Dissertation Support 2: Planning, Supervisors and Stress Management

Abstract

This is the second in a series of 7 generic workshops on dissertation support for undergraduates and masters students. It covers research planning and management, getting the most out of your supervisory relationship, overcoming flagging and managing stress.

Full text

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Dissertation Support 2:
Planning, Supervisors
and Stress
Dr Peter Samuels
23rd November
2019
Aims
To offer some practical tips on planning and
scheduling
To encourage good study habits
To provide information on the expectations of
supervisors and students
To offer practical advice on how to get the most
out of your supervisions
To address potential pitfalls

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Summary
Planning and scheduling
GANTT charts
Roles of the supervisor and the student
Getting the most out of your supervisory
relationship
Assertiveness
Troubleshooting
Stress management
The main dissertation phases
Conceptual
Organise your
dissertation topic
mentally
Critical
Critique
and
evaluate
theory and
method
Action
Collect
and
organise
data
Analytical
Analyse
data and
generate
findings
Creative
Assemble
dissertation
Write
discussion
and
conclusions
Final editing
Effort
Time
Contingency
Peak
Hand-in date

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A typical sequence of tasks
Most tasks
in this
example
take about
1 day a
week
10 tips for getting started and
improving your productivity
1. Improve your study environment:
Tidiness
Noise
Change location?
2. Avoid social distractions
3. Work in short bursts
4. Find a way to start – reject displacement activities!
5. Focus on positives
6. Use a non-linear approach to writing
7. Cut up large tasks (e.g. using a work breakdown structure)
8. Work alongside others
9. Ask for help
10.Don’t be a perfectionist
Source: (McMillan and Weyers, 2011)

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What you need to consider…
The dissertation criteria / module guide
Deadlines and dependencies
Your topic / research proposal
Your supervisor
Your available resources
Your other commitments
What if it all goes ‘pear shaped’ (seriously wrong)?
 Contingency planning
Plan and complete tasks by using
a work breakdown structure
Task
no.
Description
Effort
Who Comment
3.1
Develop interview
questions
3 hrs
Me
Send to
supervisor
3.2
Check questions
1 hr
Supervis
or
Arrange meeting
on methodology
3.3
Arrange
5
interviews
2 hrs
Me
Send emails
3.4
Carry out 5
interviews
5 hrs
Me
Make
notes and
use a dictaphone
3.5
Transcribe notes
5 hrs
Me
Use Excel
Complements a GANTT chart

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Or a “things to do” list
Priority
Task
Date
Complete
Scheduling and time management
Use a weekly timetable
Set aside (strictly) protected time for your
dissertation
Set realistic goals in the time you have available
and monitor your progress
9 10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

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Stereotypes of poor time
management
Late-nighter: Prefers to work late at night but might
have problems, e.g. accessing resources/data
Extension-seeker: Always rationalises being late
Last-minuter: Motivated by the buzz of approaching
deadlines (OK for essays but not for dissertations)
Know-it-all: Doesn’t check everything is OK before
it’s too late, e.g. data collection – no contingency plan
Perfectionist: Can’t let go of imperfect work – too
many drafts and attempts
Source: (McMillan and Weyers, 2011)
GANTT charts
Visual schedule of tasks
Helps with the overall management of your
dissertation – ‘the big picture’
Keeps you on track
Motivates and encourages if used appropriately
Should be a ‘living’ document throughout your
dissertation

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Example GANTT Chart
Most tasks are
output orientated Most tasks overlap:
Dependencies? Milestones?
No room
for
slippage if
something
goes
wrong?
Manageable number
of tasks (<20)
Appropriate
granularity:
weekly or
fortnightly
Source: (Walliman, 2014)
Example GANTT template
Week comm encing 26/09 03/10 10/10 17/10 24/10 31/10 07/11 14/11 21/11 28/11 05/12 12/12 19/12 26/12 02/01 09/01 16/01 23/01 30/01 06/02 13/02 20/02 27/02 06/03 13/03 20/03 27/03 03/04
Number 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Topic discovery
Prepare research
proposal
Literature review (1st
draft)
Methodology (draft)
Literature review
(2nd draft)
Methodology (final)
Design research
instrument
Collect data
Analyse data (draft)
Literature review
(final)
Data analysis (final)
Discussion
Full dissertation (1st
draft)
Full dissertation (2nd
draft)
Proofreading and
final preparation
Phase Contingency
Proposal Literature review Methodology Data analysis Discussion Full dissertation
Critical
Action
Analytical
Creative
Supervisions
Conceptual

