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Books and Movies to Celebrate Halloween

27th October 2020

It’s almost Halloween, and although it might look different this year for many people, you can still get into the holiday spirit! As the weather gets cooler in many parts of the country and the leaves start to fall, we love diving into the autumn traditions like pumpkin or apple picking, hayrides, and spooky activities.

October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month!

5th October 2020

While many people know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (it’s impossible to avoid all the pink), a lot less people know that October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month.

Dissertation Editor is Closed for Juneteenth

18th June 2020

Dissertation Editor will be closed on Friday, June 19th, also known as Juneteenth. We stand in solidarity with the Black community and our closure for the holiday reflects that.

Self-Care for Valentine's Day

13th February 2020

February brings with it the commercial trappings of Valentine’s Day: red and pink hearts and the ideas of romance and relationships.

Networking as a Graduate Student

14th January 2020

In a perfect world, simply going to school or an internship and working would enable you to meet everyone you need to meet and open up doors to opportunity; unfortunately, that’s not reality, and active networking is necessary.

Graduate School and Disabilities

19th November 2019

Did you know that nearly 20 percent of undergraduate students (19.4%) report having a disability, and 8 percent of masters students and 7 percent of doctoral students report having a disability? The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) defines “disability” in legal terms, not medical terms, and defines a person with a disability as “a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

APA Manual 7th Edition is Here!

11th October 2019

Many disciplines in the social sciences use APA Style formatting. What is APA Style? It is the formatting style set forth in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Is it Too Late to go to Graduate School?

24th September 2019

If you’re reading this blog, you might be in graduate school already, you might be thinking of applying to graduate school, or you might be in the process of doing so right now.

Graduation Gift Ideas

29th May 2019

It’s that time of year again: graduation! If you have a friend or loved one graduating college or graduate school, but don’t know what to get them, look no further – Dissertation Editor has got your back.

Star Wars Quotes to Inspire You with Your Dissertation

4th May 2019

It’s Star Wars day!!! May the Fourth be with you! We are big Star Wars fans here at Dissertation Editor and wanted to share some of our favorite quotes from a galaxy far, far away with you.

How to Write a Teaching Philosophy

22nd January 2019

If you’re going into academia - teaching, especially - then at some point you’ve likely been asked to write a statement of your teaching philosophy.

Dealing With a Difficult Adviser or Chair

15th January 2019

In a perfect world, your dissertation adviser or Chair would always read and return emails promptly, provide unwavering support and expert guidance that always hits the mark.

Dissertation Writing Tips: Getting out of ABD Status

18th December 2018

You’ve probably seen people sign their emails “So-and-so, PhD, ABD.” Don’t do that. You are either a PhD candidate or a PhD, not a “PhD ABD.

Thoughtful Thursday: Getting Enough Sleep

13th December 2018

We’ve posted a lot of blogs on self-care: we’ve tackled mindfulness, diet, aromatherapy, stress reduction, and more, but one thing we haven’t discussed is sleep.

How to Create an Effective PowerPoint

11th December 2018

A well-done PowerPoint can be a powerful thing. It can engage a crowd, teach students, convey your hard-won research findings, and help disseminate knowledge.

Gratitude as Stress Reduction

20th November 2018

Thanksgiving is coming up here in the States, and it’s natural for everyone to take stock of things they’re grateful for around this time, as well as in December, when the holidays are in full swing.

Classic Scary Books to Get You in the Halloween Mood

29th October 2018

Halloween is coming up, and along with black cats, pumpkins, candy, and scary movies, what about getting in the mood with some creepy classic books? Take a break from your research and writing, and escape into these time-tested stories for a few hours.

Dissertation Writing Tips: How to Improve and Strengthen Your Writing

27th July 2018

Nathaniel Hawthorne once said “Easy reading is damn hard writing.” He was right, of course. Good writing takes time and practice, and even if you have a natural inclination toward writing, it’s still not easy.

Gift Ideas for the Graduate in your Life

12th June 2018

It’s that time of year, and you might be wondering what to get that special graduate who’s in your life.

Formatting Friday: AP Style

25th May 2018

AP style, not to be confused with APA, is the style used in The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, commonly known as the AP Stylebook.

Thoughtful Thursday: Best Apps for Health and Stress Reduction

24th May 2018

Life is busy with graduate school, dissertation research and writing, work obligations, family obligations -- oh, and somewhere in there, you're supposed to sleep, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, and keep your stress low.

