Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish ― Psychology and Related Fields

For over twenty-five years, Dissertations and Theses from Start to Finish: Psychology and Related Fields has guided student writers through the practical, logistical, and emotional struggles that come with writing dissertations and theses. It offers guidance to students through all the essential steps, including:

-Defining topics;
-Selecting faculty advisors;
-Scheduling time to work on the project, and;
-Conducting, analyzing, writing, presenting, and publishing research.

Like previous editions, this fully-updated third edition includes guiding questions, checklists, diagrams, and sample research papers. It also reflects the most recent advances in online research and includes fully updated online resources. Each chapter begins with an Advance Organizer that offers an at-a-glance summary of chapter content and applicability for different types of readers. Chapters also include significantly expanded To Do and Supplemental Resource lists, as well as helpful suggestions for dealing with impasses and common internal and external “traps” that recur throughout the writing process. The authors also provide a thoughtful consideration of the variety of roles faculty advisors play, and of variations in the thesis and dissertation process and requirements across institutions of higher learning.

Debora Bell, PhD is Director of Clinical Training for the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University of Missouri, and Executive Director of the MU Psychological Services Clinic I also direct our new Center for Evidence-Based Youth Mental Health. In these roles, I am proud to part of outstanding education of our graduate students in clinical science research and evidence-based clinical practice, as well as part of our program’s strong contributions to the scientific literature and evidence-based services delivery in the community. She lives in Columbia, MO. Visit psychology.missouri.edu/clinic.

John D. Cone, PhD, earned his BA in Psychology from Stanford University and his MS and PhD from the University of Washington. He has taught at the University of Puget Sound, West Virginia University, the University of Hawaii, United States International University, San Diego State University, and Alliant International University. His research interests include the development of idiographic assessment methodology; autism intervention; and the development, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale service delivery systems, especially those for individuals with developmental disabilities. He lives in San Diego, CA.

Sharon L. Foster, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor at Alliant International University in San Diego, California. She received her Ph.D. in psychology in 1978 from the State University of New York at Stony Brook after completing a clinical internship at the University of Washington Medical School. She has served as an associate editor for Behavioral Assessment and the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. She is the author of numerous books, articles and book chapters on children’s peer relations, assessment and treatment of parent-adolescent conflict, and research methodology. She lives in San Francisco, CA.