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The dissertation process
involves:
Ideas / creativity
Knowledge (of your chosen topic)
Planning and management
The relationship between you and your
supervisor
Lots of small choices
A vital key to a successful
dissertation is managing
your relationship with your
supervisor
But how?
Understand your roles
Be assertive
Troubleshooting

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You will not succeed by:
Arguing
Fighting
Blowing things out of all
proportion…
Common problems
My supervisor is also marking my dissertation so I’d
better not complain about (what I perceive to be) her/his
poor performance or she/he will give me a low mark
In my culture academics are always highly respected so
I do not feel I can complain however badly I’m being
treated
If I was to speak out and I was wrong then I would lose
face (feel ashamed)
I’m under so much pressure to do well (from family,
finances, need for a future job, speaking a new
language, etc.) but I cannot express this to my
supervisor
I feel I’m being badly treated by my supervisor but I don’t
have any evidence

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A supervisory relationship
is a bit like a dance
Content (c.f. dance steps)
Other technical elements
(e.g. academic writing)
Overview (c.f. choreography)
Personal relationship
Developing your ‘voice’ as an
academic researcher/writer
(smile, clicking together, etc.)
Source: (Derounian, 2011)
Gatfield’s supervisory styles
Structure
Low
Low High
High
Pastoral Contractual
Laisser-faire Directorial
Potential
conflict
when your
preferred
style is the
opposite of
your
supervisor’s
style

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Gurr’s (2001) alignment of super-
visory styles with student needs
Student’s
status
Supervisor’s recent style
Hands-on
Fully
dependent
Hands-off
Completely
autonomous Possible
conflict Autonomy
generation
Appropriate
support
Benign
neglect
“Rackety bridge”
Your supervisor can:
Be available for supervisory meetings to:
Assess your progress honestly
Provide verbal feedback
Agree next steps for your research and helping you set goals for
your next meeting
Advise you about reading and research and help you to
develop your ideas and hypotheses
Provide guidance and support throughout
Review whether your research is manageable, suitably
focused and clearly prescribed
Provide written feedback on key stages, e.g. proposal,
literature review, methodology and discussion
Advise you on the preparation of your dissertation document
(structure, content, coherence and presentation)

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Your supervisor cannot:
Provide you with a ‘ready-made’ research area
Take responsibility for the progress of your
dissertation
Chase you to make an appointment with them
Provide you with an indicative mark (their approval of
your progress does not imply any particular grade)
Respond to your emails immediately, out of hours, on
annual leave or at the weekend
Read your work at short notice or without an
appointment
Assist with continual revisions of draft chapters
Proofread or edit your work
You should:
Work conscientiously and independently, following your
supervisor’s guidance and feedback
Be proactive by reporting/raising problems/difficulties
with your supervisor early
Give your supervisor sufficient notice of requested
meetings and send your draft work in advance
Prepare for supervisory meetings having addressed
prior action points with a clear agenda for the meeting
Take notes during supervisions and send a meeting
summary within 3 days
Take responsibility for your own progress by regularly
reviewing your personal timeline (e.g. GANTT chart) to
ensure your research is on track

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Planning and organising your
supervisory meetings
Focus on one subject in each meeting
Organise your paperwork before, during and
after the meeting
Agree on actions/dates (public goal setting)
Let go of your draft at the right moment
Send your work enough time in advance for
your supervisor to be able to provide you with
helpful feedback. The ideal amount of time is…
2 to 3 days
Send a meeting summary sheet
within 3 days via email
Summary of first meeting:
Discussed the viability of my dissertation idea – consumer
attitudes and behaviour towards sustainable fashion brands –
and its potential emphasis
…
Agreed action points:
Start collecting information and reading as much as possible from
varied quality sources and in particular investigate academic
journal articles that focus on the same subject area
…
Date/time of next meeting: 24/10/16 at 10.00am
Name
Student No
Date of meeting
Supervisor
Amy Fowler
111111111
1/10/19
P. Samuels

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Learn to be assertive
Respect for others
Assertiveness is…
Belief in:
Respecting others and yourself
Values and rights
You have a right to:
Ask for what you want
Have an opinion
Make decisions
Make mistakes
Celebrate you successes
Change your mind
Be independent
Be respected
Refuse to do something (unhelpful to your success)

