Starting an Effective Dissertation Writing Group

8/13/2019 Starting an Effective Dissertation Writing Group

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StartinganEffectiveDissertationWritingGroupHumeWritingCenterGraduateStudentWorkshop

Dr.SohuiLeeandDr.ChrisGolde

StanfordUniversity


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DISSERTATIONWRITINGGROUPSTARTERKIT

Thisstarterkitprovidesconcretesuggestionsforestablishingandmaintaininganeffective

dissertation(orotheracademic)writinggroup.

GettingStarted

with

Dissertation

Writing

Groups

24

IntroductiontoDissertationWritingGroups(DWG)andhowtomakethemwork.

TenThingstoDiscussWhenStartingaDissertationWritingGroup 56

Thinkaboutthesequestionsinadvance.Agreementonallofthemisessentialtoan

effectivegroup.

WritingGroupGroundRulesAgreement 7

AworksheettocompleteduringthefirstDWGmeeting.HowwillyourDWGoperate?

PersonalGoalsWorksheet 8

AworksheettocompletebeforethefirstDWGmeeting.Whatdoyouwanttoaccomplish?

WritingInventory 9

AworksheettocompletebeforethefirstDWGmeeting.Helpsyoumakeexplicithowyou

write.Mayprovidecluestothingsyouwanttochange.

GroupWorkInventory 10

AworksheettocompletebeforethefirstDWGmeeting.Whatdoyoulikeinagroup?

Usefulforsettinggroundrules.

Schedule 1112

AworksheettocompletebeforethefirstDWGmeetingtofindacommonmeetingtime.

DWGLog 1314

AworksheettocompleteafterthefirstDWGmeeting.Whatdidyouaccomplish?

Youmaywanttousethisaftereverymeeting

ActivitiesforWritingGroups 1518

AhandoutfromTheWritingCenterattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill.

UsedunderCreativeCommonsLicense.

Asking,GivingandTakingFeedback 1921

Tipsforconstructivefeedback.

RevisionStrategies

22

24

Aworksheetandhandoutoftipstohelpyoumoreefficientlyapplyfeedback

andreviseyourwriting.

DissertationWritingBibliography 2526

Thesebooksareusefulfordissertationwriters(butdontsuccumbtoreading

booksasaformofprocrastination). Remember,thebestwaytowriteistowrite.


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GETTINGSTARTEDWITH

DISSERTATIONWRITINGGROUPS

DissertationWritingGroupshelpadvancedgraduatestudentscompletetheirworkbyproviding

asupportiveenvironmentfortheexchangeofcriticalfeedback.Thesesupportgroupshave

helpedmanystudentsnavigatethedissertationwritingprocessandimprovethequalityoftheir

dissertationsalongtheway.

BENEFITS

Thebenefitsofagroupusuallyfaroutweighthecostoftimeandenergy.Feedbackonyour

dissertationwritingistheobviousbenefit.Thereareotherlessobviouspayoffs.

Agroupisasourceofemotionalsupport.Becauseyouareallgoingthroughthesameprocess,youcanunderstand,vent,bolster,encourage,sympathizeandcrackthewhip.

Agrouphelpskeepyouaccountabletoyourprogressgoals.Fellowstudentsareexcellentprocrastinationdetectors.

Agroupcanbecomeacommunityofsupportinatimethatcanbequiteisolating. Bymeetingwithotherstudents,withoutfacultyinvolvement,studentsdevelopskills

creatingasupportiveintellectualcommunity,ingivingandtakingfeedback,andcreating

originalwork.

Peermentorsareoftenhardercriticsthanfaculty.Practicingaproposaldefenseorconferencepresentationinagroupcanhelpironoutallofthekinks.Agroupofstudents

familiarwithyourworkaskharderquestionsthanmostfacultymembers!Itisconfidence

buildingtosatisfyyourpeers.

Awritinggroupcansupplementinputfromfaculty.Studentsareabletogiveeachothermoretimethanmostfacultymemberscan.Inaddition,herearenotpowerimbalances

betweenstudentsinthesamewaythattherearebetweenfacultyandstudents.

Agroupcanopenuppossibilitiesforresearchcollaboration. Groupmemberscanbesourcesofnewresources,perspectivesandideas. Awritinggroupcanhelpyoubetterunderstandyourownpeakhoursofeffectiveness.


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PREDICTABLEPITFALLS

Therecanbenegativeaspectstogroupwork.Occasionallyconflictsofpersonalityor

expectationsarise,andmustbeaddressed.Remember,ifthegroupdoesnotmeettheneedsof

aparticipant,forwhateverreason,itisOKforthatpersontoleavethegroup.

Thehighereducationsystemhasitscompetitiveaspects.Forexample,wecompetefortheattentionoffaculty,forfellowships,forplumTA/RAopportunities,forconference

presentationslots,andultimatelyforjobs.Onshouldnotignorethechallengesof

competingwiththosestudentswithwhomweworkmostcloselyandcooperatively.Clear

communicationaboutexpectations(Doyoutelleachotheraboutnewlydiscovered

opportunities?Doyousharebibliographicinformationandsources?Doyoupracticejob

talksinfrontofeachotherortherestofthegroup?)andanxieties(acknowledgingthe

presenceofcompetition)iscrucialformaintainingtrust.

Conflictsaboutintellectualpropertyrightsareincreasinglyprevalent.Ifyouarestudyingtopicssimilartothatofotherstudentsinyourgroup,itisimportanttoairtheseissues.How

doyou

acknowledge

and

cite

each

other?

