Dissertation+Best+Practices

 1. To get the most benefit from this Best Practices guide, review the appropriate best practices list before beginning each section of your dissertation to insure you are off to a good start. Begin with a thoughtful review of the official blue text under each section and then examine the best practices list that follows in black text. Bear in mind that the best practices lists do not carry the same weight of authority as the blue text. Also your committee will have specific feedback based on your unique dissertation that may supersede the general guidance offered in this document. Most of the best practices listed in this document emerged from the feedback offered by mentors and reviewers to learners who took this journey before you. This document is intended to help you avoid common errors and accelerate your progress through the dissertation process. It is a sensible investment of your time to review it carefully.  2. Review the blue text and best practices list a second time after completing each section of your dissertation and edit accordingly. The list of best practices can serve as an effective editing checklist.  3. Although every effort has been made to offer clear and consistent guidance throughout this document that is aligned with NCU’s research curriculum, the guidance offered by the NCU Academic Review Team (ART) supersedes the best practices listed in this document.  4. The document has been created to make navigation easy and straightforward. Below every best practices list is a link that will take you back to the main menu so that another best practices list can be accessed. Look for hot links within the text of the best practices lists that will take you to related topics.   1. Many best practices can be cut and pasted in comment balloons to draw learners to key issues at the appropriate “teachable moment” as they are developing their dissertations. You may wish to elaborate on some of the best practices to create a personal list of commonly used comments to make your mentoring practices more efficient and effective. Or you may wish to ask learners to review the best practices list for a section of the dissertation as you review their work.  2. Every effort has been made to align the best practices lists with the NCU research curriculum and other guiding documents associated with dissertation development. If you notice a misalignment, please see point 4 below.  3. You may recognize some of the phrasing for various best practices as very familiar. This document was developed after an extensive review of a number of NCU dissertations that were in development. The most common points of feedback were incorporated into the best practices list.