Dissertation Advice for Social Research: A Guidebook for Doctoral Students and Their Advisors

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Janet Zollinger Giele

Dissertation Advice for Social Research

A Guidebook for Doctoral Students and Their Advisors

Janet Zollinger Giele

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English

Routledge
30 September 2025

Research methods: general; Social research & statistics

A guidebook for doctoral students and their advisors, this book provides a map to the many parts of a doctoral thesis – from the statement of the problem, preparation of the proposal, theory, methods, description, and interpretations of findings to the conclusions and implications for future research and practice.

Divided into six chapters that cover each step of the dissertation process, Dissertation Advice for Social Research outlines a program for research and writing with examples drawn from doctoral dissertations in sociology, social policy, history, and the humanities. Intended to spark students’ imaginations, each chapter contains examples of dissertations with tips on getting started, drafting and revising the manuscript, and checklists addressed to both students and advisors that spell out actions needed to make progress and to demonstrate a variety of analytic methods – ranging from qualitative interpretations and multivariate analysis of large data sets to historical accounts with examples of various modes of analysis, from grounded theory to qualitative comparisons and statistical tests of significance such as multiple regression.

This book is ideal for both doctoral students and their advisors, and will help students get started on their dissertations and to make progress throughout the writing process, regardless of analytic method.

By: Janet Zollinger Giele
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781041085850
ISBN 10: 1041085850
Pages: 202
Publication Date: 30 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Adult education , Further / Higher Education , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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

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).

Reviews for Dissertation Advice for Social Research: A Guidebook for Doctoral Students and Their Advisors

“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