Who

retains

the

"rights"

to

ideas

developed

withinthegroup?

Participantsmayhavedifferentlevelsofcommitmenttothegroup.Somemembersmaydemandmorefromothersthantheygiveback.Onepersonmaybehabituallylate.What

happensifsomeonerenegesonacommitment,suchasnotprovidingwritingorskippinga

meeting?Setasidetimeoccasionallytorevisitgroupgroundrulesandexpectations.

Thetimeofrenewalforagroup,whenconsideringaddingnewmembers,canbeadifficultperiod.Discussionsofwhotoincludemustbeconductedwithcandorandconfidentiality.

Theintegrationofnewmembersrequirespatience.

BEFORETHEFIRSTMEETING

ThisStarterKitincludessixworksheetsandthreehandouts.Besurethateachgroupmember

hasacopyoftheStarterKit.

READTenThings,ActivitiesandFeedbackhandouts.

FILLOUTPersonalGoals,WritingInventory,GroupWorkInventory,&ScheduleWorksheets.

Thesewillhelpyoubreaktheice,learnabouteachother'swritingneedsandgroup

interactions,andstarttoplanastructureandscheduleforyourgroupthatwillworkfor

everyone.

BRINGGroundRulesAgreement,DWGLogworksheetstofilloutduringthemeeting.


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DURINGTHEFIRSTMEETING

INTRODUCEYOURSELVEStooneanother.Usethefourworksheetstodiscusspersonalwriting

goals,writinghabits,experiencesandexpectationsforyourwritinggroups,andschedule.These

conversationsarecrucialforsettinggrouprulesforyourgroup,gettingtoknoweachothers

preferencesforworkingtogether,andeachmemberswritingissues.

ESTABLISHTHEGOALSANDPROCEDURESforyourgroup.UsetheTenThingshandoutto

startyourconversationonprocedures.UsetheGroundRulesworksheettokeeparecordof

yourgroupsdecisions.WhiletheGroupcanandmostlikelywillchangethegroundrulesover

time,arecordedlistofinitialGroundRuleswillhelpmembersrememberandsticktotherules

thatwereagreedupon.

SETTHESCHEDULEforthefirstsetofmeetings.Besureyoudeterminewhen,where,andwho.

FIVEMINUTESOFREFLECTIVEWRITINGisagreatcloseforeachmeeting,includingthefirst

session.OnemodelistheDissertationWritingGroupLogworksheet.Thiswillhelpmembers

reflecton

the

feedback

during

that

meeting

and

incorporate

the

feedback

by

the

next

meeting.

Forwriterswhoseworkisnotbeingread,theycouldstillnotetheirowntakeawayfromthe

groupdiscussion,andtheirstrategytoconcretelyimplementtheselessons.


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TENTHINGSTODISCUSSWHENSTARTINGA

DISSERTATIONWRITINGGROUP

Successfulwritinggroupshavenegotiatedasharedunderstandingabouttheanswerstothese

questions.Therearenorightanswers,butallmembersneedtoagree.Thegoalforistohelp

eachmemberofthegroupkeepmovingforwardandfinishthedissertation. Writedownthe

answerstothesequestionsintheWritingGroupGroundRulesAgreementform.

1. Howoftenwillthegroupmeet,forhowlong,andwhere?Onceaweek,twiceaweek,everyotherweek?60,90or120minutes?Classroom,coffeeshop,library,lounge?

2. Howbigwillthegroupbe?Wesuggestagroupoffourorfivemembers.Thisprovidessufficientdiversity,butallowseachmembertogetfeedbackevery23weeks.

3.What

are

the

rules

for

group

membership?

Do

members

dissertation

topics

have

to

be

relatedornot?Samedepartmentoracrossdepartments?Atthesamestageofthe

dissertation?Whenarenewmembersadded?Howarenewmembersidentified?

4. Whatformatwillyoufollowateachmeeting?Howmuchtimeisspentonthedissertationprocessandhowmuchonwritingfeedback?Apossibletwohourmeetingschedule:

10minutesforaroundthegroupupdates,2minutesperperson. 30minutesoffeedbackeachforPersonAandPersonB. 10minutesofsilentreflectivewriting 10minutestopreviewnextweeksagenda5. Whataretheformalrolesforthegroupandwhowillplaythem?Afacilitatorkeepsthe

discussionontask.Aconvenersendsreminders,setslocationsandcalendar,andholdsa

copyoftheGroundRules.Atimekeepermonitorsagreedupontimeallocations.Anote

takerwritesdownkeeppointsmadeduringfeedback.Dopositionsrotate?

6. Whatkindsofworkwillthegroupread?Looseideas,freewriting,outlines,roughdrafts,polisheddrafts,draftsthathavebeenseenbyoutsidereaders?Dissertationrelatedonly?

Orgrantproposals,interviewprotocols,surveydrafts,posters,conferencepapers,CVsand

jobletters?

7. When,howandhowmuchworkwillmemberssubmitforfeedback?Howmanydaysareneededforthoughtfulfeedback?Centraldropoffpoint,personaldelivery,email,Web

page?Howmanypagescanbegiven?

8. Whatkindoffeedbackisreasonabletoexpect?Howmuchtimeshouldreadersplantotake?Isitreasonabletoaskfordetailededitingofgrammarandwordchoice?


