Username: DevinMcGinty     Send personal mail

Subject area: Arts, Humanities, Linguistics

Department: English Language and Literature

Pursuing degree: Post-Graduate

Stage of research: Post-Graduation

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• Answers: (9)

  I am at the beginning of my dissertation stage and I have hit an obstacle. I am having difficulty recruiting participants for my research study. I am specifically seeking formerly homeless veterans that reside in Southern California. I am desperately seeking any advice to help with my search.

  You may have already done this, but have you tried contacting the California Department of Veteran Affairs? (http://www.calvet.ca.gov/vetservices/HomelessVeterans.aspx). They may be able to help put you in contact with some participants. Also, I am the GradShare site administrator, and you can feel free to post your inquiry on our Facebook page if that helps. I'll also put a link to your question on Twitter and see if anyone has advice. Good luck with your dissertation. 

  I am the FSU Dean's office's representative for GradShare. I no longer see how to post answers to questions.

  Hello, 

  Make sure you are logged in, and then when you click on a question there will be a blue tab beneath the question that says "Answer this question." In addition, on the landing page, where the most recent questions are displayed, you can either click on the question itself or the "answer this" tab that is beside questions that have not yet been answered. If you have any trouble you can contact me.  

  Devin McGinty

  GradShare 

   

  I am so discouraged and feel I will never complete my dissertation proposal. I submitted my proposal and was told by my committee that the topic was too large. I have since then tried to narrow the topic but seem to be getting no where. I am pursuing a PhD in Biblical Counseling. My topic centers around a unique technique (which uses prayer as a primary method) used by a ministry in helping counselees overcome various emotional problems dealing with unforgiveness, resentment, and overcoming moral failures, etc. There is no specific scholarly literature on the technique used by the ministry (so this would be adding to the field of counseling methods) so how may I go about finding the literature and narrowing my topic. Any help that you can give is greatly appreciated.

  Im sorry to hear that you are so frustrated. I know that you are looking for info regarding the technique you mentioned, but try scanning the blogs on GradShare; some information may be able to be applied to your field. Here are a couple of examples:

  http://www.gradshare.com/blog/destination_dissertation/

  http://www.gradshare.com/advice.html?id=609  

  What is this technique that uses prayer? Does it have a name, or can you provide an example? Perhaps some more details will help others better understand your question, and in turn, provide you with some insight so that you can locate info for your proposal.

  Hi, am planning to write a grant proposal. I am a graduate student and I am currently reading through early investigator links in NIH. I was hoping to know if there are any links or resources for someone as naive as I am in this area - so that I could get started asap. Also, any suggestions on a small / simple sample of the same would be really helpful. I am planning to write one for prostate cancer research. Thank you very much for your time! - Arun Kannanganat

  Hey Arun,

   

  There is an expert brief on GradShare from Sarah Star about some suggestions for writing grant proposals. She has been involved with finding funding at Ohio State University for 19 years, so she is a reliable source. Here is a link: http://www.gradshare.com/advice.html?id=628. Good luck.

  Can I get access to actual studies from refworks, or does it just serve as a big card catalog?

  RefWorks can serve as a personal reference management system, it can format specific styles of bibliographies, and it can help you write footnotes. Users with RefShare can also collaborate and share their references. As for getting access to studies, RefWorks is not designed for that. It is not a database. You have to get the information yourself, and RefWorks helps you organize it. It is not not a content provider, but it's a wonderful reference management tool. Hope that helps.

  I'm a third-year PhD student and am looking for ways outside of conferences to network with faculty at other institutions for jobs and research collaboration. Any ideas about effective ways to "cold call?"

  Hey jhatala,

  I work for GradShare, and I think you offered a great question. As far as "cold calling" goes, I can say it is always advantegous to be able to name a reference or contact. For instance, there might be a mutual third party that you could mention in order to establish familiarity, or a recent event that you could mention to initiate a connection with the person(s) that you are calling.

  As for networking, there are some blogs and an expert advice column on GradShare that you may find helpful:

  • http://tinyurl.com/2a7dyzr 
  • http://tinyurl.com/23dsedj  
  • http://tinyurl.com/26r7dg7   

  I hope that helps, good luck!

   

  Can anyone help with Refworks?

  Hello,

  I used to work for RefWorks, and I currently work for GradShare. If you would provide some more details, I would be happy to assist you myself, or direct you to the proper person within RefWorks that could offer assistance. Just as a heads up, the tech support telephone number is (775)-327-4105, and their email address is support@refworks-cos.com. The RefWorks tech support team is well known for their superb support work, so you may want to give them a try. Thanks.

  -Devin

   

  Anyone else out there working on a thesis dealing with Catholic priests or the Catholic priesthood?

  I work for GradShare, and I noticed another question that was posted which, at least partially, pertianed to papers on Catholics. Check out this link http://www.gradshare.com/question.html?id=231. You may want to contact the person who posted the question, and you can do so by clicking on their profile and sending them a direct email. Good luck.

  I was just accepted to a wonderful MFA theatre program at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. I have no family, no other resources, and currently live and work in a small rural area scraping by. An MFA in two years from such a great program is hardly questionable, but the cost is staggering and I am very unsettled about my future if I go through with this. Anyone out there with advice? Am I nuts for considering it? Am I nuts for questioning it?

  I work for GradShare, and I have come across a blog that you might find useful. Although it focuses mostly on creative writing MFA, it has several entries that are related to finding funding, and the overall MFA experience. It's a solid starting point. I think you should check it out, and good luck pursuing your goals. http://creative-writing-mfa-handbook.blogspot.com/search/label/Funding