5 Signs You Need Help with Your Dissertation Data: When to Ask for Help

Writing a dissertation is a stressful process, and it can be hard to decide when to ask for help. 

1. You cannot explain your data to someone outside your area of study.

Dissertations are written by people who have a deep knowledge of the topic at hand. The goal of the final product is to be able to clearly communicate the information and findings of the dissertation to people with or without a similar background. Bringing in outside help can assist in making the information in your dissertation more accessible and help make your dissertation defense easier. 

2. Your advisor keeps telling you to run the analysis again.

Bringing in an outside perspective can identify and resolve these issues in a way that your advisor may not have time to do.

3. You are avoiding starting your methods chapter.

It is common for people to hit a roadblock when writing the methods chapter of a dissertation. While it might seem difficult to start, bringing in another person can help get the process going.

4. Your data is so baffling that you can’t tell what it actually says.

Resolving this will take significant amounts of time and expertise, and doing it yourself can muddle the data further. An experienced outside analyst can help clear up the data and make it more manageable.

5. You don’t have enough hours in the day to really get into what your data is saying.

One way to resolve this is to bring in someone else to work on the data alongside you. We can help you manage the load. 

There are many resources for dissertation students, including Data in Plain English, other data analysis companies, and university resources. These allow you to focus on what you can do to get your dissertation finished and defense-ready.