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9. Howwillmembersrespondtoeachother'swriting?Willarequestforfeedbackaccompanythetext?Willreaderscommentdirectlyonthedraft,onaseparateresponse

sheet,viaemail,ormakeoralcommentsinthemeeting?Attherequestofthewriterorthe

preferenceofthereader?

10.Whatistheinitialcommitment?Duringthestartupphaseofeverygroupthereisasettlinginperiodasthegroupjells.Giveitalittletimebeforedecidingwhetherthegroupisuseful.

Attheendofaquarterisagoodtimetorevisitgroundrulesandshiftmembers.


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WRITINGGROUPGROUNDRULESAGREEMENT

GroupName: Agreedtoonthisdate:

ParticipantSignatures:

1. Howoftenwillthegroupmeet,forhowlong,andwhere?

2. Howbigwillthegroupbe?3. Whataretherulesforgroup

membership?

4. Whatformatwillyoufollowateachmeeting?

5. Whataretheformalrolesandwhowillplaythem?

6. Whatkindsofworkwillthegroup

read?

7. When,howandhowmuchworkwillmemberssubmitfor

feedback?

8. Whatkindoffeedbackisreasonabletoexpect?

9. Howwillmembersrespondtoeachother'swriting?

10.Whatistheinitialcommitment?


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PERSONALGOALS

Whatareyourgoalsasawriter?(Thisanswercanincludethekindsofwritingyouwouldliketo

do,thekindsofaudiencesyouwouldliketoreach,thewritingskillsyouwouldliketomaster,

andsoon.)

Whatisyourmainreasonforjoiningadissertationwritinggroup?(feedback,betterwriting

progress,expandingnetworkofresources,learningfromothers,etc.)

Howdoyouthinkyoucanhelpothersinyourwritinggroup?

What,foryou,wouldbethebestpossibleoutcomeofyourinvolvementwiththiswriting

group?


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WRITINGINVENTORY

Whatisyourbiggestchallengeorobstacleasawriter?

Whatkindsofcritiquesaboutyourwritingstylehaveyoureceivedfromprofessors,friends,

orotherreaders?

Whatis

your

greatest

strength

as

awriter?

What

do

other

people

normally

praise

about

your

writingstyle?

Whatdoyoudobeforeyouwrite?Whatdoyoudotopreparetowrite? Howdoyouget

yourselfmentallyready? Doyouhavearoutine? Howmightyouimproveyourpreparation?

Whatdoyouwhileyouwrite?Forinstance,doyoutendtowritecarefully,wordbyword? Or,

doyouwriteeverythingoutfirst,withoutthinkingtoomuch?Howmightyouimprovethis

stageofthewritingprocess?

Whatdoyouafteryouwrite?Whatdoyoudotoreflectbackonandrevisethewritingyouve

done? Howmightyoumakethisfinalstageofthewritingprocessmoreefficient?


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GROUPWORKINVENTORY

Describeamemorableexperiencewithworkinginagroupthatyouhadinthepast.Wasita

positiveornegativeexperience?Why?

Listfivetotenthingsthatcanmakeadissertationwritinggroupworksituationterrible.

Listfivetotenthingsthatyouthinkwoulddescribetheidealdissertationwritinggroupwork

situationforyou.

Ifadissertationwritinggroupisgoingtoworktogethersuccessfully,everyonereallyneedsto


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SCHEDULE

FillwithanXinanytimecommitmentsthatyouregularlyhave(class,work,thegym,etc.)

Highlightanyspacesthatwouldbeidealtimesforyoutomeetregularlywithyour

dissertation

writing

group.

Then

answer

the

questions

which

follow.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

8AM

9AM

10AM

11AM

12PM

1PM

2PM

3PM

4PM

5PM

6PM

7PM

8

PM

9PM


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Howoftenwouldyouliketomeetwithawritinggroup?Weekly?Everyotherweek?

Ingeneral,wouldyouprefertomeetinthemorning,theafternoon,ortheevening?

Doyouhaveacaroraccesstopublictransportation?Howfar/longwouldyoubewillingto

drive/walk/takeabustomeet?

Wouldyouliketomeetinthesameplaceeverytimeortorotateplaces?

Wouldyouprefertomeetoncampus?Ifso,where?

Wouldyouliketomeetsomewheretotallyquiet(aclassroom,thelibraryorsomeone's

home)orsomewherewithalittlemoreactivity(acoffeeshoporrestaurant)?

Wouldyouprefertomeetsomewherethathasfood/coffee/drinksavailable?Somewhere

thatallowsordisallowssmoking?


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DISSERTATIONWRITINGGROUPLOG

Date:

June 19, 2008MeetingTime:

5-7pm

Feedback/discussionduringgroupmeeting:

Discussed my introductory chapter to dissertation. Book review section needs tobe expanded. There was some problems with transition, especially in the theorysection.

Feedback on Alisons chapter on Dickens was interesting. I like how sheintroduced her chapter with a quotation from the text! I might borrow that.Group provided some excellent suggestions on how she might improve herorganization with subheadings. Id like to use this technique too.

Plansforyourwriting:

--Expand book review section by two more reviews (1 or 2 pages longer).--Review the first line of every paragraph and ask if I need to connect the ideasto the previous paragraph with a transitional phrase or word.--Add subheadings to all my major sections!--Work on micro revision: circle every to be verbs! Sharpen sentences.


