Many thanks to our faculty members who have been very supportive and generous with their time this semester.  Unfortunately because everybody (faculty and students) were very busy this week, we had to cancel our Third Thursday Talk on transitioning from comprehensive exams to prospectus writing.  In Lieu, Dr. Holmes and Dr. Harker have offered a few quick tips to help students transition from comprehensive exams to the prospectus writing process.

 Dr. Holmes:

1. It’s okay if you feel a bit of a slump after comprehensive exams.  You’ve studied so hard and passed that hurdle. Take time to celebrate that victory and rejuvenate yourself personally and as a scholar.
2.  Review the work you completed for comprehensive exams. You can often pull pieces from your exams to help you begin writing your prospectus.
3. Ask friends and other students in the program ahead of you if they’d be willing to share their prospectus as a sample.
4. Start a writing group. Set goals and deadlines. Hold each other accountable.
5. Remember that the prospectus is the plan for the dissertation, not the dissertation itself (even though pieces of the prospectus may end up in your diss). It is absolutely an important part of the process, and spending time constructing a methodologically-sound study will save you time and trouble later; however, the prospectus is yet another hurdle to get past so that you can get down to the business of writing your
   dissertation.

Dr. Harker (as paraphrased from a conversation):

1. After receiving approval from your committee chair, send out the article that was revised for publication in comprehensive exams for publication immediately.

2.  If you have difficulty beginning or completing your prospectus, keep in mind that while the prospectus is a necessary step to take, don’t pressure yourself by thinking that the dissertation will necessarily be the same as the prospectus.  The prospectus is a plan–a fiction of sorts–meant to guide you as you compose your dissertation.

3.  These are some of the things that Dr. Harker looks for in a prospectus:

a.       That you have identified a conceptual or evidentiary gap in existing research about your topic

b.       That you are planning to make a unique contribution to ongoing conversations related to your topic

c.        That you can put yourself into conversation with the major players in your area

d.       That you can identify and explain your methodology

e.       That you can address any IRB issues that may arise

4.  Faculty hope that you leave your prospectus defense excited and motivated to write your dissertation.