[From the Archives] Ep 136: Dr. Rebecca Thomas on Dissertation Writing

Research in Action | A podcast for faculty & higher education professionals on research design, methods, productivity & more

On today’s episode, Katie is joined by Dr. Rebecca Thomas, who is currently a postdoctoral scholar for the Ecampus Research Unit at Oregon State University. She recently earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA), where she successfully defended her dissertation on aggressive behavior in college students’ friends with benefits relationships in July 2018. Prior to UTSA, she earned an M.S. in Instructional Psychology & Technology from Brigham Young University (BYU). She is excited to apply her training and experience in study design, participant recruitment, and dissemination obtained at UTSA in combination with her previous experience on student success at BYU, in her new role as a postdoctoral scholar.

Segment 1: Choosing a Dissertation Topic [00:00-11:25]

In this first segment, Becca shares about her experience choosing a dissertation topic.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• Bolker, J. (1998). Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day: A guide to starting, revising, and finishing your doctoral thesis. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
• Boyle Single, P. (2009). Demystifying dissertation writing. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.
• Roberts, C. M. (2010). The dissertation journey: A practical and comprehensive guide to planning, writing, and defending your dissertation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
• The Thesis Whisperer Blog

Segment 2: Getting the Dissertation Done [11:26-22:28]

In segment two, Becca shares productivity strategies for writing a dissertation.

Segment 3: Post-dissertation Dissemination [22:29-36:32]

In segment three, Becca shares her plans for disseminating her dissertation results.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• RIA # 106: Ali Duerfeldt on Research Dissemination Plans
• Rocco, T. S., Hatcher, G. T., & Associates. (2011). The handbook of scholarly writing an publishing. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

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The views expressed by guests on the Research in Action podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Oregon State University Ecampus or Oregon State University.