to work: If you lose your focus from finishing the work in the stipulated time, it may become chaotic for you to handle. Set yourself a timeline. All the better if your supervisor does it for you. Ensure that you do not procrastinate and no further delays creep in with your set deadlines.
  • Be more precise and definite with your decision: After having scheduled up your time frame, you would have to some tough decisions and stick by them. Make yourself tough decisions by deciding to not do multiple things at the same time and vice versa. Your determination would show results, and small achievements would become a gateway to greater accomplishments.
  • Writing should be an exclusive task: Your research should be done before you get onto the task of writing. You must be done with all the preliminary work that is research and your mandatory publications. Never try to do them simultaneously, else you all get jumbled up and lose focus, and it is always easier to write when your fundamentals and raw materials are in place.

I am sure, by now you know that with some determination and consistency in performance. If your focus is at the right place, it isn’t difficult to write your dissertation in as less as three months. Get set and go….!!

 

A Good Coach is all What You Need: Dissertation Coaching Services in US

What does it take for students to excel in the area of their research other than their own efforts?

Answer: A Good Coach

Applying for a PhD in the US comes with a lot of opportunities for students who take their research work very seriously. US is one of the top countries with lots of universities where a research scholar or PhD aspirant can pursue a PhD.

Some of the universities to name are:

  • The New School
  • Columbia University
  • California State University Northridge
  • Georgia Tech
  • Harvard Kennedy School
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • University of Illinois Chicago
  • Louisiana State University
  • Mississippi State University

Being a research scholar aiming for a PhD, you must be going through a lot of pressure because you are involved in a lot of tasks which are occurring simultaneously. Starting from the topic selection of your research to writing proposal to preparing the format for dissertation, writing the actual dissertation to edit and proofread it until and unless it becomes perfect for the final submission, defence vivas and so on.

The most crucial part of your PhD journey is the Dissertation Paper, and we all know that it can do wonders if it is well written.

Students are supposed to do multiple things at a time so they might as well tend to let ignore the level of focus that should be given to a dissertation paper.

Some students go for Dissertation Coaching Services in US or if they are done writing some part or the entire dissertation they opt for PhD Dissertation Editing Services.

Doing this is one of the best choices a research scholar can make. The question which arises here is from where can you get the right help, because getting help is not relevant until and unless it is accurate for your requirements.

I had begun my article with a question:

What does it take for students to excel in the area of their research other than their own efforts?

And the answer was: A Good Coach.

Now why did I mention this?

A coach has the power to make you reach heights but at the same time coach also has the responsibility that they guide you properly and not let situations get complicated. A student is not aware of who can be a good coach and hence they need guidance in finding the coach as well. 

If you want guidance for the dissertation that you are preparing, if you need a coach who can help you, you are at the right place already. We can provide you with dissertation coaching services in US and you can also rely on us for PhD dissertation Editing Services.

We are the ones who can guide you and take your dissertation paper ahead, we can make your paper of high quality with the proper format, language, grammar, spelling, punctuation and writing style.

How do we do this?

With the help of our guide and coach Dr. Jennifer Feldman, you can expect a great level of guidance and this is how it will happen-

The Process of Coaching:

  • Understanding areas which need to be worked upon.
  • Skill development and Implementation.
  • Providing relevant resources and tools.

The Types of Coaching:

  • Chasing the deadline with quick and intensive coaching.
  • One step at a time and taking the entire coaching in detail.
  • Help in a particular section or chapter of the dissertation. 

For more on the best dissertation coaching service in US you can always reach us at: https://www.phdwritingcoach.com/contact.php

Can a Topic Sentence or a Dissertation Statement be a Question rather than a Declarative Sentence?

Varun was conducting his research in the business management domain. Everything was going well in the initial days but then came the dissertation writing process. Varun had successfully chosen a unique and authentic research topic. The next step was to determine what exactly he wanted to know about it. He then tried generating possible research questions that were relevant to his research. Varun knew that the dissertation statement forms a crucial ‘road map’ for his research as the statement provides readers with the aim and objective of the research. Once the required materials and layout were ready, Varun started with the dissertation writing process. While writing the dissertation, he noticed that a dissertation statement was declarative. He was curious to know if the statement can be a question instead of a declarative sentence. He decided to find the answer to this question and Consulted a PhD writing coach.

The writing coach cleared Varun’s doubt and stated, the dissertation statement needs to be a declarative sentence. However, the topic sentences can be in the form of a question. According to the writer,

a) Dissertation statements:- A dissertation statement answers each of the research questions and acts a clear point or claim to support the dissertation. Since the statement acts as an essential conclusion of the dissertation, it should not be written in the form of a question. To write a dissertation statement, first of all,  the main research question must be asked, and then the answer to the question must be written as a complete sentence. This answer forms the dissertation statement.

b) Topic sentences:- Unlike dissertation statements, topic sentences can be in the form of a question. Now the question is, ‘what is a topic sentence.’ As per the writer offering PhD dissertation coaching service, a topic sentence is a single sentence that presents the main point of a paragraph. It behaves as a dissertation statement for a particular paragraph, gives a brief idea to the reader about what that paragraph is about and explains how the paragraph will discuss the specific topic. Another critical function of a topic sentence is to prove the dissertation statement and to mention the order of the content of a paragraph and. This way, it will help you write a dissertation in an organised and smooth manner avoiding sudden or illogical jump. Not just this, it will also help the reader to understand the research idea/concept in a clear manner.

