Lessons Learned for Successful Dissertation Completion From Social Work Doctoral Graduates

A dissertation demonstrates a doctoral candidate’s knowledge of a content area, mastery of research methodology, and readiness for future scholarship. Doctoral candidates, social work programs, and the profession as a whole are invested in ensuring that candidates successfully complete dissertations and enter academic, research, and leadership positions. This strengths-based study offers the wisdom of recent social work doctoral graduates (N = 196). Data were collected by an online survey and analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings described sources of support, managing a project of this scope, considerations in study design, and effective research attitudes and behaviors. Implications for social work education are discussed.