ABSTRACT
The most critical area of a graduate professor's responsibility is advising students on their doctoral dissertations, and the horror stories are legion. These include the typical tale of the advisor who suggests a subject so difficult that it would take decades to complete and so on. The source of the problem is that professors too often presume that by teaching at an advanced level they have transcended the need to observe principles of good pedagogy. Graduate students should be urged to follow an analogous rule: If one does not understand something, say something. A common problem is lack of a suitable topic. Typically students want to tackle one of vast magnitude, thereby making completion a virtual impossibility. The effective advisor is aware of this tendency and offers alternatives that are far easier to manage. Dissertation supervisors are expected to write letters for their advisees as they seek an academic position.
