| Do I
have to have significant research results in order to pass my
dissertation?
Generally
speaking committees are more invested in how the process is done
and less in finding significant results. Numerous people
have gotten their Ph.D.’s despite obtaining disappointing
results from their research. Of course, you want to design
a project which maximizes the possibility that you will obtain
predicted results. If you are intent on a career in
academia, obtaining significant results on your dissertation is
extremely important, since it will communicate to institutions
that you have a firm grasp of your field and understand the
nuances of your chosen subject matter.
For
those clinical psychology students who are doing their
dissertations because it’s a “requirement,” the most
important thing is to design a clean and cogent study so that
you understand how research works. The dissertation
process assists all grad students in learning how to read the
literature with a more careful eye. Sometimes clinical
students go out on a limb or take a novel approach to a subject
for which there can be no guarantee of success. Once your
committee has approved your dissertation proposal and you do
what is agreed to, you cannot control what happens there.
As a scientist, your job is to report and analyze what happens. |
