Six Tips To Choosing The Right Dissertation Mentor

Choosing the right dissertation mentor (also called "advisor") is one of the most important decisions a student can make in the dissertation completion process. It is just as important as choosing a topic, conducting research, developing the design, and writing. Here are several tips that can help you make the right decisions: 1.First and foremost, contact those who have already completed their dissertations or are nearing the end of the process, and find out which mentors were most helpful and which were not. As the Chinese proverb says, "To know the road ahead, ask those coming back." 2. Find a mentor with whom you share common research interests and who understands your methodological approach. If your prospective mentor does not understand quantitative methods, and you are doing a quantitative study, (or conversely, if you are conducting qualitative analysis, and your mentor keeps focusing on quantitative concepts), that is a sign of a poor fit. Try to find a mentor with whom you see eye to eye regarding approach and topic. 3. Everyone has a personality, and sometimes those personalities clash. If you and your mentor both have control issues, that may become a source conflict. It is a good idea to have a conversation with the prospective mentor before jumping into the "doctoral relationship." Just like a first date, if you do not feel right about the potential, albeit professional relationship, then it is better to find a different mentor. Find one who is friendly and with whom you feel you can develop rapport, yet at the same time will respect professional boundaries. 4. A mentor who possesses a good balance between criticism and acceptance is ideal. Too many critiques can slow down the process while too relaxed an approach may spell trouble later if there is a major methodological flaw with the dissertation or thesis. 5. Turnaround time is an important factor to consider. Ask your prospective mentor how long he usually takes to return drafts. A mentor who states he takes the full allotted time required by the university may not be as good a mentor as one who states that she usually return comments more quickly than the allotted time allowed. 6. Choose a mentor whose critiques make sense. If it is hard to decipher what is wanted, then this may spell problems down the road. If your potential mentor was one of your previous instructors, ask yourself, "Did his or her comments make sense? Was he or she knowledgeable, insightful, competent?" If so, that individual would probably make a good mentor. Finally, remember you are not locked into a relationship with your mentor. While you don't want to jump from mentor to mentor, switching mentors once is certainly within your rights. Do not wait to switch, however. If during the initial stages of communication there is strong evidence your mentor is holding up the process, not providing useful critiques, displaying issues of control, bias, or simply does not appear competent, be proactive and try to find a new mentor. Hopefully, though, if you've followed tips one through six, you won't have to switch.