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DISSERTATIONWRITINGGROUPLOG

Date: MeetingTime:

Feedback/discussionduringgroupmeeting:


Date: MeetingTime:

Feedback/discussion

during

group

meeting:



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ACTIVITIESFORWRITINGGROUPS

TOUCHINGBASE

Mutualsupportcanbeoneofthemostimportantfunctionsofawritinggroup.Sometimes

encouragement

and

the

knowledge

that

others

are

interested

in

and

committed

to

your

work

andyourprogressasawritercanbejustashelpfulasfeedback.Tothatend,yourwritinggroup

maywanttoreservesometimeineachsessionto"touchbase"or"checkin"withoneanother.

Duringthistimeyoucould:

Describeyourwritingactivitiessincethelastgroupmeetingintermsofpageswritten,partsofaprojectcompleted,orhurdlesovercome.

Ifyouhaven'twrittenmuchsincethelastmeeting,youcouldtalkaboutthekindsofprewritingactivitiesyouhaveundertaken(research,reading,editingpreviouswork,meeting

withaprofessororadvisor,etc.).Oryoucouldtalkabouttheobstaclestowritingthathave

hinderedyourprogress(writer'sblock,havingthreeteststhisweek,needingtogathermore

databefore

you

can

write,

etc.).

Explainhowworkthatwasdiscussedduringthelastmeetingisnowevolvinginresponsetogroupcomments.Youmightexplainwhichcommentsyouchosetoacton,ortellhowa

sectionofthepiecehasbeenreorganizedorrethoughtinresponsetothegroup'sfeedback.

Shareyourwritingplansforthecomingweekortwosothatyourgroupmemberswillknowwhatkindsofwritingtheywillseeandsothatyoucanhelponeanothersticktoyourgoals.

Decide,asagroup,onathemeforthenextmeeting brainstorming,drafting,proofreading,style,writer'sblock,etc.Choosingawritingissuetotackletogetherwillhelpyou

understandthechallengeseachmemberisfacingatthemomentandenableyoutoplan

meetingsthat

will

help

group

members

meet

those

challenges.

SYSTEMSFORSHARINGWORK

Somewritinggroupsaskmemberstodistributetheirworkinadvanceofthegroupmeeting,

particularlyifthepieceofwritinginquestionislengthy.Youmightdistributeyourwritingat

onemeetingfordiscussionatthenext;leavewritinginpeople'smailboxes;dropwritingoffat

people'sdormrooms,carrels,oroffices;orsendwritingviaemail,eitherbypastingmaterial

intoanemailmessageorbyincludingitasanattachment.Readerscanofferthemosthelpful

feedbackwhenthewriterhasprovidedalistofquestions,troublespots,orissuesforthemto

considerintheirresponses.

RESPONDINGTO

WORK

THAT

YOU

READ

OUTSIDE

OF

THE

GROUP

Thefollowingideasmighthelpyourespondtoworkthathasbeendistributedbeforehand:

Groupmemberscouldwritecommentsandsuggesteditorialchangesontheircopiesofthepaperandgivethosetothewriterduringthegroupmeeting.


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Groupmemberscouldprepareawrittenresponsetothepaperintheformofalettertothewriter,aparagraph,awrittendiscussionofthework'sstrengthsandweaknesses,orona

formdevelopedbythegroup.

Groupmemberscouldrespondverballytothepiece,eachofferingapersonal,overallreactiontowritingbeforeopeningthediscussiontoabroadergiveandtake.

Youcouldgothroughthepieceparagraphbyparagraphorsectionbysection,witheachreaderofferingcommentsandsuggestionsforimprovement.

Theauthorcouldcomepreparedwithalistofquestionsforthegroupandleadadiscussionbasedonthosequestions.

Onegroupmember,eithertheauthoror(perhapspreferably)adifferentmemberofthegroup,couldkeepcarefulnotesonkeyreactionsandsuggestionsfortheauthor'sfuture

reference.

RESPONSESTOWRITINGPRESENTEDDURINGTHEGROUPMEETING

Somegroups

prefer

to

bring

writing,

particularly

shorter

pieces,

to

the

group

meeting

for

immediatediscussion.Youmightbringadraftofanentirepaper,asectionofapaper,orjusta

sentenceortwothatyoucan'tseemtoget"justright."Manyoftheaboveideaswillworkjust

aswellforwritingthathasbeenpresentedduringthemeetingofthewritinggroup.However,

sincewritingpresentedduringthemeetingwillbenewtoeveryoneexcepttheauthor,you

mighttrytheseadditionalstrategies:

Readthepaperaloudtothegroupbeforelaunchingdiscussion.Theauthorcouldread,oranothermemberofthegroupcouldreadwhiletheauthornotesthingsthatsoundlikethey

mightneedrevision.Youcouldeitherreadtheentiretextorbreakitintochunks,discussing

eachafteritisread.

Groupmemberscouldalsoreadsilently,makingnotestothemselves,beforelaunchingthediscussion.

Readthefirstparagraphorfirstsectionaloudandhaveeveryoneinthegroupbrieflywritedownwhatheorshethinksthepaperwillbeaboutorwhatheorshethinksthethesisof

thepaperis.Sharethoseresponsesindiscussion.

SHARINGWRITINGWITHOUTTHEANTICIPATIONOFFEEDBACK

Sometimes,especiallywithnewwritingorwritersneedingaboostofconfidence,itcanbe

helpfultosharewritingwithoutanticipatingfeedback.Thiskindofsharingcanhelpwritersget

over

fears

about

distributing

their

work

or

being

judged.

Forwritersundertakinglongprojects,sharingapiececanservetoshowtherestofthegrouptheprogressmadesincethelastmeeting,eveniftheauthordoesn'tneedfeedback

rightnow.

