Dear Dr. Noelle: Does Your Chair Look Like an Adolescent to You?

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: My chair is so young! How do I cope?

 — Feeling Ancient

A: An older “nontraditional” student, Marlene had returned for her doctorate after three of her four kids were grown and on their own. She held down a full-time job in medical billing, her youngest was now in high school, and her husband still looked forward to her dinners. So Marlene embarked on a lifelong dream—with her husband’s encouragement and promise to do some of the cooking, she enrolled in a doctoral program. She was extremely bright, and we were working together on her Proposal.

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Dear Dr. Noelle: Stranger in a Strange Family

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: My wife says she doesn’t don’t know me anymore. What should I do?                         

             — Immersed in Dissertation and Estranged

A: You’re knee-deep or, more accurately, file/notecard/article/laptop-deep in your dissertation. You don’t hear anything around you—refrigerator opening, kids tussling, clothes washer whirring. You don’t even hear your name called for dinner. When you come up for air, you realize your partner hasn’t spoken to you for days.

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Dear Dr. Noelle: To Group or Not to Group

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: Should I join a dissertation support group?

— On-the-Fence Joiner

A: “I couldn’t write. I’d be in the library, staring at the portrait of the bearded benefactor, and the time would just tick by. That’s when I decided to join the group.”

Maybe you’ve had similar “work” sessions. If so, consider joining a dissertation group. They can help you with many dissertation-related issues, especially if you’re feeling stuck or really afraid. A group may be the remedy.

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Dear Dr. Noelle: Flummoxed by Formatting

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: How can I be sure I’m formatting my dissertation the right way?

— Befuddled by Formatting

A: First, if you’re looking for guidance on the contents of your dissertation, that is, the requisite chapter titles and what they must contain, this is not the right place. The answers here pertain to what your school requires for your completed manuscript. However, some of the resources below do contain content information.

So, to Befuddled’s question: Formatting your dissertation can be almost as important as the content (not that I think it should be). You’re graded on the proper format as well as what you’ve written. How can you be sure you’re doing it correctly?

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Dear Dr. Noelle: Another Sensitive Request

By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: How do I tell my chair I don’t want her to coauthor an article from my dissertation?

— Ungrateful?

A: This is another sensitive topic, first cousin to last month’s on your chair suggesting (dictating) you dissertation topic.

As your defense winds down, you’re flushed with relief and pride that you got through the PowerPoint without a storm of committee interruptions or zoom technical tantrums. After the approving nods and smiles, your chair may say, “Your dissertation is so important! It deserves publication as an article!” You blush, and they can see your red cheeks on the screen. Then you hear the chair’s words, both flattering and ominous: “Let’s coauthor it.”

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2025 TAA Conference Bookstore Featured Book: ‘Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation’

For doctoral candidates struggling with their dissertations, Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation, by Noelle Sterne, is different from other how-to-write-your-dissertation books: they deal with the structure and contents. Challenges, with lively examples, humor, and provocative questions, addresses the surrounding, often overlooked or ignored but crucial aspects that can seriously delay dissertation completion: emotional, interpersonal, and even spiritual issues.

Purchase in the 2025 TAA Conference Bookstore

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