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Assertiveness techniques
Broken record: Repeat a suitable phrase, such as,
“This item is faulty. Under the sale of goods act I
am entitled to my money back.” (without getting
angry or further justifying yourself – until you are
asked to)
Empathy: Express how you feel and that you are
trying to understand how the other person feels
(e.g. “I understand you need help but I’m sorry I
can’t this time because …”)
Offer a compromise, whilst maintaining self-
respect
A combination of all three techniques is often best
Exercise
5 minutes
Consider the following scenario:
Lidia takes care of her mother, who suffers from
Alzheimer’s disease, forgets everything and
requires a lot of attention. Lidia’s brother, David,
lives with them but doesn’t do anything to help,
even though he only works half a day. David has
promised to take care of their mother for three
hours so that Lidia can go out, but when the time
comes he changes his mind.
Discuss in small groups how you would handle
this situation to get the best outcome

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Solution
David: Lidia, my friends just told me that they’re all going to the baseball game, and I’m
going with them. I’ll be gone all afternoon.
Lidia: David, you must have forgotten that you promised to stay with Mom for three
hours today. I’ve already made my plans. I would really appreciate it if you fulfilled your
promise.
(David ignores her.)
Lidia: You know what? It really bothers me that you ignore what I’m telling you. I would
prefer that you talk directly to me so that we could reach an agreement.
David: I’m sorry, but I want to go to the game.
Lidia: I understand you. But I’m hurt, and I resent that you don’t have any
consideration for what we had decided to do, especially now that I’ve already made my
own plans. I really believe that you should do what you promised and spend three
hours with Mom, like we had agreed.
David: Don’t bother me so much. I’ll think about it.
Lidia: Even if you think so, I’m not trying to bother you, David. But, after all, this was
our agreement. I would prefer that you kept your promise. Remember that you
promised me last week that you would spend three hours with Mom this afternoon? We
even agreed about the time. Don’t you think that you should do what you promised?
David: Oh, all right. I know what we’d agreed. I’ll stay. But you can’t blame me for
wanting to go to the game.
Vitae’s tips for a successful
relationship
1. Keep things in perspective – you are both human
2. Any criticism is almost always directed at your
actions, not you (even when it seems personal)
3. Be organized
4. Be honest – report problems when they are small
5. Be professional – accept criticism positively
6. Ask for feedback – don’t wait to be told what to do
7. Show your enthusiasm
8. Meet deadlines – set a good example

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How to nurture your supervisor
Establish norms of how you will work together
Incorporate your supervisor’s
recommendations in your revisions (at least in
part)
Respect the time constraints of your
supervisory meetings
Take the initiative, but expect guidance
Maintain contact
Source: (Roberts, 2010)
Remember: it is YOUR dissertation, not theirs
Some more advice
Do not be afraid to negotiate
Always come prepared
Always keep a record of your meetings
If you are not happy with your supervisor, say
so
And remember...
The supervisory relationship is a two-way process
– don’t be a passive recipient!

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Troubleshooting: Some
common causes of delay
Problems accessing data / subjects
Illness
Unavailability of resources
Slow ethics approval (medium / high risk only)
Difficult academic area
Family or work crisis
Need to rewrite sections due to poor quality
Source: (Horn, 2012)
Moral: Leave extra time for contingencies!
How to complete your
dissertation on time
Advice from successful students:
Start early
Set aside adequate (protected) time each week
Adhere to your timeline
Get the most out of you relationship with your
supervisor
Choose a topic that genuinely interests you
Keep your project simple yet innovative
Source: (Rivera et al., 2005)

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What if it all goes ‘pear shaped’?
Contact your course tutor (informally at first):
Ask for advice
What are my options / the procedures? (Empower
yourself!)
Keep a record of issues
Seek a resolution:
Follow existing procedure, e.g. a meeting between
you, your supervisor, your course tutor and a
Students Union representative
Either you change, or
Your supervisor changes, or
You both change, or
You change supervisor
Final words…
Do not be afraid to negotiate
Always come prepared
Always keep a record of your meetings
If you are not happy with your supervisor,
say so
And remember...
The supervisory relationship is a two-way
process – don’t be a passive recipient!