Sharingapieceofwritingwithoutexpectingfeedbackcanprovidethewriterwithadeadlinetoworktowardwithoutgeneratinganxietiesoverwhetherornotthepieceis

"goodenough"toshare.


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Sharingwritingearlyinawritinggroup'sworktogethercanbeanopressurewaytogettoknowoneanother'sprojectsandwritingstyles.

BRAINSTORMINGASPARTOFTHEGROUPPROCESS

Writinggroupscanprovidenotonlyfeedbackandaforuminwhichtosharework,butalso

creativeproblem

solving

for

your

writing

troubles.

Your

group

might

try

some

of

these

brainstormingideas:

Identifyawritingproblemthatonegroupmemberishaving.Askeachgroupmembertofreewritepossiblesolutions.

Cutupacopyofapaperthatneedsorganizationalchangessothateachsection,mainidea,orparagraphisonitsownslipofpaper.Asagroup,movethepiecesofpaperaroundand

discusspossibleoptionsforreorganizingthework.

Afterreadingapiece,generatealistofitemsthatthegroupmightliketoknowmoreabout.Organizethesequestionsintocategoriesfortheauthortoconsider.

Writingduring

writing

group

meetings

Yourwritinggroupmaychoosetowriteduringsomeofitsmeetings.Herearesomeideasfor

whattowrite:

Ifeveryoneinthegrouphasamajordeadlineapproaching,useonesessionasaworkingmeeting.Meetinacomputerlaborotherlocationinwhicheveryonecanwriteandwork

independently,takingbreaksperiodicallytoassessyourprogressoraskquestions.

Usesomewritinggrouptimetofreewriteaboutyourwritingprojectnewideas,todolists,organizationalstrategies,problems,orsentencesforyourdraftswouldallbe

appropriatetopicsforfreewriting.

Freewriteaboutthewritingprocess(youcouldallwriteabout"HowIstarttowrite"or"Thewritingenvironmentthatworksforme"or"WhenIsitdowntoedit")andshare

yourresponseswithoneanother.

Writeaboutthedynamicsofthewritinggroupasawayofgettingeveryone'sideasoutonpaper.Youcouldfreewriteaboutthekindsoffeedbackthathelpyou,whatyoulikeabout

eachother'swriting,yourfrustrationswiththegroup,andyoursuggestionsforimproving

thewaythegroupworks.

Spendafewminutesofeachmeetingpracticinganewwritingoreditingtechniqueyouwouldliketoexplore.

READINGDURINGWRITINGGROUPMEETINGSJustaswritingduringgroupmeetingscanprovebeneficial,readingcansometimeshelpwriting

groupsworktogetherbetter:

PickabookonwritingsuchasBirdbyBird,WritingwithPower,WritingDowntheBones,WritingWithoutTeachers,orWritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDayandassign


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yourselvessectionstoreadforeachmeeting.Discussthereadingduringsomepartofthe

group'smeetingeachtime.

Readaboutaparticularwritingtopicsuchaseditingtechniquesorwriter'sblockduringthegroupmeeting,andthenspendthesessionworkingonthataspectofoneanother'swriting.

Bringapieceofwriting(anarticleinyourfield,anarticlefromajournalormagazinethatyouenjoyed,orapieceoffiction)thatyouthinkisespeciallywellwritten.Readoveritasagroupandtalkaboutwhattheauthordidinthepiecethatmadeitsoeffective.

Bringpiecesofdataorevidencethatyouareusinginyourwritingandsharethemwiththegroup.Ifthegroupbecomesfamiliarwiththethingsthatyouwriteabout,theymaybe

betterabletohelpyouwriteaboutthemeffectively.

BRINGINAGUESTJustasguestlecturersincoursessometimesspiceuptheclassroomexperience,guestsin

writinggroupscanenliventhediscussion:

Inviteafriend'swritinggrouptohaveajointmeetingwithyours.Sharewritingfromallparticipantsandalsotalkaboutwritinggroupstrategiesthathaveworkedforeachgroup.

Inviteaprofessororotherguestwritertoyourgrouptotalkabouthisorherwritingprocessandtooffersuggestionsforimprovingyourown.

Bringinafriendwhoisworkingonaprojectrelatedtotheprojectofagroupmember.Thismayhelpyourgroupmemberdevelopanetworkofpeopleinterestedinhisorher

particulartopicandmayalsoshowyourfriendhowhelpfulawritinggroupcouldbe.

InviteaWritingCentertutortoattendyourmeeting.PLANNINGYourwritinggroupcanalsohelpyouplanyourwritingschedulefortheweek: Discussyourwritinggoals,bothbroadlyandfortheimmediatefuture.Askyourgroupif

thosegoalsseemrealistic.

Askgroupmemberstoemailyouwithremindersofdeadlinesandencouragement. Createagroupcalendarinwhichyouallsetgoalsanddeadlinesforyourwriting.This

calendarcouldbeforaweek,amonth,asemester,ayear,ormore.TheWritingCenter

publishesaplanningcalendareachsemester.

Giveeachotherwriting"assignments"forthenextmeeting.

This handout section Activities for Writing Groups was created by The Writing Center, University of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/WritingGroups/groupact.html

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

License.


