2011 BPS Managing Your Dissertation Workshop

Getting guidance:

Forming and Managing a Committee

Alex Oettl

Georgia Tech

Forming Your Committee

First step, choose an advisorThis is possibly the most important decision you will make w.r.t. your dissertation. Choose carefully and choose wisely.How?

Know your advisor’s research Ensure that your advisor has adequate bandwidth Does your advisor “get” you? Do you get your advisor?

On to the rest of the committee…

What should your “team” look like?

Think about committee members in both topic and skills space.

Different types of skills: Question people Senior statesmen/women Methods People Theorists

Aim for diversity of skill-types.

Committee Size

Larger Committees Pros:

Larger committees will provide access to more ideas Greater ability to cull “bad” research trajectories More individuals with a vested interest in your success

Cons: Coordination costs Potential for free-riding Decreasing chance of satisfying everyone

Your committee is now formed. How do you manage them?

Allow your advisor to argue on your behalf with your committee.

Don’t surprise your committee.

Make use of commitment devices to reach your goals (shame can be a powerful motivator)

How to manage your committee

Regular meetings

Set-up transparent “contracts” between you and your committee to understand both of your expectations.

Set-up a road-map for important milestones leading up to and through the job market. Look forward, reason back.

Take responsibility for your progress. As much as you’d like to think that your committee has nothing

better to do than think about your dissertation, this is in fact, not the case.

Final Thoughts

Dissertation is an apprenticeship It’s important that you leverage your committee’s

expertise.

Don’t solely limit your guidance network to your committee. Obtain feedback (preferably at later stages) from other faculty as well.

In the end, the best dissertation is a completed dissertation. Hopefully these tips will help you along in your quest.