​​​​​​For many, writing a dissertation is a new experience. The resources on this page are selected to help you get started with the writing process and/or overcome barriers when you feel "stuck." There are general resources as well as resources for each section of a standard dissertation. Of course, any guidelines or requirements of your committee will take precedence over any material presented here.

​General Resources

• PDF: Dissertations (UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center)
• PDF: Writing Your Way Through Imposter Stress by Yale (Yale Graduate Writing Lab)
• PDF: Dissertation Writing Process (Yale Graduate Writing Lab)
• Book URL: Authoring a PhD-How to Plan, Draft, Write, and Finish a Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation (Dunleavy, 2003)
• Video: How to Structure Your Dissertation (Scribbr, 2020)
• Video: What is Imposter Syndrome and How Can You Combat It? (Ted-Ed, 2018)
• Video: Things About a PhD Nobody Told You About (TEDx Talks, 2016)
  

Cha​pter 1: Introduction

• Webpage: Top 10 Tips: Custom Dissertation Introduction (Oxbridge Essays, 2009)
• Webpage: Easily Understand How to Write a Thesis Introduction (Lempiere, 2019)
• Webpage: How to Write a Dissertation Introduction Chapter (Jansen, 2020)
• Webpage: What a Good Introduction of Your Dissertation Should Include (Pro Academic Writers, n.d.)
• Webpage: How to Write a Dissertation Introduction (McCombes, 2020)
• Video: How to Write a Dissertation Introduction or Thesis Introduction (Grad Coach, 2021)

Chapter 2: L​iterature Review

• PDF: ​Writing a Literature Review (Mastain, n.d.)
• PDF: Literature Reviews (UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center, n.d.)
• PDF: Writing the Literature Review (UCLA Undergraduate Writing Center, n.d.)
• Video: How to Write a Literature Review (UCD Writing Centre) (Real Smart Media, 2017)

​To view a recording of “Fundamentals of Literature Reviews" Parts 1 & 2, presented by Dr. Luann Fortune and Saybrook librarian, Kirsten Klinghammer, enroll in the Center for Writing and Academic Success' Canvas Shell and go to the module titled "Event Recordings & Handouts." Then, locate the page "Fundamentals of a Literature Review (2021)​."

​Chapter 3​: Methodology

• Webpage: How to Write the Methods Section of a Research Paper (Bhattacharyya, 2018)
  
• PDF: How to Write the Methods Section of a Research Paper (Kallet, 2004)
• Webpage: How to Write an APA Methods Section (Bhandari, 2022)
• Webpage: Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper (USC Libraries, 2022)
• Video: Dissertation Methodology Chapter: 6 Costly Mistakes to Avoid (Grad Coach, n.d.)

Chapter 4: Findings / Results

• PDF: Teaching Students How to Write a Chapter Four and Five of a Dissertation (Blum, 2006)
• Webpage: Writing up Your Results in a Thesis or Dissertation (Swaen, 2022)
• Webpage: Writing up the Results Section of Your Dissertation  (Oxbridge Essays, 2017)
• Webpage: How to Write the Results/Findings Chapter (Jansen, 2021)
• Video: How to Write a Dissertation Results Section (Scribbr, 2020)
• Video: Thesis/Dissertation #5: Writing Your Results (Live Innovation, 2019)

​Chapter 5: ​​Conclusion

• PDF: Chapter 5 Tips (Fortune & Curtis, 2018)
• PDF:Teaching Students How to Write a Chapter Four and Five of a Dissertation (Blum, 2006)
• Webpage: Dissertation Writing: How to Write your Conclusion (Dissertation Genius, 2016)
• Webpage: The Dos and Don'ts of Writing a Dissertation Conclusion (Proofed, 2015)
• Webpage: How to Write a Dissertation Conclusion (Walker, 2021)
  
• Video: How to Write a Discussion Section of Research Writing (Chuah Kee Man, 2020)
• Video: How to Write the Discussion (UCSD Psychology Department, 2018)​