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ASKING,GIVING,TAKINGFEEDBACK

FeedbackisthecoreofwhatDissertationWritingGroupsdo.Itisoftencitedasoneofthemain

reasonswhypeoplejoinDissertationWritingGroupsinthefirstplace.Feedbackisawayfor

peopletolearnhowtheirwritingeffectivelycommunicatesideas,butfeedbackitselfisa

communicativeart.

When

vaguely

worded,

people

who

ask

for

feedback

may

not

get

the

specificanswerstheyneed.Whenharshlyphrased,peoplewhogivefeedbackmaynotgettheir

messageacross.Whenunwillingorunpreparedtolistentofeedback,peoplewhoreceive

feedbackmaynotexperiencethebenefitsoftheprocess.

ASKINGFORFEEDBACK:THEFEEDBACKREQUEST

WHENSUBMITTINGWRITINGAHEADOFTIME,notifyyourreadersinadvancewhattheyought

tolookforbeforetheyreadyourdissertationsectionorchapterinafeedbackrequest.Ifyou

circulatethetextviaemail,sendthedocumentwithacoverletteroranoteinthetextofthe

email.Thefeedbackrequestwouldincludethefollowing:

SUMMARYANDGOAL:Provideabriefsummaryofyourargument(onesentence)andwhatyouwouldliketoaccomplishinthispieceorinthisstageofwriting.

BIGGESTWEAKNESS:Explainwhatyouthinkisthebiggestweaknessinthechapterorsection.

PRIORITIZEDFEEDBACKLIST:Helpyourreadersprioritizetheirresponsebyprovidingashortlistofthekindoffeedbackwouldbemosthelpfulatthisstage.Themosteffective

requestsforfeedbackareexplicitaboutmacrowritingissuesinvolvingideas,

structure,sequence,transitions/flow)ormicrowritingissuessuchasgrammar,

syntax,diction,appropriatefieldlanguage)thatthewriterwantstoimproveon.

Identifyspecificareasthatyoudlikethemtotarget(sectionsofthechapter,

introduction,conclusion)

and

how

they

should

focus

on

it.

Identifywhatyoudontwantyourreaderstofocuson.Itissometimeshelpfultotell

yourreadersthatyouareawareofsomewritingissues(suchascitationstyles)butthat

youwouldaddresslaterinthewritingstage.

REALISTICREQUESTS:Berealisticinyourrequest.Dontaskyourreaders,forinstance,toproofreadandcorrecteverygrammaticalerror.Theyarenoteditorsandwillnot

wanttobetreatedassuch.Forsuchservice,youshouldcontactyourdepartmentorthe

HumeWritingCenterforalistofprofessionalproofreadersoreditorswhocanbehired.

BEFORETHEGROUPMEETING:Printoutyourcovernote.WhenmeetingwithyourWriting

Group,youmightreviewwhatyouhadwrittensothateveryoneisremindedofthekindof

feedbackyouwouldlike.


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GIVINGFEEDBACK

Howyoudeliverfeedbackisasimportantashowyouaskforfeedback.Inadissertationwriting

grouptherelationshipthatyoubuildamongstthemembersshouldbeoneoftrust,respect,

andengagement.Yourstyleofgivingfeedbackshouldhelptocultivatethesefeelingsthrough

fourpositiveapproaches:supportive,specific,descriptive,andprioritizedfeedback.

Ineffective/NegativeFeedback Effective/PositiveFeedback

Attacking:hardhittingandaggressive,

focusingonlyontheweaknessesofthe

otherperson.

Supportive:feedbackdeliveredinanonthreatening,

encouragingmanner.

Saysomethingpositiveaboutthepiecefirst.(Tome,thebestwrittenpartofthispiecewas...;The

mostinterestingideainthischapterwas...)

Acknowledgeyourunderstandingofthewritersgoalbasedonyourcarefulreadingofthefeedbackrequest.(Irealizethatyourmainpointwas...)

General:feedbackwithgeneralstatements,aimingatbroadissueswhich

arenotdefined

Specific:Focusonspecificwritingareasorissues.

Explainissuesbypointingtoconcreteareasofthewriting.Provideasolution/suggestiontohelpimproveitbyexplaininghowyouhavehandledsuchproblems.(WhenI

haveaproblemwithtransitions,Iusually....)

Judgmental:feedbackcriticizesthe

writer.(Youarentverygoodat

conclusions.)

Descriptive(audienceperspective):Describetheproblemsin

thepieceofwritingitselffromtheperspectiveofthereader,

whetheritisyourselforanotherimagined/realaudience.

Speakfromyourperspective.(Thisconclusiondidntreally

work

for

me;

My

reaction

to

this

was

...

Speakfromareadersperspective.Yourdissertationcommitteemightunderstandthislinelikethis...;

Hawthornescholarsmightquestionsomeassumptions

here...).

Scattered:feedbackfocusesontoomany

writingissuesortouchesonissuesthat

thewriterdoesnotwanttodiscussat

thisstage.

Toomany

suggestions

are

overwhelming

anddishearteningtothewriter.

Prioritized:Prioritizewhatyouwanttosaysoasnotto

overwhelmthewriterbutalsotoaddresstheirmainconcerns.

SelectonlytwoorthreemajorbigpointstocoververballyduringWritingGroupdiscussions.

Writealistofadditionalbigpointsandlittlepointsthat

the

writer

could

take

away

with

him/her

after

the

WritingGroupdiscussion.

Tailoryourcommentstothewriterandtheneedslistedintheirfeedbackrequest.Whileyourbigpointsmaycover

issuesotherthanthoselistedinthewritersfeedback

request,besuretoincludesomeresponsestothematters

thatthewriterismostworriedabout.