Writing Your Dissertation: Finding the Gap

16th April 2018

You have your topic, your research questions (or at least a general idea of what they might be), and now you’re faced with a literature review.

Thoughtful Thursday: Diet and Stress

12th April 2018

The end of the semester is coming up, and you’re stressing about your next due date for your dissertation work, you’ve got work deadlines, and you’re juggling the daily responsibilities of family, too – no wonder you’re feeling the stress! We can help with editing, formatting, or statistics assistance, and are always happy to set up coaching or consultation sessions – but what about all the other stress? In times like these, many of us turn to the tried and true comfort foods, like pizza, mac n’cheese, ice cream, and chocolate; when we pull all-nighters or are working against the clock, it’s easiest to grab a bag of chips or pop something into the microwave – we get it; we’ve all been there.

Formatting Friday: Intro to American Medical Association formatting

6th April 2018

Many clients of ours are working on scholarly articles for health or medical journals, and sometimes these journals specify that they require AMA style.

Thoughtful Thursday: Mindfulness

22nd March 2018

We posted on Facebook last week about a study that found increased rates of depression or anxiety in graduate students, compared to the general population; the post did so well that we realized that many people might benefit from some tips and resources about anxiety, depression, and stress reduction on a consistent basis.

What are "scholarly sources?"

20th March 2018

We get a variety of email queries about writing and research, and one of the most common includes questions about sources: namely, what kinds of sources are appropriate for a thesis or dissertation, and what constitutes a “scholarly source?” Many times, a client will email us because their advisor has commented on the lack of scholarly sources; or they’re unsure about whether or not they’ve gotten adequate sources.

Finding a Mentor During Graduate School

23rd January 2018

Graduate school can be a challenging endeavor, and having a mentor who is accessible, knowledgeable, and helpful can make all the difference.

Resolutions for Grad Students

27th December 2017

The new year is quickly approaching, and many people are making their resolutions. As a grad student, you might be making a list of things to finish this coming year, or things you want to do before graduate school is over, or you might be thinking, resolutions? I always give up on them anyway before January is over, so why bother? No matter what your approach, making some resolutions as a grad student can be a good idea, if done realistically.

Dissertation Formatting Help: How to use Parenthetical Citations in Your Dissertation

12th July 2017

If you've started thinking about dissertation formatting and compiling your dissertation bibliography, you've probably encountered mentions of several different types of citations.

Recharging Over the Summer

7th June 2017

It’s summer! While summer vacation as a graduate student doesn’t have the same allure of freedom it once did when you were a kid, it can (hopefully) still be a time of a little more relaxation than during the school year.

All work and no play...

10th May 2017

If you’re in graduate school, you’re probably familiar with PhD Comics (“Piled Higher and Deeper”).

Dissertation Help: Juggling Your Dissertation and Parenting

27th April 2017

Many of the university procedures and rules that govern graduate students’ lives assume that grad school is your entire life.

Dissertation Research Help: What are Tertiary Sources?

18th April 2017

We posted previously about Primary and Secondary sources, but there is another type of source that you may use for your dissertation research: tertiary sources.

Dissertation Research Help: Archival Research Tips

31st January 2017

If you are writing a dissertation that requires you to investigate the past, you may need to undertake some archival research.

Writing an Abstract: A Guide for Dissertation Writers

24th January 2017

At some point during the course of your dissertation writing process, you will likely need to write an abstract.

Congratulations Dr. Roda!

18th January 2017

Dissertation Editor would like to congratulate our very own Dr. Allen Roda for receiving the Klaus Wachsmann prize from the Society for Ethnomusicology.

No “I” in Dissertation Writing?

17th January 2017

In an essay for The Guardian, Aslihan Agaoglu wrote about one of the first pieces of advice she received from her dissertation advisor when she went to him seeking dissertation help: “He told me that using 'I' or 'we' is a big no-no.

Structuring your Dissertation Writing Time: How to Make the Most of Your Day

29th December 2016

For me, one of the most anxiety-producing parts of dissertation writing was waking up in the morning with the entire day ahead of me and the nagging thought of “today I must write!” worming its way through my mind.

Dr. Roda on iTunes

27th December 2016

Here at Dissertation-Editor, we've written our own dissertations and theses - we know what the process is like and how much work it entails.

