Questions regarding the PsyD dissertation

[Guruchild]

I am a student planning on beginning a PsyD program this fall, and I would have to say that anticipation of the whole dissertation process is a little anxiety provoking. I just have a few questions regarding the composition of the dissertation:
1) I notice that online scholarly databases like Google Scholar provide instant and convenient access to numerous psychology-related articles, but many of these articles require payment just to access the full text. Do PsyD programs have databases established so that students can conveniently access psychology articles free of charge?
2) Typically how long does it take to compose a dissertation (proposed and defended)?
3) For a PsyD program, how many pages (literature review, methods, outcomes, etc) does the dissertation HAVE to be (i.e. is there a page minimum)? And on average, how many pages would the typical dissertation be?

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[FuzzyMonkey]

I am a student planning on beginning a PsyD program this fall, and I would have to say that anticipation of the whole dissertation process is a little anxiety provoking. I just have a few questions regarding the composition of the dissertation:

1) I notice that online scholarly databases like Google Scholar provide instant and convenient access to numerous psychology-related articles, but many of these articles require payment just to access the full text. Do PsyD programs have databases established so that students can conveniently access psychology articles free of charge? Depends on your school. If it's a University, then they will most likely if not definitely have an article database through the campus library.
2) Typically how long does it take to compose a dissertation (proposed and defended)? Depends on your program, committee, and your topic. Also the type of study you intend to do. (Research methods- for example, experimental, or archival, how/if you collect your own data, and tons of other factors.)
3) For a PsyD program, how many pages (literature review, methods, outcomes, etc) does the dissertation HAVE to be (i.e. is there a page minimum)? And on average, how many pages would the typical dissertation be? Same response as #2

 

[PsyDHokie]

1) I notice that online scholarly databases like Google Scholar provide instant and convenient access to numerous psychology-related articles, but many of these articles require payment just to access the full text. Do PsyD programs have databases established so that students can conveniently access psychology articles free of charge? Depends on your school. If it's a University, then they will most likely if not definitely have an article database through the campus library.
2) Typically how long does it take to compose a dissertation (proposed and defended)? Depends on your program, committee, and your topic. Also the type of study you intend to do. (Research methods- for example, experimental, or archival, how/if you collect your own data, and tons of other factors.)
3) For a PsyD program, how many pages (literature review, methods, outcomes, etc) does the dissertation HAVE to be (i.e. is there a page minimum)? And on average, how many pages would the typical dissertation be? Same response as #2

1) Agreed with FuzzyMonkey. University based programs will usually have article databases through the campus library. On my campus we can use the Medical School and Law School databases. We are also part of the Washington DC Consortium, so we have access to the inter-library loan system between 15 colleges/universities/schools.

2) Completely depends on the school. Some programs you will start working on your dissertation as soon as your 2nd year, begin collecting research, then formulating all of it. My program does not require a dissertation, but we call it a Major Area Paper in which we formulate a paper that is related to our therapeutic relationship with a patient we are interested on writing about. From what I have been told it could be as short as 40 pages to 100's of pages.

At LaSalle there dissertation is a bit shorter as well, because the goal of their dissertation requirement is that it is published in a journal, which has a limit of approximately 40 pages. I think at Loyola MD it could be as long as you want, you begin by interviewing with professors that you may be interested in working on research with, then if approved you will begin the whole process.

3) Same as 2, it just depends on the program.

 

[PsyDLICSW]

1) Agreed with FuzzyMonkey. University based programs will usually have article databases through the campus library. On my campus we can use the Medical School and Law School databases. We are also part of the Washington DC Consortium, so we have access to the inter-library loan system between 15 colleges/universities/schools.

2) Completely depends on the school. Some programs you will start working on your dissertation as soon as your 2nd year, begin collecting research, then formulating all of it. My program does not require a dissertation, but we call it a Major Area Paper in which we formulate a paper that is related to our therapeutic relationship with a patient we are interested on writing about. From what I have been told it could be as short as 40 pages to 100's of pages.

At LaSalle there dissertation is a bit shorter as well, because the goal of their dissertation requirement is that it is published in a journal, which has a limit of approximately 40 pages. I think at Loyola MD it could be as long as you want, you begin by interviewing with professors that you may be interested in working on research with, then if approved you will begin the whole process.

3) Same as 2, it just depends on the program.

I agree with the above. It really depends on the PsyD program.

1. University based PsyD programs most likely if not definately have access to the campus library and databses. If you're not sure, you may want to get alumni access to your current college's library so you have access to something. It's free at some schools. Schools like Argosy (at least the one I visited) did not even know what EBSCO was and did not have a library at all.

2. Dissertation also depends on the school. Some are traditional, research project, exhaustive dissertations like those at PhD programs. my program takes the more traditional route. PsyD programs may be mroe open to qualatative research than PhD programs, but again it depends on the school. My PsyD program (university-based) has a dissertation that requires that the project is original (e.g. not a replication), you collect and analyze your data, and there is a clear clinical component. They are changing the project to a Doctoral Research project next year that does not require you to actually complete a project, just propose it. BUT you have to spend at least two semsters in a lab with a professor doing their research. This set up leads to more publications and multiple projects. Either way, you are doing research and writing about your projects. The new set up gives mroe opportunites for publication. Some PsyDs will require an exhaustive lit review only. Others are more like a PhD dissertation like my program. Others require research experience in a lab and a research proposal. It depends.

3. Same as 2..depends on the program.