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TAKINGFEEDBACK

Nowthatwereviewedhowtoaskforfeedbackandhowtogivefeedbackthroughfourpositive

approaches,weshouldalsoconsiderhowweshouldtakeorreceivefeedback.Forsome

people,it

is

difficult

to

receive

feedback

because

they

experience

it

as

pure

criticism.

Being

so

guarded,theyformulatearesponseevenbeforethefeedbackiscompleted.Whileyouwillnot

acceptoractonallfeedback,youshouldtrytobepositiveandopeninthemanneryoutake

themifyouaretomaximizethefeedbackexperience.Thefollowingaresomesuggestionsfor

takingfeedbackeffectively.

Listentotheentirefeedbackfirst.Writedownnotesandquestions.Listenwithoutfrequentinterruptionorobjections.Trytorespondoraskfollowupquestionsonlyafter

thespeakerhasfinished.RememberthatyourWritingGroupistryingtohelpyou

becomeabetterwriterandfinishthedissertation.

Beanactivelistener.Listencarefullyandtrytounderstandthemeaningofthefeedback.

Beengaged.Inanythingisunclear,restateyourunderstandingofwhatyouthoughtthespeakersaid.

Berespectful.Trynottobetoodefensive.Whileonereadersresponsemaybetheresultofthatreadersownmisunderstanding,theirperspectiveasareaderdeserves

attention.Ifseveralreadersagreethatasectionisconfusing,theproblemprobablylies

inthewriting.

Keepafeedbacklog.UseyourDissertationWritingGrouplogtokeeptrackofthekindsoffeedbackyougetinyourwriting.Doreadersoftensuggestchangesin

organization?Dopeoplefrequentlytellyouthattheydontunderstandwordsthatyou

use?Do

readers

praise

your

clarity?

Identifypatternsofthekindsoffeedbackyoureceiveagainandagainsothatyoucan

locateproblemsandstrengthsinyourwriting.

Addresstheproblemswithwritingguides,yourDissertationWritingGroup,orvisiting

theHumeWritingCenter.


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REVISIONSTRATEGIES

1.Whatisrevisiontoyou?(whatareallthethingsyoudowhenyourevise)

2.Howdoyourevise?(Whatisyourprocessofrevising?)


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MACROREVISIONANDMICROREVISION

Almostallpublishedwriterswhetherpoets,novelists,scholarsrewritetheirworks.

Revisionissocrucialtothewritingprocess,thatsomebelieveitiswhenrealwritingstarts.

Revisionisntjustaboutcorrectinggrammaticalerrorsandimprovingflow. Revisingisalsoa

creativepartofthewritingprocessthatasksyoutocriticallyrethinkyourwritingstrategies. It

isthe

part

of

the

process

when

the

ideas

become

more

fully

formed,

meaning

clarified,

argumentsbettersupportedorrearrangedtobemorepersuasive.

******************************************************************************

DWGwriterscanmoreefficientlyandmoreeffectivelyrevisetheirworkafterreceiving

feedback,iftheybreakdowntheirrevisionstrategiesintotwotypes,macrorevisionandmicro

revision.

Sortyourfeedbackanswersintwomacrorevisionandmicrorevisiontodolists Applythemacrorevisionsuggestionsfirst. Thenthemicrorevisionsuggestions. Rereadagain(adayorsolater?),focusingonmacrorevisionissues. Thenmicrorevision

issues.

MACROREVISIONfocusesonthepresentationofthebigpictureandaddressesglobalwriting

issues. Whenrevising,macrorevisionshouldbedonefirst. Asyoutargetyouressayformacro

revision,youwillbringideasintosharpfocusbyreviewingtheorganizationofthesection,

chapter,orentirebook,reassessingevidence,andsharpeningtheidea: Macrorevisions

includethefollowingactivities:

1. Rearrangingyourwritingtoimproveargumentativeflow: movesectionsorsentencesaround

to

present

the

most

rhetorically

effective

case,

highlight

an

argument

better,

andimprovethelogicalprogressionofargument.

2. SubtractingTrimmingthefat:eliminatesectionsthatdontfitintheargumenttoexcludeextraneousortangentialargumentsthatcandistractthereader.

3. AddingBringinginnewexamplesandincludingmoreexplanations: identifygapsinargumenttobridgetheideasbetter,illustrateapointbetter.

4. Improvingtransitionsandmakingmainpointsconsistent: makeexplicitconnectionsbetweenideas(betweensectionsorbetweenparagraphs);reviewhowreaderis

remindedofthethesisargumentorcentralideathroughoutthepiece;makesurethat

evidenceand

data

are

connected

to

the

topic

argument.

MICROREVISIONfocusesonthelittlethingswhichmatteralotinwriting:thelanguage

choice,syntax,andgrammardirectsusthroughyourideas,butalsosetsthemoodofthe

writingandhelpshapewhatreadersthinkofyouasawriterandscholar.Workingonmicro

revisionbeforemacrorevisionisnotefficientbecauseyoumayendofupdeletingsentences


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HumeWritingCenter

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andparagraphsthatyouworkedsohardtopolish. Microrevisionsincludethefollowing

activities:

1. Cleaningup: proofreadforgrammaticalandtypographicalerrors.2. Sharpeningsentencesorwords: findabetterphraseorwordtomakeyourwriting

smoother,more

vivid,

and

more

expressive.

