What does my timeline look like?

A PhD thesis is a whole lot of work and time invested. If you are interested in my timeline, just take a look below!

This ambitious doctoral project can feasibly be completed within the span of approximately four years. During the first year, I conceptualized this project, which entailed mapping out the research questions, the problems to be addressed and the methodology. I furthermore set up the project’s homepage for participant outreach and acquisition, developed the large-scale battery of tests and have since proceeded to the piloting stage, which will be continued in year two. There remains approximately three years to complete this dissertation. However, due to the overall scope of this project, i.e. its exploratory and seminal nature and joint cross-sectional and longitudinal design as well as mixed-methods approach, completing this project within the specified time frame is contingent on a full-time researcher status.

Four years of energy invested in this project

In year two, I continue the piloting stage and begin composing the literature review (semester 3). After each instrument has been individually piloted, adapted and re-piloted so as to ensure the elicitation of the intended responses and by these means confirm sufficient validity and reliability in the results, the data collection process can begin (semester 4). The data collection process takes place over the course of one and a half years. During this time, data are gathered from 􏱫40 participants in the cross-sectional design and bi-monthly repeated measurement data are collected from five participants in the longitudinal study over the period of a year (semester 4, 5, 6). The data collected from the cross-sectional participants will simultaneously be coded and analyzed. Once the data collection process is well underway, I will draft the chapter on the project’s methodology, as any potential methodological challenges and/or intricacies that become apparent only after the large-scale data collection has begun can then be addressed (semester 5). Once the majority of the data from the cross-sectional study have been gathered and analyzed, I can begin the chapter on the results (semester 6), which can be completed after the remaining repeated measurement data have been collected and analyzed (semester 7). In my final semester, I will revise the dissertation, have it proofread and defend the doctoral project.