This article provides 50 suggestions for the role and responsibilities of doctoral dissertation advisors. The purpose is to help improve doctoral student completion rates by outlining best practices for advisors. Some key responsibilities include maintaining regular communication with students, establishing a professional relationship, providing timely feedback on dissertation drafts, guiding the entire dissertation process from topic selection to defense, and being available and accessible throughout. The goal of an advisor should be to direct students, provide constructive criticism, and ensure they complete their dissertation in a timely manner.

1. NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL
VOLUME 25, NUMBER 3, 2008-2009
Doctoral Dissertation Advising: Keys to
Improvement of Completion Rates
William Allan Kritsonis
Professor
PhD Program in Educational Leadership
Prairie View A&M University
The Texas A&M University System
Distinguished Alumnus
Central Washington University
College of Education and Professional Studies
Invited Guest Lecturer
Oxford Round Table
University of Oxford, England
Robert L. Marshall
Professor
Doctoral Program
Western Illinois University
Invited Guest Lecturer Macomb, Illinois
Invited Guest Lecturer
Oxford Round Table
University of Oxford, England
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for doctoral
dissertation advisors. The content was developed from discussions
with colleagues, doctoral candidates, recipients of advanced
degrees, and reviewing literature pertaining to doctoral studies.
This article provides some general guidelines and practical
functions for doctoral dissertation advisors.
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Introduction
T hose who succeed in academic scholastic writing at the
advanced levels typically write an excellent doctoral
dissertation. In writing a dissertation, there appears to be an
enjoyment of the constant flowing of ideas. At the doctoral level,
mentors are critically important in helping their students complete the
dissertation, and later in getting graduates published at the national
level in refereed, juried, peer-reviewed scholarly journals.
Purpose of the Article
The purpose of this article is to establish some basic functions of
the doctoral dissertation advisor. Hopefully, the suggestions will help
others in the doctoral advisement process.
Basic Functions of the Doctoral Dissertation Advisor
The following suggestions are functions of a doctoral dissertation
advisor:
1. Keep a folder for each doctoral student. This will give you
the opportunity to review previous and current work
completed by the student. It will give you the opportunity
to review your own comments. Reviewing the folder
periodically enables you to firmly grasp the student’s
concerns with conducting research.
2. Answer all email correspondence with doctoral students in
a timely manner. Keep track of emails that you send and
other correspondence. Make certain that you communicate
to students frequently. Not communicating with doctoral
students is condescending and shows disrespect.

3. William A. Kritsonis & Robert L. Marshall 76
3. Establish a personal, but professional relationship with
your doctoral student advisees. Being a mentor is a very
serious responsibility. See each of your students first as
people. They have goals and aspirations just as you do.
4. Develop your own style in dissertation advising. The best
way to develop your own style is simply by doing it.
5. Be positive in working with doctoral students on their
dissertation. Make certain to provide feedback that is
constructive and useful. Always strive to be positive and
enthusiastic in working with doctoral students on their
dissertations. Be cheerful, optimistic, and helpful. Direct
advisees to relevant sources of information.
6. Serve as the key person in guiding the production of an
acceptable high quality dissertation.
7. The chair is the leader of the committee and its liaison with
the student. Assume the primary responsibility of assuring
that the dissertation committee works effectively as a
collaborative team.
8. Expectations of both service to the student and service to
the academic discipline and professional field
9. Continually monitor students’ progress with the
dissertation from start to finish
10. Know your own strengths, attributes, weaknesses, counter
productive tendencies and limitations.
11. Do you homework in working with each advisee. Make
certain to study the dissertation topic your advisee is
interested in developing.

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12. Think about your own dissertation experience. Avoid any
mistakes that were made. Incorporate effective strategies
that work.
13. Encourage advisees to document what they want to do as a
dissertation topic.
14. Strive to make a difference as an advisor to your advisee.
Model appropriate behavior.
15. Make your presence matter in the life of the doctoral
student.
16. Accept the fact you know more about writing a dissertation
than your advisee. A high quality job of directing is an
expectation.
17. As an advisor, recognize the time when the dissertation
topic must be revised or changed. Do not be afraid to tell
an advisee when they are wasting time on something that
will not work or is not relevant.
18. Be ready to suggest to your advisee the need to shift the
research time to other areas of the dissertation if you see
the advisee bog down.
19. Do not hesitate to tell the advisee to put more effort into the
dissertation.
20. Make certain to realize as an advisor there are many
different strategies for writing a doctoral dissertation.
21. Encourage doctoral students to talk with others who are
writing their dissertation. They often can provide practical
feedback and encouragement.

