Dissertation Advice for Social Research

Janet Zollinger Giele is Professor Emerita of Sociology, Social Policy, and Women's Studies at Brandeis University. She is the author of Family Policy and the American Safety Net (2013) and Two Paths to Women's Equality (1995), as well as Co-editor of The Craft of Life Course Research (2009) and Methods of Life Course Research (1998).

“I wish I could have given this book to my doctoral students. It would have helped them, and me, considerably. And I wish this book were available when I wrote my dissertation. It would have improved my plodding great tome, made me more confident of what I was doing, and saved my dissertation committee’s time and energy. All mentors of social science doctoral students should give Giele’s Dissertation Advice for Social Research to their ABD students.”—John E. Eck, Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati and author of Writing with Sweet Clarity (Routledge, 2022)“This is an experientially grounded, strategically conceived, and immensely helpful step-by-step guidebook for doctoral students and their mentors navigating the challenging and uncertain seas of the academic dissertation. It is a long overdue book I would have welcomed enthusiastically 50 years ago when I initiated my dissertation and would recommend unreservedly to doctoral students today.”—David A. Snow, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California, Irvine”Janet Zollinger Giele succeeds magnificently in her goal to ‘uncover the hidden rules of writing a dissertation.’ It is the sort of book I wish had been available when I was working on my own dissertation.”—Glenn Firebaugh, Firebaugh, Pennsylvania State University, author of Seven Rules For Social Research (2008)”This book on the dissertation process is a gem. It is full of systematic advice that takes the doctoral student to the finish line with enthusiasm for the process. Best of all—and what distinguishes this book from others—is the emphasis on theory. In my experience, graduate students often treat theory as something abstract and an obligatory and often confusing requirement. Here, Dr. Giele shows how theory can be a practical guide that is unique to the student's own research question and which then becomes a compass that guides the student through the entire dissertation process.”—Martha Pott, Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development, Tufts University

• Introduction, 1. Problem, Proposal, Thesis, 2. Theory in the Dissertation, 3. Research Plan and Methods, 4. Description: Drawing a Picture, 5. Explanation: Telling the Story, 6. Implications For Research, Policy, and Practice, Appendix A: A Guide to Expository Writing, Appendix B: Protection of Human Subsects, Appendix C: A Tribute to My Own Doctoral Students