Beefeater!

To raise my spirits a bit, I ordered my academic beefeater tam today.

How Focused Am I?

First Submission - Sort of...

I continue to struggle with finding an Introduction that I'm happy with. I am on my NINTH revision.

So as not to delay any further, I sent to Dr. Z a partial introduction (includes significance and justification of the study, the limitations, and the definitions of key operational terms), all of the Methodology chapter (chapter 3) and all of the results (chapter 4). It also has an appendix attached to it.

I'll wait for Dr. Z's comments before I start the conclusions/implications chapter (chapter 5).  For now, I've got about 25,000 words and 104 pages.  Need more...

Should I admit this?

I've hit a wall.  This is my song today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghRpNVecJqw

In Search of Something Pithy!

As attention-catching as it is, the proposed first paragraph of my dissertation doesn't really apply anymore.  My research results took me in a surprising direction.

What to do...what to do?

Rereading an article Dr. S sent me early last year: "Setting the Hook," Academy of Management Journal, 2011, Vol. 54, No. 5, 873-879.  Hope that helps.

Three of Five

Just finished up three of five chapters...only the literature review and the conclusions remain.

As soon as I clean up my Methodology and Results chapters, I'm going to send the three on to Dr. Z for his review.  While waiting for him, I'll try to crank out that lit review - the current bane of my existence.

Getting close!

Am I into this or what?

It's only 8:00 a.m., and I'm already thinking about what I want for lunch.

More on the Literature Review

I recently found this lecture on the literature review from Texas A&M.  Wish I had seen this a year ago - it would have saved me countless hours.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1hG99HUaOk

It's by Candace Schaefer at Texas A&M's Writing Center.  She cites a very good literature review for business that is also helpful:

Allen, R. C. (1996). Socioeconomic Conditions and Property Crime: A Comprehensive Review and Test of the Professional Literature. American Journal Of Economics & Sociology, 55(3), 293.