5. William A. Kritsonis & Robert L. Marshall 78
22. Encourage doctoral students to communicate with others in
different colleges or departments who are writing their
dissertation.
23. Encourage advisees to explore ideas beyond your
suggestions.
24. Tell your advisees how you like to work with them. If you
need to work from an outline – tell the advisee. Let
advisees know your own work habits.
25. Remember, it is the advisee’s dissertation – not yours.
They must do the work.
26. If you are an inexperienced dissertation advisor, try to work
with a colleague who has successful experience. As an
advisor, you are there to help. Help as much as you
possibly can.
27. Be supportive of the advisee’s work. Use specific examples
in telling advisees their work is good or not acceptable.
Point out where the work needs improvement.
28. Make certain you develop the habit of getting things back
to students in a timely manner; hopefully, within five - ten
business days. Through being diligent in your efforts, the
advisee will keep focused. Read dissertation chapters at
your earliest convenience. Do not let too much time elapse.
Remember, you are a busy person and so is your advisee.
Establish timelines with the advisee and meet them.
29. Give your doctoral students the responsibility of meeting
deadlines.

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30. Be accessible to the student. Keep appointments with
students and be present at all committee meetings that
involve working with students and dissertations.
31. Encourage students to contact you if you have taken too
long to respond to them.
32. As an advisor, give lots of suggestions. Be specific, exact,
concise, detailed, and comprehensive in all aspects of your
advising.
33. Encourage your doctoral students to talk with their
committee members throughout the entire process. Other
committee members might suggest different approaches or
a new study altogether. When this happens, meet with the
advisee. Perhaps you will agree or disagree. Keep the
dialogue open and positive.
34. It is your duty to encourage your advisees to do the work
that must be done to have a quality and professionally
satisfying dissertation.
35. Be available. If this means meeting with a doctoral student
at a location other than the university, do it. Some advisees
need a lot of attention, guidance, and direction. Others are
self-directive. Be flexible and adaptable.
36. The advisee should not hear major changes for the first
time at the proposal defense.
37. In giving guidance to your advisees, constantly prepare
them for their proposal defense and ultimately defending
their dissertation. This will keep them focused.
38. Do not take on the job of advisor if you do not intend to
make it a priority. Dissertation advisement takes an

7. William A. Kritsonis & Robert L. Marshall 80
enormous amount of time and commitment. During the
entire process, it will be necessary for you to meet with the
other members of the dissertation committee to discuss the
progress of the doctoral student.
39. You want your students to tell you “I like the way you are
always available, keep up the good work.”
40. The doctoral student and advisor should consult someone
other than the student’s committee members for special
advising or expertise.
41. Help your advisee when there is a need to clarify the
dissertation topic.
42. Try to obtain adequate funding for your advisee’s research.
43. Link students with similar dissertation topics together.
44. During the advisement process, dissertation advisors
should mentor students by helping them to prepare
manuscripts for publication in national, refereed, peer
reviewed journals.
45. Consider or recommend doctoral students for university
responsibilities, such as facilitating classes when professors
are unavailable, and giving examinations at distance
learning facilities. This gives them experiences in higher
education.
46. Involve doctoral students with coordinating orientation
sessions for new students. Assign experienced students in
the program as mentors to incoming students. Develop a
social student group with regular meeting times.

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47. As a dissertation advisor, develop an approval form for
both the proposal and dissertation defense that must be
signed by all committee members prior to scheduling a
formal meeting. By doing so, the committee members
agree the student is ready to present and defend.
48. Prompt and encourage students regularly to complete the
dissertation and the program in a timely manner. Assist the
student with a graphic timeline and make it your mission in
life to see that your advisees become completers.
49. Facilitate the use of related resources of the university at
large.
50. Again…Be Available to the Student!
Concluding Remarks
In conclusion, the purpose of this article was to establish some
general duties of a dissertation advisor. There are numerous
responsibilities of a dissertation advisor and these are only a few. In
addition, our intention was to provide some general guidelines for
thoughtful consideration. Perhaps, you can add to the list give below.

9. William A. Kritsonis & Robert L. Marshall 82
References
Dave, R. (2007 December). Quality time with your dissertation.
Retrieved December 4, 2007, from the Association for Support
of Graduate Students Website: http://www.asgs.org/
Eastwood, J.S. (2000). Comprehensive editing. Retrieved December
2, 2007, from http://www.jeastwood.com

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Jensen, S. (2000). Dissertation news. Retrieved December 3, 2007,
from http://www.dissertationdoctor.com
Kritsonis, W.A. (2008). Functions of the Dissertation Advisor.
Focus on Colleges, University, and Schools, 2 (1) 2008.