This

includes

replacing

some

passive

verbs

withmoredescriptiveactionverbs,improvingthesyntaxofsentencesandphrasingto

improvewritingstyle.

3. Tighteningsentenceswritinglesstosaymore: cutoutextraneouswords,condensepointstoclarifymeaningandmakesentencesmoreconcise.

******************************************************************************

Reviewyouranswerto#1. SortyourrevisiontodolistbetweenMacro

RevisionandMicroRevision. Usethislisttoguideyouthroughyourfirstcycleofmacrorevisionandthenyourcycleofmicrorevision. Thechecklistortodolistwillhelpyou1)

keeptrack

of

all

your

revision

activities,

2)

help

keep

focus,

3)

give

you

asense

of

work

done.

MACROREVISION MICROREVISION


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

DISSERTATIONANDTHESES

HowardBecker. WritingforSocialScientists. Howtostartandfinishyourthesis,bookor

article.

Chicago:

University

Of

Chicago

Press;

2

nd

edition,2007)

Ratherthanfocusingonwritingperse,thisbookhasusefulchaptersonEditingbyEar,Risk,andGettingitOuttheDoor.JoanBolker.WritingYourDissertationinFifteenMinutesaDay:AGuidetoStarting,Revising,

andFinishingyourDoctoralThesis. NewYork: HenryHoltandCompany,1998.

Oneoftheclassicsonwritingadissertation(althoughittakesmoretimethanthehookinthetitlesuggests!). Lotsofsensibleadvice.JohnW.Creswell. ResearchDesign: Qualitative,Quantitative,andMixedMethods

Approaches.

London,

UK:

Sage

Publications,

Inc.,

2003.

Particularlyaimedatsocialscienceandeducationaudiences.JosephGibaldi. MLAHandbookforWritersofResearchPapers. SixthEdition. NewYork:

ModernLanguageAssociation,2003.

Classicmanualforwritersinthehumanities.KateL.Turabian,WayneC.Booth,GregoryG.Colomb,JosephM.Williams,andUniversityof

ChicagoPressStaff.AManualforWritersofResearchPapers,Theses,andDissertations,

SeventhEdition:ChicagoStyleforStudentsandResearchers.UniversityOfChicagoPress;7th

edition,2007.

Aclassiconstyle.PublicationManualoftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation. FifthEdition. Washington,D.C.:

APA,2001.

ManualforAPAstyle,usedbywritersinpsychology,sociology,business,andeconomics.PROLIFICACADEMICWRITING

RobertBoice.ProfessorsAsWriters:Aselfhelpguidetoproductivewriting.NewForumsPress,

1990.

Writtenby

a

well

known

researcher

on

faculty

careers,

this

book

has

lots

of

good

advice

applicabletograduatestudents.RobertBoice.AdviceforNewFacultyMembers.NihilNimus.AllynandBacon,2000.

Nicebookbasedonhisyearsofresearchofadvicetonewfacultymembers.Thesubtitle,everythinginmoderation,sumsuptheadvice.Thisisabouthowtodoenoughwithoutkillingyourself.Equallyapplicableforgraduatestudents,particularlytheadviceonwriting.


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HumeWritingCenter

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W.BradJohnsonandCarolA.Mullen.WritetotheTop!:HowtoBecomeaProlificAcademic.

PalgraveMacmillan,2007

Amatteroffactbookof65suggestionsorganizedinto11chapters. Thebasicmessageisto

startandkeepwriting.

AnneLamott.

Bird

by

Bird:

Some

Instructions

on

Writing

and

Life.

Anchor

Press,

1995

Alovelybookbyabrilliantwriter,itisaimedatwritersofallgenres.Thebookstitlederives

fromafamilystory. ThenightbeforehisnotyetstartedpaperonFiftyBirdswasdue,her

brotherpanicked. Dadsadvice,Justtakeitbirdbybird. Thesameholdstrueofdissertations.

AsdoestheadviceinthechaptercalledShittyFirstDrafts.

ElizabethRankin.TheWorkofWriting. Insightsandstrategiesforacademicsandprofessionals.

JosseyBass,2001.

Goodadviceaboutgettingfeedbackandrevising. Includesexamplesandscenarios.

PaulJ.Silvia. HowtoWriteaLot. APracticalGuidetoProductiveAcademicWriting.

Washington,DC: AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,2007.

Seeminglywrittenonlyforthoseinthepsychologyfield,thisbookhaslotsofnononsense

advicebasedonpsychologicaltheory.

PUBLISHINGADISSERTATIONWilliamGermano.FromDissertationtoBook.UniversityOfChicagoPress,2005.

Particularlyapplicableforfieldsinthehumanitiesandbookfocusedsocialsciences,thisbook

discussesrethinkingandreconceptualizingadissertationintoabook.

KathleenA.KendallTackett. HowtoWriteforaGeneralAudience: AGuideforAcademics

WhoWanttoShareTheirKnowledgewiththeWorldandFunDoingit(APALifetools).

WashingtonD.C.: AmericanPsychologicalAssociation,2007.

Providesadviceonbeatingprocrastination,whichishelpfulforthewritingstage. Alsopractice

adviceforpitchingonesbook,workingwitheditors,andnegotiatingabookcontract.

This Dissertation Writing Group starter kit was a collaborative project created by Sohui Lee, Ph.D. (Hume WritingCenter) and Chris Golde, Ph.D. (The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education) at Stanford University.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5

License


28/28

Communicating with your Writing Group

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Documents

Starting an Effective Dissertation Writing Group