Selecting a Dissertation Topic

The dissertation is your vehicle for learning in this phase of doctoral study. It is a process of inquiry, as well as a product. (Research is the way that I, as a professor, continue to learn about my field.) It is an evolving, inductive process until the prospectus (the research proposal) is developed. By this phase, you should know the difference between a work that is research vs. an opinion, be versed in a citation style (e.g. the latest edition of APA) and can access information through an information data-base (e.g., ERIC) with the correct descriptors neither getting too little or too many. 

If you can answer the following questions, then you are ready to begin working on your dissertation. If not, then these questions can help you to get ready for the process. 

• What is the topic(s) that you are most interested in studying? 
  
• Who are the noted scholars on the topic(s)? 
  
• What are the seminal works (i.e., authoritative article/chapter that synthesizes the literature so you can explain where your research fits, if it has been written)? 
  
• What educational leadership theories will inform your study? 
  
• If you cannot locate your topic within the educational administration literature, then how do you "build the bridges" to locate it in the field or between fields? 
  
• What dissertations have been done (from Dissertation Abstracts International) and what is most needed? 
  
• What contributions will this study make to leadership theory and practice? 
  
• How is this an educational leadership study? 
  
• If you have more than one topic, how will you select one? The dissertation is a process of collecting and processing information from a variety of sources over time, including personal communication from officials. 
  
• What are the appropriate ERIC search descriptors that capture articles on your topic? 
  
• Which data-bases will your search include and over which time periods? 
  
• What can you tell from the presence, as well as absence, of articles/research on a topic? 
  
• How can you use the related literature to show how your research fits into the field(s)? 
  
• What scholars, state or national officials should you call to confirm your perspectives? 
  
• Should I interview individual(s) from a state department or professional association to include non-documented information in my document? 
  

The dissertation is a process of generating drafts of documents that reflect varying stages of your thinking on the topic. Some call it a "deliberative process." In the early stages different forms of representation can convey your thinking. Some students portray their thinking with "maps," with outlines, and with text. 

How do you get started? I advise people to write the Review of Literature (which is most likely --but not always -- Chapter 2). Once grounded in the literature you will become "the expert on the topic" knowing it far better than your advisor or committee. Then you will to produce multiple "drafts" of the first three chapters of your dissertation that will evolve, becoming more detailed over time. 

The dissertation also involves coming to know yourself as a learner, writer, and sometimes procrastinator. It can be a lonely process: 

• What are your writing habits? 
  
• Where is your best writing space and with what “treats”? (Some prefer a cappuccino machine, Disco Diva radio, a water fountain, always sharp pencils, etc.) 
  
• How do you avoid writing? 
  
• Do you need a support group to be accountable? 
  
• How do you prioritize this in relation to work and family? 
  
• What role does guilt play? 
  
• When do you best write with a willing spirit? 
  
• Is feedback hard to take; why? 
  
• How can you have a critical eye toward your own writing? 
  
• How can you inform and involve family when they don't have a clue about the time, process and commitment I must make? 
  
• Why aren’t I making more progress? 
  
• Am I really the writer I thought I was?