NURS 8551: Preparing for Dissertation | Week 10

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for ensuring that all Walden University research complies with the university’s ethical standards as well as U.S. federal regulations. IRB approval is required before collection of any data, including pilot data.

—Walden University Office of Research Integrity and Compliance

After you have received approval from your dissertation committee on your research proposal, you will be required to submit your Proposal (Chapters 1–3) to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB will review the Proposal to determine if your proposed research study is ethically sound. If it is deemed to be so, you will be given permission to move forward with collecting your data. Keep in mind that your dissertation committee, which guides you through the entire dissertation process, will also offer ongoing advisement with consideration to the IRB review.

This week, you will consider the level of review that might be required for your research.

Learning Objectives – NURS 8551: Preparing for Dissertation Assignment

Students will:

• Evaluate the types of consent and precautions required for dissertation research

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Rudestam, K. E., & Newton, R. R. (2015). Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Chapter 13, “Informed Consent and Other Ethical Concerns” (pp. 313–332)

Klitzman, R. (2013). How good does the science have to be in proposals submitted to Institutional Review Boards? An interview study of Institutional Review Board personnel. Clinical Trials: Journal of The Society For Clinical Trials, 10(5), 761–766.

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Walden University. (n.d.-i). Office of Student Research Administration: Ph.D. Dissertation Program. Retrieved December 18, 2014, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/osra/phd

Note: At this website, locate and review the Dissertation Prospectus Guide.

Walden University. (n.d.-j). Research ethics & compliance: Guides and FAQs. Retrieved December 18, 2014, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/orec/guides

Note: At this website, locate and review the following documents:

• Red Flag Issues that Need an Early IRB Consultation
• IRB Guide for Researchers Using the Participant Pool
• IRB Guide for Archival Researchers
• IRB Guidance for International Research
• IRB Guidance for Conducting Doctoral Research in Your Own Professional Setting

Walden University. (n.d.-k). Research ethics & compliance: Welcome from the IRB. Retrieved December 18, 2014, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/orec

Discussion: Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is in place to ensure the safety and confidentiality of information for those individuals who participate in research studies. For most research in the field of health care, you are required to have your research preapproved by at least two organizations—Walden University and the health facility with which you will be working.

Understanding the level of review required for your research and why it is vital to be approved prior to beginning your dissertation research will protect you, the University, and the individuals who participate in your research.

Review the “Institutional Review Board (IRB) Frequently Asked Questions” self-paced tutorial included in this week’s Learning Resources, as well as the materials presented at the Institutional Review Board for Ethical Standards in Research website (also included this week’s Learning Resources).

By Day 3

Post a brief description of your dissertation topic. Then, explain the types of consent and precautions you think the Institutional Review Board may require for your research study, and why. Be sure to note how your research design, methods, participants, and type of data might affect the level of institutional review required.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 6

Respond to at least one of your colleagues, noting additional considerations and insights into the types of consent and precautions needed for the research study.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made. NURS 8551: Preparing for Dissertation Assignment.

ADDITIONAL INFO 

Preparing for Dissertation

Introduction

If you are looking for dissertation help, there are many options. You can hire an academic writer or do it yourself with the help of online sources. If you want to choose your own tutor, make sure that they have at least a bachelor’s degree in their field and enough experience working with students like yours.

Find an advisor.

Finding an advisor is one of the most important aspects of your dissertation. An adviser can help you navigate the process, guide you through research and writing, and provide feedback on your work.

Make sure that your potential advisor has experience in the field or subfield that interests you. If possible, visit their office and ask them questions about their background so that they can provide an honest assessment of how well prepared they think you are to tackle this particular project. Also consider whether other students who have worked with them found them helpful or not; if there were any criticisms or complaints about their service, it would be best for you not to choose those people as advisors!

If there aren’t any professors at nearby colleges/universities who fit all these criteria (or even if there are!), try contacting faculty members from other departments whose research overlaps with yours—they may know someone who is able to help!

Find a good topic.

