Perspective and Dissertations

On September 18, 1977, Voyager I took the first picture of the Earth and the Moon. It’s tough to see things from a different perspective. But, sometimes that’s exactly what you need to do to get your dissertation done…

Keep your head down!

Keep your nose to the grindstone!

Persistence!

Do you ever feel too close to your dissertation? Have you ever received feedback from your committee and you just couldn’t figure out what they were talking about?

When you spend an hour or more each day multiple days each week, for weeks, months, and sometimes years(!) working on your dissertation, it can be tough to view it objectively. I don’t just mean missing that same misspellling over and over again.

It can become quite difficult to recognize quirks in logic and disruptions in flow after so many read-throughs.

That’s why it’s important that your support network includes someone who can review your work. Someone who can proofread, sure, but, honestly, your computer can do that these days. What you ready need is someone who can point out confusing sentences, statements that don’t logically flow, and vague descriptions.

You may have a friend or family member who can help in this capacity. You may be able to find a colleague at work or at school. And, of course, you can always talk to me to see how I can help.