Key players in the dissertation process / Elinor L. Katz -- The American doctorate and dissertation: six developmental stages / Lester F. Goodchild, Margaret M. Miller -- Research methodologies and the doctoral process / John W. Creswell, Gary A. Miller -- Students' attitudes toward the responsibilities and barriers in doctoral study / Raymond C. Kluever -- Psychosocial factors affecting dissertation completion / Kathy E. Green -- Nontraditional-aged women and the dissertation: a case study approach / Kathryn S. Lenz -- The institution cares: Berkeley's efforts to support dissertation writing in the humanities and social sciences / Maresi Nerad, Debra Sands Miller -- Pursuing the Ph. D. in the sciences and engineering: trends and observations / Roger E. Salters -- Completing the dissertation: theory, research, and practice / Leonard L. Baird