Thesis Survivor Stories

Presenting a range of voices and first-hand experiences, this edited collection provides real-world advice and tips and tricks to help students embarking on postgraduate study to get through the thesis journey. Edited by Marilyn Waring and Kate Kearins, the 23 essays which make up Thesis Survivor Stories seek to demystify the ups and downs of postgraduate life and the PhD research process.

The doctoral journey is fraught with stops and starts, crossroads and blind alleys, surprises and epiphanies. All successful doctoral students navigate a pathway through these events to reach their final destination. Navigating the Doctoral Journey explores examples of these routes in ways that both honour individual stories and highlight the broader issues of uniting emergent research practices with doctoral candidates’ individual reflexive projects. All the doctoral candidates included in this book work with critical topics, theories and methods within the field of education; they face particular challenges – and rewards – when pursuing work that will meet institutional and disciplinary expectations of “good” doctoral-level research. For them, the doctoral process is required to culminate in more than the award of a qualification. Their imperative is to demonstrate mastery of the disciplinary norms, whilst simultaneously challenging dominant models and making authentic contributions to the benefit of broader society. Navigating the Doctoral Journey addresses the isolation and challenges of what it means to conduct critical doctoral research within a highly contested domain of knowledge. This is not a simplistic self-help guide to clearly map a proven route to doctoral success, rather the book provides a range of possible answers to the questions of how candidates experience doctoral studies, what is “critical” about each contributor’s research, and how this affects what each person does as he or she researches.

This handbook provides an in-depth exploration of the entire journey of postgraduate research in the social and behavioural sciences, from enrolment to its culmination in the form of a thesis, dissertation or portfolio, and beyond. It is written in an accessible and example-rich style, offering practical and concrete advice in virtually all areas. It also includes references to additional resources and websites, and each chapter features key recommendations for improving the postgraduate research experience. The book addresses not only research-related aspects (e.g. supervisors; selecting your guiding assumptions; contextualising, framing and configuring research; reviewing literature; sampling; writing proposals; ethics and academic integrity; selecting a data gathering strategy; surviving your thesis/dissertation/portfolio examination; and publishing), but also questions concerning how to integrate, manage, and balance the research journey in the context of the postgraduate student’s broader life-world (e.g. skill development and supervisor relations; effective time and project management; a healthy work–life balance; maintaining motivation; and dealing with criticism). The book adopts an explicitly pluralist perspective on postgraduate research, moving beyond mixed methods thinking, and offers concrete examples from postgraduate students’ real-world experiences.

This book is a very important contribution to theÿgrowing body of work on postgraduate,ÿand specificallyÿdoctoral, education ... I find the metaphor ofÿpushing boundaries to be very appropriate, as itÿsuggests a field of study and a range of behavioursÿand institutional organisational approaches toÿpostgraduate education that are dynamic andÿcharacterised by fluidity, creativity and challengeÿ... Readers will gain new theoretical perspectives,ÿideas for improved practice, and fresh perspectivesÿon boundaries and pressing issues that deserve toÿbe pushed and conceptualised in new ways. -ÿProfessor Ann Austin (Higher, Adult and Lifelong EducationÿMichigan State University)

′From page one the appeal of the book is evident in the jargon free, user friendly text. I would not hesitate to recommend it to other students whatever stage of their doctorate they have reached.′ - Educate Journal Whether you undertaking a taught doctorate, or a course of study leading to a PhD, Succeeding with Your Doctorate offers complete, up-to-date guidance and discussion on all aspects of successful doctoral work. The five experienced authors give advice on every stage in the process of completing a doctorate, from helping you to engage in critical reflection to better understand your own research biases, to useful guidelines on preparing for, and surviving, the viva. Combining general discussion with practical advice, this book is an essential companion to your research. Topics include: Preparing for a doctorate Embarking on your Research Adapting to life as a student Working with a supervisor Reading critically Conceptualising your research Thinking about methodologies and approaches Producing a thesis Preparing for and taking the viva Disseminating your research. SAGE Study Skills are essential study guides for students of all levels. From how to write great essays and succeeding at university, to writing your undergraduate dissertation and doing postgraduate research, SAGE Study Skills help you get the best from your time at university. Visit the SAGE Study Skills hub for tips, resources and videos on study success!

A foreword by former soldier and memoirist Brian Turner, author of My Life as a Foreign Country, and an afterword by military wife and memoirist Angela Ricketts, author of No Man's War: Irreverent Confessions of an Infantry Wife, bookend the volume.

"The Oxford Handbook of Qualitative Research presents a comprehensive and student-friendly overview of the field of qualitative research and is intended for students of all levels, faculty, and researchers across the social sciences. It provides strong focus on methods instruction with coverage of theoretical approaches, analysis, writing, evaluation, and the politics of research"--

"George Topas' moving and probing narrative is an important contribution to Holocaust literature" - Elie Wiesel "The Iron Furnace is a profoundly moving account of faith, love, courage, and endurance. With his direct and deceptively simple style, George Topas convinces us that we're sharing the heartfelt recollections of an old and dear friend. This story - and this decent, unassuming hero - will leave an incredible impression on all readers" - Michael Medved "The Iron Furnace will greatly contribute to the deepening memory of the Holocaust. It reveals the indomitable spirit of those that lived in the world which was destroyed." - Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center "A searing tribute to one man's indomitable spirit to outlive his tormentors" - Canadian Jewish News "This chilling memoir effectively reminds us of the inhumanity with which people treated their fellow humans.'' - Library Journal