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Strategies to overcome flagging:
Talk things over with others
Live a healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise and rest)
Deal with common causes of ‘flagging’
Dorando Pietri
Marathon, 1908 Olympics
Exhausted upon reaching
stadium: took 10 minutes to
complete final lap
Disqualified after finishing
first because he was
assisted
Given consolation medal by
Queen Alexandra
Flagging
Common causes of flagging
1. Lacking a sense of direction
2. Aiming too high
3. Feeling disorganized
4. Losing interest and getting depressed
5. Ineffective relationships with peers
6. Outside commitments
7. Outside emergencies
8. Feeling stressed and unable to cope
Source: (Cryer, 2006)

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Stress
Physical meaning:
Strain – amount of
tension an object is
placed under
Stress – reaction to
being under strain
Emotional meaning:
Stress occurs when you believe you can’t cope with
a problem or situation you perceive to be stressful
(Lazarus and Cohen, 1977).
Some causes of stress
relating to dissertations
Insufficient support or leadership
Long or unsociable hours
Uncertainty or insecurity
Unrealistically high expectations
Inability to influence decisions (caused by a
lack of assertiveness)
Conflicts with supervisor
Poor communication
Inability to finish a job
Source: (Fontana, 1993)

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Some signs of stress
Panic attacks
Always feeling pressured and hurried
Unable to take in new information, forgetful
Being irritable, constantly in a bad mood
Headaches, chest pain, stomach problems
Allergic reactions (i.e. asthma)
Trouble going to sleep
Overeating or not eating properly
Addictions and substance abuse
Depression, constant sadness
Being withdrawn
These are signs: they may not all be present
Performance
above the
comfort zone
can’t be
maintained
indefinitely
Source:
(Selye, 1970)

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Tips on managing stress
Try not to worry about things outside your control
Identify the sources of stress in your life (stressors)
Talk to someone (friend, supervisor, University
counsellor)
Start a (stress) journal: it may be easier to write
things down and reflect, then deal with the
situation
Look at how you currently cope with stress: there
are healthy and unhealthy ways – try not to start
new bad habits
Do some exercise
Find a relaxation technique that works for you
The 4 A’s of stress management
Accept: When we can’t change the situation,
sometimes we need to just accept it for what it is
Avoid: Plan ahead to rearrange your surroundings:
 Avoid taking on more than you can handle
Alter: Changing stressful situations may allow you to
evade the stress all-together:
Manage your time better
Be more assertive
Adapt: By anticipating stressors in your life and making
plans to adapt, you can save yourself a lot of
aggravation:
Change your thinking
Change your feelings
Change your actions

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References
Cryer, P. (2006) The Research Student’s Guide to Success. 3rd edn.
Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Derounian, J. (2011) Shall we dance? The importance of staff–
student relationships to undergraduate dissertation preparation.
Active Learning in Higher Education, 12(2), pp. 91–100.
Fontana, D. (1993) Managing Stress. Abingdon: Routledge.
Gatfield, T. (2005) An investigation into PhD supervisory management
styles: Development of a dynamic conceptual model and its
management. Journal of Higher Education Policy and
Management, 27(3), pp. 311-325.
Gurr, G. (2001) Negotiating the “rackety bridge” – a dynamic model
for aligning supervisory style with research student development.
Higher Education Research and Development, 20(1), pp. 80-92.
Horn, R. (2012) Researching and Writing Dissertations: A complete
guide for business and management students. 2nd edn. London:
CIPD.
References (2)
Mayo Clinic (2019) Need stress relief? Try the 4 A's. Available at:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-
depth/stress-relief/art-20044476
McMillan, K. and Weyers, J. (2011) How to Write Dissertations and
Project Reports. 2nd edn. Harlow: Pearson.
Rivera, J., Levine, R. and Wright, S. (2005) Completing a scholarly
project during residency training: perspectives of residents who
have been successful. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20(4),
pp. 366-369.
Roberts, C. (2010) The Dissertation Journey: A practical and
comprehensive guide to planning, writing and defending your
dissertation. 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Selye, H. (1970) The evolution of the stress concept: Stress and
cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Cardiology, 26(3),
pp. 289-299.

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References (3)
Successful Academic (2019) Dissertation Tips.
http://www.successfulacademic.com/success-tips/dissertation-
tips/.
Vitae (2019) Supervision and Key Relationships.
https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/doing-a-
doctorate/starting-a-doctorate/supervision-and-key-relationships.
Walliman, N. (2014) Your Undergraduate Dissertation: The essential
guide for success. 2nd edn. London: SAGE.