Take immense care while writing the dissertation statement and supporting the topic sentence as they map out your dissertation. If you need some assistance in writing dissertation statements/topic sentences/entire dissertation, then get in touch with an adroit team of writers providing PhD dissertation coaching service.

 

A Case Study of editing the research document at the last moment

This case study is about Riya Sharma, a PhD scholar from Patna. Riya had started her doctoral journey in Zoology a couple of years ago. She had a passion for achieving a PhD degree and worked hard day and night to fulfill her goal. Riya had adequate knowledge about her subject and was consistent in her studies.

While she managed to find a unique and novel topic, conduct research, find the desired result, and complete the research document writing process, she didn’t know how to edit and also didn’t have enough time to edit her research document. Riya realized she was in a mess because submitting the research document without editing can doom your research journey. This is because, while writing the research document, grammatical, punctuation, subject-verb agreement etc errors unknowingly crawl into the research document and submitting research document with tons of errors is never acceptable.

Riya panicked at this stage. When she shared the same with her peers, they suggested her to go through PhD planner by PhD writing coach. Riya claimed “ as soon as I purchased PhD planner, without wasting some more time, I quickly went through the PhD planner and read the section where editing tips were mentioned. I must say, after going through the planner, the editing process became an easy process. I would suggest all scholars out there struggling out there to have a PhD planner by PhD writing coach as it serves as a comprehensive editing guide. Here I would like to mention some of the editing (also few proofreading) tips as suggested by the PhD planner to help the ones who are running out of time (just like I did) and do not have the PhD planner.

1) Look for spellingsSome words have more than one correct spelling. For example, “colour” & “color”, “realise” & “realize”, etc. While editing your research document, make sure you pay extra attention to such words. If you are supposed to write in UK English, then the words should end with ‘se’ ‘our’ whereas in US English it ends with ‘ze’, ‘or’.

2) Check for logical flow – There should be a logical flow between the sentences/paragraphs. Check if the data is organized and the reader can identify the key points at ease.

3) Watch commas, full stops – A punctuation when placed wrongly can alter the meaning of the sentences. Manually go through each line of the document and check for punctuation, especially commas.

4) Follow the guidelines– ensure that your content meets your University requirements. Review the position of titles, subheading, headings, etc.

5) Look for repetitive words – Reptiting words or ideas throughout the research document is not a good idea. Hence look for such words or ideas and either eliminate them or replace with its synonyms.

6) Check for citations – Cite your sources properly. Failing to do so will lead to plagiarism. Check for references and citations and ensure they are correct.

PhD planner consists of many such handy and useful editing (& proofreading) tips. To ensure your research document is polished, it is better to go through the PhD planner and follow the guidelines mentioned in it.”

Riya also adds “ PhD planner by PhD writing coach contains not only writing and editing tips but also lets you organize your data and remain free from the fear of losing the data.”

Riya was finally able to edit and polish her research document before the final submission. She has now got closer to her PhD degree with a perfect dissertation.

Literature review: When blood turns into ink

T.S. Eliot says, “The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink”. Logically, it is possible when something comprehensive, contextual and collaborative is presented at a single platform, and so is the ‘literature review’ in any dissertation. To have a clearer concept about the term, let’s go through Harts’ definition, “A literature review is an objective, thorough summary and critical analysis of the relevant available research and non-research material on the topic being studied.” The definition could be elaborated into further annexations that give an in-depth learning to the literature review-

Focused: The topic should be narrow and clear.
Concise: The idea presented should be brief.
Logical: The flow within and among paragraphs should be smooth and reflect logical progression from one step to another.
Integrative: It should reflect that all ideas are linked with each other.
The functional reliance of these ‘should be’ points go into the crux of the research that includes–
It helps in establishing theoretical roots of the research study.
It enhances and consolidates the knowledge base in the subject area.
It brings clarity and focus to your research problem.
It enables you to improve your research methodology.
It helps in identifying important variables to the research topic.

All the purpose of literature review can only be solved only when it is worked upon thoroughly. Therefore, one has to be quick and effective reader, notes taker, have the ability to summarize, reference keeper and has ability to make use of subject index and using databases. Once the scholar is well versed with all these qualities and awareness of literature review, the steps to follow the same should be read-

I. Searching for the existing literature in the area of your study- Books: Textbooks, specialized books and reference books, journal articles, published research, reports and reviews, grey literature, popular media, and specialized literature.

II. Reviewing the selected literature – Read critically to pull together themes and issues relevant to the study, use separate sheets for each theme, you may need more themes as you go along, go on noting the theories put forward.

III. Developing a theoretical framework- Problem which you wish to study, try locating its roots, highlight agreement/ Disagreement of various authors and identify gaps, use these aspects in developing your theoretical framework, literature pertinent to your study may be universal or general or more specific to your study- go from generic to specific.

IV. Developing a conceptual framework – It is the basis of your research problem. It stems from your theoretical framework and focuses on sections which become the basis of your study, the conceptual framework relates only and specifically to your research problem.

Literature review serves as the foundation of your research study.