By Dr. Noelle Sterne

Q: How do I get out from the endless waves of dissertation revisions?

— Almost Drowning

A: In the throes of writing your dissertation, you’ve submitted your drafts to your chair and committee more times than you want to count. And they’ve returned the drafts with seemingly endless rounds of revisions. Granted, they may drive you crazy, but—please believe me—you can handle the revisions so they don’t completely erode your confidence, deepen your depression, and thoroughly destroy your sanity.

A chair or committee’s insistence on revisions that keep kicking back (one student called them “regurgitating revisions”) generally stem from one of two main motivations. The revisions reflect the less-than-healthy inclinations of some professors who are perfectionist, vindictive, petty, and competitive. They may be frustrated with their current position, shouldering too many doctoral students’ dissertations, or still bitterly recalling their own chair who put them through the grinder. And they want to show you who’s boss.

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.

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.

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?