The first step in preparing for your dissertation is to figure out what you want to write about. This can be difficult because there are so many different things that you can write about, but it’s important that your topic is something that interests you and makes sense for the book. If this sounds like too much work, don’t worry! There are some simple tips we’ve learned from experience:

• Pick a topic that interests you—one where there are lots of interesting facts and stories (not necessarily in order). For example: if we were writing about superheroes, our favorite superhero would probably be Batman (because he’s cool). But then again maybe not because superheros aren’t real people; they’re just imaginary characters who fight crime while wearing fancy suits and masks… Nah nah nah nah nah nooo I’m kidding! It’s easy now right? Just pick something else instead like… uhm… maybe something related to sports or politics? Yeah yeah sure whatever floats your boat buddy 🙂 🙂

Choose a good title/topic

The first step in preparing for your dissertation is choosing a topic. This is one of the most important decisions you will make, so take some time to think about what interests you and why. If your goal is to become an expert in something related to your field, then this should help guide your choice of subject matter. But if it’s not, then perhaps consider adding some context by researching other related topics such as communication style or power dynamics within organizations (or even outside ones).

Once you’ve identified what interests you most, look at how relevant each suggestion is based on its importance within society or industry standards:

• Is this topic relevant? Who benefits from knowing more about it? Who doesn’t benefit? How could they benefit?

• Are there any ethical issues associated with studying this material? How do they affect both parties involved in any given situation, especially when considering how individuals might react differently depending upon their personal backgrounds/livesets

do your research.

Now that you have a rough outline of your dissertation, it’s time to get down to brass tacks and do some real research.

The first step is to find out what other people have said about the topic at hand. This can be done by going online or reading books and journals on related topics in your field of study. Your library has several books on this subject as well, so go there if necessary (just make sure that they’re not too expensive). You may also want to consult with professors who specialize in your field of study; these people will be able to provide valuable insight into both current trends and future possibilities for research within their areas of expertise!

Get enough information on topic.

• Use library resources to gather information.

• Do a literature review and find out more about the topic, reading books, journals and articles on your topic in addition to other sources such as websites, social media posts and news articles from mainstream media outlets (e.g., The New York Times).

• Talk to experts who are working in this area or have done research on similar topics for advice on how you can best prepare yourself for writing about it effectively!

Always backup your work .

Before you start working on your dissertation, it’s important to back up all of your work. If you have a USB drive or external hard drive, I would recommend using those as well. You can also use cloud storage providers like Dropbox or Google Drive if they are available in the country where you live.

If none of these options are available and there is no other way for me to get my data out of my device (iPad), then I will take pictures with my phone and upload them directly into my computer so that I can see what needs to be done next without having access while at home.

plan your time .

The most important part of preparing for your dissertation is time management. You need to plan your time in such a way that you can be realistic, organized and flexible.

The first step is to be realistic about how much time you have for writing and research. If you are making an extra effort with this project then it will take longer than expected so make sure that there are no other pressing deadlines that require attention before completing the dissertation itself.

You should also consider what kind of schedule would work best for your situation: if possible try working from home or at an office environment where everyone has access to computers (e-mail etc). This will help keep distractions away from your work which makes things easier on both ends; both for yourself as well as other members involved in reviewing/reading drafts before submission date arrives!

Learn to manage your time

The first step to preparing for dissertations is learning how to manage your time. There are many things you can do, but one of the best ways is by using a calendar or diary. You should also make sure that you know exactly when your exams are and what they’re going to be like so that you can plan ahead and avoid procrastination.

It’s not enough just to say “I’m going to do my dissertation,” as often happens when people don’t have any idea how long it will take them or what kind of work it requires!

You shouldn’t waste any time on social media either; if possible, delete all social media apps from your phone before starting this project because they’ll only distract from getting anything done (and not always in a good way).

You should watch TV shows and movies at least once per week—but never more than two hours per day! That limit applies even if there aren’t any other distractions around since our brains use up energy quickly in these situations due

Conclusion

The process of writing a dissertation can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. If you follow these steps and make sure that you apply yourself, then you should be able to get through the process on your own. The key is being diligent with your research and developing good habits so that your work is always top-notch!