Writing, writing and more writing is what will take place in a doctoral program! The fact is that it is not just writing for everyday use, Academic Writing is the expectation for a doctoral program. The challenge then becomes what is academic writing? Even professors cannot agree on what academic writing is and is not. Personally, I have had a professor tell me that in academic writing adjectives and descriptive words are not used, which can be confusing to the writer. There are some basic guidelines for academic writing and in this month’s blog would like to address a few tips for academic writing.
Going for a doctoral degree means hard work and going after the highest degree that can be obtained, so it is something one does not enter into lightly. Things to consider is your time, dedication, stamina, willingness to work, being a survivor and much more. Keep in mind; they say about 1% – 2% that start a doctoral program actually graduate and finish, so that is why this blog attempts to share information that will assist you in making the decision that is right for you and your life.
Let’s Make it Easier-There’s an App for That!
As we all know technology is part of our lifestyle in some form, shape, or fashion. With being a student, technology is most helpful provided you allow it to be. Since I am user of technology for the most part, I still had to make adjustments during my doctoral studies. When I started my program in 2008, I was unaware of the tools/apps there were available to make my life easier. There were the usual Endnotes (free from my school), Zotero, and RefWorks (all web-based) that was used for bibliographies and article tracking. At that particular time that was ok but as I advanced in the program those really didn’t work for me or I was just stuck in my “own way” of doing things.
This time of year the majority of school aged children are returning to school after a summer break. Their parents are purchasing uniforms, new backpacks, and much needed school supplies. The kids have to get in the right mind-set of returning to school and get ready for their first day. The same goes for adults when returning to school. Starting an online program can have an extreme learning curve if you are a “first time” online student.
The Learning Curves and Preparation for Writing the Dissertation
As I stated in my first blog, I was not the traditional student. It had been over 20 years since I had been in school when I returned to finish my Bachelor’s degree. There was limited writing in my undergraduate program and the writing that took place the papers was very short in length. I then made the decision to embark on graduate school, and that is where the lack of experience became very real. I was not prepared to write graduate school, academic quality papers but I quickly learned.