Applying for and Obtaining National Scholarships and Fellowships - Part II with Camille Stillwell, Ed.D.

Identifying national scholarship and fellowship opportunities; Applying for national scholarships or fellowships; Getting stellar letters of recommendation; Getting advising about national scholarships and fellowships; Applying for a number of national scholarships, fellowships or research opportunities at the same time.

• Materials: Presentation Slides (Adobe PDF)

Preparing a Winning Dissertation Proposal - 13 Essential Ingredients with Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D.

A dissertation proposal is a detailed, in depth plan of how the work and research of the project will occur. This workshop will provide an overview of the essential parts of a winning dissertation proposal and will delineate and define the following parts of an effective proposal: introduction, problem statement, purpose, significance, methodology, literature review, hypotheses, definition of terms, assumptions, scope and limitations, procedures and long-range consequences. The presenter will also address how to write proposals by discipline and program, what faculty look for in a good proposal, the proposal writing process, your interaction with your adviser during this process, and the general length.

• Materials: Presentation Slides (Adobe PDF)

Proposal Writing Roundtable with Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D. and Johnetta Davis, Ph.D.

A dissertation proposal provides a detailed plan of the intended research project and its presentation. Also, the proposal writing process, student-adviser interaction during the process, and what readers look for in a good proposal.

1. When will you know it is time to stop reading and prepare a proposal for the work you plan to do?
2. How do you focus your topic and plan to something that is reasonable for a dissertation?

• Materials: Handout (Adobe PDF)

Conducting a Literature Review with Christine B. Feak

Writing a review of the relevant literature is a key component of many kinds of research texts. Although the role and purpose of the literature review may vary somewhat depending on whether it forms part of a research article, dissertation proposal, research grant application, or the dissertation itself, it always remains a complicated task. Its complexity derives from an interlocking need to find and assess reading resources, make connections among them, relate them to your research topic, and provide a coherent written accounting. In this interactive workshop, the presenter will demonstrate a number of strategies that model a viable approach to the complex literature review task including critical text analysis, citation analysis, and rhetorical choice analysis. Although the literature review can be a daunting task, there is a silver lining; students typically emerge from the process as experts in their chosen fields of specialization.

• Materials: The facilitator declined to post workshop materials online. If you would like a copy of the handout, please stop by the Office of Graduate Recruitment, Retention and Diversity at 2122 Lee Building on Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm or send your on/off-campus address to retention@gradschool.umd.edu.

Literature Review Roundtable with Tita Chico, Ph.D. and Joan Payne, Ph.D.

The Ph.D. Completion Project Workshop Series’ Roundtable Sessions provide graduate students an opportunity to ask additional questions regarding the previous week’s workshop topic. Each session features a group discussion facilitated by faculty members. Participants should review the workshop materials prior to attending the Roundtable Session.

• Materials: Handout (Adobe PDF)

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: How to Start, Revise, and Finish Your Doctoral Dissertation with Joan Bolker

Dissertation writers need strong, practical advice, as well as someone who understand their particular situation. Joan Bolker offers invaluable suggestions for blocked writers encouraging them to discover individual work plans that promote productivity. Using field-tested strategies and positive reinforcement, she buoys the student through the entire process from choosing a topic and advisor to setting short-term deadlines, revising, defending the dissertation and deciding to publish the dissertation as articles, transforming it into a book and becoming a writer.

• Materials: The facilitator declined to post workshop materials online. If you would like a copy of the handout, please stop by the Office of Graduate Recruitment, Retention and Diversity at 2122 Lee Building on Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm or send your on/off-campus address to retention@gradschool.umd.edu.

Dissertation Writing Roundtable

The Ph.D. Completion Project Workshop Series’ Roundtable Sessions provide graduate students an opportunity to ask additional questions regarding the previous week’s workshop topic. Each session features a group discussion facilitated by faculty members. Participants should review the workshop materials prior to attending the Roundtable Session.

• Materials: Presentation Slides (Adobe PDF)
• Materials: Handout (Adobe PDF)

Writing for Publication with Christine B. Feak

This workshop will focus on preparing articles for journal submission and publication, with emphasis on writing the introduction and the discussion. Strategies for writing, and models of successful writing, will be presented.

• Materials: The facilitator declined to post workshop materials online. If you would like a copy of the handout, please stop by the Office of Graduate Recruitment, Retention and Diversity at 2122 Lee Building on Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm or send your on/off-campus address to retention@gradschool.umd.edu.

Writing for Publication Roundtable

The Ph.D. Completion Project Workshop Series’ Roundtable Sessions provide graduate students an opportunity to ask additional questions regarding the previous week’s workshop topic. Each session features a group discussion facilitated by faculty members. Participants should review the workshop materials prior to attending the Roundtable Session.

• Session Cancelled