Dissertation Editing Tips: Using Track Changes for Dissertation Editing and Review

15th November 2016

Track changes is a useful tool in Microsoft Word that you can use when you are editing your dissertation.

What does a Dissertation Advisor, Dissertation Chair, or Thesis Advisor do?

20th October 2016

This person's official title may vary from institution to institution, and from department to department: in some places they're called a dissertation advisor, a thesis advisor, or a primary advisor; in others, a dissertation chair or a dissertation committee chair.

Dissertation Writing Help: Great Books About Writing

17th October 2016

We recently posted about some useful workbooks and manuals designed to make dissertation writing, dissertation editing, and dissertation formatting easier.

Mental Health While Writing Your Dissertation

31st August 2016

We’ve written about staying physically healthy while writing your dissertation, but it’s important that you also stay mentally healthy.

Dissertation Help: Staying Healthy While Writing Your Dissertation

26th August 2016

Graduate programs rarely warn their students of the physical toll that dissertation writing can take.

Dissertation Research Help: Finding and Using Secondary Sources

24th August 2016

In one recent post, we outlined how to find primary sources and how you might use them in your dissertation.

Dissertation Research Help: Finding and Using Primary Sources

9th August 2016

When you're writing your dissertation, you will probably end up using a wide range of different research sources.

Developing a Persuasive Scholarly Writing Style

19th July 2016

At the beginning of the dissertation writing process, many students have yet to develop an appropriately academic writing style.

Dissertation Success Strategies: How Your Coursework Can Help Your Dissertation

31st January 2016

If you're still in the early stages of graduate school, you may have a year or two of coursework ahead of you before you get to turn to your dissertation.

Five Helpful Dissertation-Writing Guidebooks

28th January 2016

Sometimes writing a dissertation feels like the loneliest job in the world. But there are plenty who have gone before and made it through the process.

Dissertation Help: Choosing your Dissertation Topic

15th January 2016

So, you got into a graduate program. Your coursework is well underway. But you know that soon you're going to have to decide on a dissertation topic, and you don't even know where to begin.

Dissertation Formatting Help: In-text Citation Basics in APA and MLA Style

9th January 2016

APA and MLA are two of the most commonly used academic style and citation systems – and depending on your discipline, it's likely that you'll be called on to use at least one of them at some point in your scholarly career, possibly even for your dissertation.

Dissertation Formatting Help: APA-Style Headings Explained

6th January 2016

Dissertation formatting shouldn't be rocket science – but sometimes it can be just as stressful as writing the dissertation itself.

So You Defended Your Dissertation. Now What?

19th December 2015

Imagine this: you've finished writing a dissertation. You completed your dissertation editing. Your dissertation formatting looks good, and meets all of your university's rules and expectations.

Dissertation Writing Help: Using Outlines and Concept Maps

12th December 2015

There is nothing that I find more intimidating than the blank page staring me in the face when I sit down to start working on a new article or dissertation chapter.

How to Sit, Stand, and Stretch When You're Writing Your Dissertation

15th November 2015

If you've been sitting at your desk all day, writing your dissertation, stop what you're doing, stand up, stretch your arms in the air, and bend down and touch your toes.

Dissertation Help: Setting Reasonable Dissertation Deadlines

11th November 2015

Writing a successful dissertation often comes down to being smart about deadlines: not just setting and meeting deadlines but also being reasonable and realistic about them.

Dissertation Formatting Help: Which Formatting Style Should You Use?

2nd November 2015

It's likely that your school, department, or dissertation advisor will tell you which citation and writing style guide to use for your dissertation.

What Next? How Writing a Dissertation Helps You Develop Real-World Career Skills

30th October 2015

It's that question that every grad student dreads: “What are you going to do with your PhD?” While it's true that finding permanent jobs in academia is becoming increasingly difficult, you shouldn't despair.

Conference Presentation Tips, Part 2: Delivering an Effective Conference Paper

23rd October 2015

Presenting your dissertation research at a conference is fun, but it can also be daunting. Not only does the content of your presentation need to be polished and perfect, but your presentation style needs to be top notch so that you make a good impression with other scholars in your field.

Conference Presentation Tips, Part 1: Turning a Dissertation Chapter Into a Conference Presentation

19th October 2015

Congrats! You wrote an abstract or paper proposal based on one of your dissertation chapters, you submitted it to a conference – and you got accepted! But now the hard work begins: you need to take your dissertation chapter and transform it into a conference presentation.

Writing and Research Tips