ABSTRACT

A dissertation is a complex endeavour composed of multiple interrelated activities and sections. In order to facilitate its timely completion, quality, and impact on readers, students must approach the dissertation in a carefully organized fashion. This chapter focuses on the broadest possible perspective on students work: how to use timelines to help them organize, visualize, and develop reasonably accurate time estimates for the various dissertation-related tasks ahead of them. A timeline diagram for students’ dissertation can indicate when they expect particular phases of their dissertation to start and how long they expect these phases to last. Visual aids can often help organize and communicate complex processes. One type of visual model, a causal diagram, is used in many disciplines to visually and efficiently summarize important elements of complex causal relations applicable to a phenomenon. Decision-making flow charts can help the reader better understand student’s methods and decision-making strategies, and can establish the context for understanding their results.