Data Gathering for Dissertation: Strategies & Resources - Essay Sample

Introduction

Gathering data for a dissertation is a crucial aspect of any academic undertaking. Gathering resources involves a look at past studies or literature related to the topic- which can be obtained from books and peer-reviewed scholarly articles. It is worth noting that a good dissertation is anchored on past empirical studies and related work (Laycock, Howarth, & Watson, 2016; Machat-From, 2017; Storey & Hesbol, 2016; Fernandes, Machado, & Wnuk, 2015). One of the strategies that I will use to gather resources for my dissertation is talking to my advisory committee- who will recommend appropriate studies and databases for my topic. (Parker-Renga, 2019) Second, I will utilize Walden University's library resources to retrieve relevant articles related to my topic using appropriate search terms. Third, I will refer to the reference sections of the articles retrieved from the library to identify more articles on the topic.

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Strategies That I Will Use to Organize Resources for My Dissertation

Various strategies can be used to organize a dissertation. The literature review is a crucial component of the dissertation, hence the need to ensure that it is well-organized. First, I will organize my dissertation is by topic or theme rather than organizing it based on the authors (Walden University, 2019). It has been noted that when compiling various sources related to the phenomenon of interest to their studies, most of the novice researchers tend to summary each of the past studies related to their topic and make a comparison and contrast of the studies at the end. However, this is not a recommended practice when writing a dissertation. The best practice-which I will employ- is an organization of my sources into patterns and themes. According to Walden University (2019), organizing sources by patterns and themes is useful in demonstrating that the researcher or writer is competent and proficient in the synthesis of material and inhibits one from developing a series of the book report.

Second, I will organize my dissertation using headings and subheadings. According to APA formatting style, use of headings is appropriate for long pieces of the text as it signifies that there is a change of topic and gives the reader a visual break (Oermann & Hays, 2016).. It is also worth noting that headings of similar levels manifest equally important topics (Oermann & Hays, 2016). Additionally, APA headings and subheadings indicate a hierarchy of the themes and subthemes of a dissertation (Efron & Ravid, 2018). Additionally, headings and subheadings indicate what is to be expected from the dissertation and makes all the aspects of the dissertation flow.

Moreover, APA levels show hierarchical importance and scope of every heading and subheading. Third, the organization of my dissertation will be accomplished through the use of comparative terms (APA Format, 2019). This will make the dissertation appealing to the reader. Noteworthy, the use of comparative terms enables the researcher to show where past empirical studies agree or disagree (APA Format, 2019).

Strategies That I Will Use to Understand Resources for My Dissertation

To understand the resources for my dissertation, I will ensure that I have enough time to go through each of the articles that my study will be built upon. This will allow me to understand past empirical studies related to my topic and explain them in my own words. Second, I will scan the articles first to determine relevance to my dissertation. Scanning will involve looking at the research question, hypothesis, methodology, and findings section for appropriateness to my topic. Third, I will highlight the main points in the articles and, later, read for depth and interactively.

Strategies That I Will Use to Summarize Resources for My Dissertation

Summary of resources for my dissertation will involve stating the main ideas of each article. This will be followed by the identification of the critical details that support the ideas and writing of these details in my own words.

Steps for Tracking my Search Techniques

To track my search techniques, I will first identify a relevant database where the peer-reviewed articles related to my topic will be retrieved from. Second, I will choose appropriate keywords to ensure that only articles that are relevant to the topic are obtained from the database. Lastly, I will connect the keywords using Boolean operators such as 'OR' and 'AND' (Freund & Schmieder, 2016).

Strategies and Tools for Storing and Backing Up My Resources

Storage and backing up of dissertation resources are crucial aspects of data management. First, because I will be storing my resources in my laptop, there is a need to have a USB stick or an external hard drive for backing up my data if my laptop crashes. According to Britland (2019), it is vital to have a safe place for a USB stick or external hard drive to avoid access by third parties. Secondly, I will automate my backups using cloud storage.

References

APA Format. (2019). Apa headings and subheadings. Retrieved from https://apaformat.org/apa-headings-and-subheadings/

Britland, S. (2019). Dissertations and major projects. Retrieved from https://libguides.reading.ac.uk/dissertations/managing-data

Efron, S. E., & Ravid, R. (2018). Writing the literature review. New York, NY: Guilford Publications.

Fernandes, J. M., Machado, R. J., & Wnuk, K. (2015). Software business: 6th international conference, icsob 2015, braga, portugal, june 10-12, 2015, proceedings. Retrieved from http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=5592068

Freund, S. M., & Schmieder, E. (2016). Shelly cashman series microsoft windows 10: Intermediate. San Francisco, CA: Cengage Learning.

Laycock, E., Howarth, T., & Watson, P. (2016). The journey to dissertation success: For construction, property, and architecture students. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Machat-From, L. (2017). Identity, old (Er) age and migrancy: A social constructionist lens. Linkoping, Sweden: Linkoping University Electronic Press.

Oermann, M. H., & Hays, J. C. (2016). Writing for publication in nursing (Third edition). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

Parker-Renga , T. (2019). Writing a thesis #4: Gathering the literature. Retrieved from http://blog.online.colostate.edu/blog/online-education/writing-a-thesis-4-gathering-the-literature/

Storey, V. A., & Hesbol, K. A. (Eds.). (2016). Contemporary approaches to dissertation development and research methods. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Walden University. (2019). Academic guides: Common assignments: literature reviews. Retrieved from https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/assignments/literaturereview