Recent content by Tamina

Inessa first off: 30 interviews is a lot. That's good data but also that's a lot of data. You're not failing. You're just in the messy middle where everyone is before they find the themes. Here's what I do: take the first 5 interviews. Code them sentence by sentence. Don't worry about merging...

Britney I was skeptical too but I've kept one for about 8 months now and it's genuinely helped. Not because I'm writing profound insights every day (I'm not lol) but because it creates a record of my thinking. The best thing it's done is help me realize how much progress I'm actually making...

You're going to cry and that's fine. I think the trick is accepting that instead of trying to avoid it. I wrote mine at 2am the night before submission and it was just pure emotional exhaustion on a page. But my advisor said it was the most authentic part of my whole dissertation lol. A...

I've been telling myself for months that I can't afford to take a break. My dissertation is already late. My advisor is waiting. My funding is running out. Every hour not writing is an hour wasted. I pushed and pushed until I couldn't push anymore. Then I got sick. A cold that turned into...

I've finished my analysis, but I'm stuck on the conclusion. My advisor said: “Don't just summarize what you already said. Add something new.” But what does “add something new” mean? I thought conclusions were supposed to wrap things up. A guide says a strong conclusion should: Synthesize...

I just got my dissertation chapter back with 40 pages of comments. I opened it, saw the red ink, and closed it. I haven't looked at it for three days. A writing guide says: “Don't respond immediately. Let it sit for a day or two. Then sort comments by type: easy fixes, clarifications...

I'm in year five of my PhD and I've lost all motivation. I used to care deeply about my research question. Now I just want it to be over. A dissertation coach says: “It's normal to hate your topic at the end. The goal isn't passion anymore; it's completion” . But how do I push through when every...