Survival Skills for Thesis and Dissertation Candidates

Robert S. Fleming holds a joint appointment at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, as a professor of management in the Rohrer College of Business where he previously served as dean, and as a professor of crisis and emergency management within the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management program. In addition to a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Temple University, he has five earned master’s degrees, including a Master of Governmental Administration from the Fels Center of Government of the University of Pennsylvania. The primary focus of his research, teaching, and consulting has been on enhancing organizational effectiveness and resilience, with an emphasis on contemporary businesses, non-profits, public safety, and governmental entities. He is a prolific author, having published a number of books and articles, as well as a recognized authority and media source for various business, emergency management, and crisis management topics. For more than 30 years he has been a student of the thesis and dissertation process and has assisted students and colleagues in their journeys from the initial conceptualization of their research interests to successful completion of a substantial project. Michelle Kowalsky is a librarian at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. She holds multiple degrees, including a doctorate in Education from Pepperdine University. She teaches undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff about the art and science of research in all subject areas. As a reference and instruction librarian and tenured professor, she has served as a Dissertation Chair and committee member, as well as a Master’s Thesis chair for the College of Education. Her background includes working as a Library and Information Sciences faculty member, as a teacher preparation professor, as a graduate program coordinator and academic advisor, and as an academic, school, and public librarian. Her research interests focus on the interactions between libraries, technologies, and learning, and she has published and presented on a wide variety of research topics in the fields of business, education and librarianship.

• Chapter 1: Your Commitment Is Essential to Success.- Chapter 2: The Research Process.- Chapter 3: The Importance of Effective Time Management.- Chapter 4: Developing a Realistic Timetable.- Chapter 5: Developing a Time and Resource Allocation Plan.- Chapter 6: Understanding Institutional Policies and Procedures.- Chapter 7: The Importance of Meeting Deadlines.- Chapter 8: Understanding Why Candidates Fail to Complete Their Thesis or Dissertation.- Chapter 9: Focusing on a Manageable Research Topic.- Chapter 10:Identifying an Area of Research Interest.- Chapter 11: Roles and Responsibilities of a Research Advisor.- Chapter 12: Selecting Research Advisors.- Chapter 13: Working with Your Research Advisors.- Chapter 14: Roles and Responsibilities of Your Committee.- Chapter 15: Working with Committee Group Dynamics.- Chapter 16: Identifying a Research Topic.