Dissertation Consulting

Should I Use a Dissertation Consulting Service? Do I need this kind of Help?

Completing a dissertation or thesis requires commitment; it will take all the determination, stamina, and discipline you have ? and more! With the necessary knowledge, guidance, and support to back you up, you can certainly reach your goals, and we are here to help you get there!

Using a dissertation consulting service can be extremely beneficial to students working on a doctoral degree. Because completing and successfully defending a dissertation is required before you can receive your doctorate, the dissertation is the capstone academic project for a doctoral student. To say the least, the undertaking of a dissertation is a monumental task that includes many complex aspects. However, your dissertation is a way for you to demonstrate the practical application of the material you have studied throughout your time as a student and can be a great way of highlighting your existing skills in innovative ways. Dissertation Consulting Services can help you in this exciting and?challenging task.

We can help you expertly complete your dissertation in a timely and efficient manner. Remember, though, that the earlier you consult with us in the process, the better!

Developing a clear, concise hypothesis is key to a good study, and then formulating a plan to help you research your hypothesis is absolutely critical. ?We can help you with:

? The development of research questions and hypotheses for your study
? Methodological issues surrounding the design, variables, and procedures in conducting your research
? Developing a data analysis plan

Already started your project? No problem! We can help you at any stage of the process ? from choosing a topic, to planning and developing your research design, to analyzing data you have already collected, to editing your final document.

Do I need a Dissertation Consultant?

Students from a wide variety of disciplines use a dissertation consultant to help them navigate their way through the dissertation journey. Unless you are a student majoring in statistics, trying to figure out how to apply all those concepts from past stats and research classes can be overwhelming. We can help you through! From determining the needed sample size, conducting power analyses, and choosing the right tests, we will help make the process as seamless (and as fast) as possible. Remember, though, that a great thesis or dissertation begins with a well-planned research design.

A dissertation consultant can help you with the following:

? Choosing a topic and having it approved by your committee
? Developing a research question
? Nailing down your hypothesis
? Effectively planning out your research (This is where the design comes in)
? Choosing the correct tests when analyzing your results
? Reporting your results clearly and accurately

See our FAQ page for more detailed information on the above topics.

Getting Started: Some Differences Between a Research Question and a Hypothesis

Believe it or, I often see confusion between these two things. To the beginning student, they often seem like the same thing. There are important differences between a research question and a hypothesis, however, and until you have these clearly defined you should not begin working on your project in earnest. Hopefully, some explanation will clarify why I say this.

A research question is the very question (or questions) you are trying to answer by conducting your study. For example, you might be wondering if stress levels decline as a person ages, or whether there are male/female differences in the way college students experience stress. This is very different from a research hypothesis, which is not a question at all, but a bold, clear, concise statement about the theory driving your research. The way you ask questions and state hypotheses is extremely important, as they determine how you will conduct your literature review, your methodology, and how the data will be collected and analyzed.

Sample questions:

Quantitative research questions tend to be about measurable differences or relationships between variables, such as How much? What is the relationship between X and Y? Is there a significant difference between groups? For example:

What is the relationship between gender and stress?

Qualitative research questions might be more vague and exploratory in nature and could be answered by something as simple as yes or no. In other words, since qualitative research is done using open ended questions on your survey or interview instrument, your research question will probably be framed a bit differently.

What are the experiences of seniors living in southern California?

While you cannot make generalizations about the population because qualitative research is more exploratory and/or investigative in nature, you can certainly glean vital information that can help in decision making, gaining a deeper understanding of a phenomenon, and in providing a broader base of understanding that can help in policy making decisions.

Combining both methods together in a mixed methods research design is becoming more and more popular and can easily be accomplished as long as you understand the unique nature of the differences between the two and plan your analyses accordingly.

Sample research hypotheses:

Quantitative: Here you will make a clear statement about what you expect to find once your study has been completed. You might do this by looking at relationships or talking about differences between your groups or variables. You might also describe something about the variable(s) you are testing. For example:

Ha: Students who play a musical instrument will have a higher GPA than students who do not play a musical instrument.

Further, hypothesis can be non-directional (two-tailed) or directional (one-tailed) in nature:

Non-directional hypothesis: There will be a relationship between stress and social support.

Directional hypothesis: Those who have a strong social support system will experience lower levels of stress.

Qualitative: Generally speaking, qualitative, unlike quantitative research, tends to be more framed on a particular phenomenon or concept, and seeks to understand (ethnography), discover (grounded theory), explore processes (case study), describe experiences (phenomenology), or report stories (narrative research). Because of this, hypotheses may be stated as less of a theory or prediction and more of a question. This is very different than a quantitative hypothesis, where the researcher makes a very clear prediction based on some type of expectation about the outcome.

Mixed Methods: If you are using a mixed method research design, it is best (in my opinion) to state your questions/hypotheses separately rather than combine them. It will make analyzing your data much simpler once you have it.

Research question: How do the experiences of domestic abuse survivors impact their decision making abilities?

Research hypothesis: Survivors of domestic abuse will report high levels of depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory scale.

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