Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Written for both faculty and students, this user-friendly book provides a comprehensive 'how-to' compendium for completing a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

The authors discuss sources and criteria for selecting a suitable topic and cover:

- Both quantitative and qualitative research methods

-Using technology effectively

-An overview and tips on the oral defense and presentation

-Tips on adapting the thesis or dissertation for publication

-Suggestions for publishing the research

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface
• About the Authors
• Part I Getting Started
• 1 Selecting a Suitable Topic
• Sources of Topics
• Criteria for Topic Selection
• Summary
• 2 Selecting a Chair and Committee
• Criteria to Consider in Selecting a Chair
• Composition and Role of the Committee
• Research Prospective Committee Members
• The Desirable Student
• Summary
• Part II What You Need to Know
• 3 Quantitative Research Designs
• Descriptive Research
• Correlational Research
• Causal-Comparative Research
• Quasi-Experimental Research
• Experimental Research
• Theory Development
• Summary
• 4 Basic Statistics
• Descriptive Statistics
• Inferential Statistics
• Summary
• 5 Qualitative Research Designs
• Phenomenological Research
• Case Study Research
• Ethnographic Research
• Grounded Theory Research
• Mixed Method Research
• Summary
• Part III The Dissertation Chapters
• 6 Writing the Introduction Chapter
• Background of the Study
• Statement of the Problem
• Purpose of the Study
• Significance of the Study
• Definition of Terms
• Theoretical Framework
• Models
• Research Questions (or Hypotheses)
• Limitations
• Delimitations
• Assumptions
• Organization of the Study
• Summary
• 7 Writing the Literature Review Chapter
• Searching the Literature
• Writing the Literature Review
• Synthesizing the Literature
• Summary
• 8 Writing the Methodology Chapter
• Introduction
• Selection of Participants
• Instrumentation
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Summary
• Conclusion
• 9 Writing the Results Chapter
• Introduction
• Descriptive Statistics
• Testing the Research Questions (Hypotheses)
• Additional Analyses
• Summary
• Conclusion
• 10 Writing the Discussion Chapter
• Summary
• Discussion
• Implications for Practice
• Recommendations for Further Research
• Conclusions
• Summary
• Part IV The Defense and Afterward
• 11 The Proposal and Final Defense
• Prepare a Well-Written Document
• Know the Format
• Prepare Your Presentation
• Practice Your Presentation
• Anticipate Questions
• Final Oral Defense
• Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes
• Summary
• 12 Publishing Your Dissertation
• Presentations
• Job Interview
• Academic Journals
• Books
• Chapters in Books
• Popular Press
• Internet Publishing
• Desktop Publishing
• Planning the Writing Process
• Summary
• Appendix A Initial Letter to Participants
• Appendix B First Follow-up Letter to Participants
• Appendix C Second Follow-up Letter to Participants
• Appendix D Dissertation Proposal Outline (Correlational)
• Appendix E Dissertation Proposal Outline (Analysis of Variance)
• Appendix F Dissertation Proposal Outline (Multivariate Analysis of Variance)
• Appendix G Dissertation Proposal Outline (Qualitative)
• Appendix H The Qualitative Research Critique
• Appendix I Agreement: Guidelines for Chairing a Dissertation
• Appendix J Checklist for Dissertation Quality
• References
• Index