Citation software can automatically save bibliographic information from a database or website. There are many different software options for organizing citations. We recommend students start collecting and organizing their websites, articles, and other resources using some form of citation software from the beginning of their program. This will be invaluable when writing your dissertation/applied doctoral project, especially when writing your literature review.

While students are free to use whatever software they wish, the NU Library staff support Zotero, an open-source, free software.

Doctoral students have access to NVivo and SPSS for free to conduct data analysis in their dissertation research. 

NVivo is used for qualitative data analysis and SPSS is used for quantitative data analysis. If this software is not appropriate for your study, work with your Chair to identify the best software for your data analysis. Both NVivo and SPSS can be downloaded for free using the directions below or by clicking the links below.

The Academic Success Center provides free access to Grammarly for students. Grammarly is an automated grammar checker for self-editing and proofreading. To access your Grammarly Premium account, go to the ASC web page to register for your free account. Then follow the instructions on using your premium EDU Grammarly account.

NU doctoral and IRB-related researchers may have free access to Qualtrics through NU. Qualtrics is an online survey tool provided free of charge by National University. Access to Qualtrics is provided prior to NU IRB approval to ensure students have plenty of time to learn how to use the tool and prepare the survey. Students may not, under any circumstances, distribute any recruitment or other research-related materials to or have contact with potential participants, or begin collecting data prior to NU IRB approval.

Email your request for a NU Qualtrics account to the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@nu.edu. A staff member will respond with your login credentials and any additional account information. Researchers can choose to use other online platforms as long as they are secure. However, researchers who use other platforms are responsible for formatting their consent to meet all NU IRB requirements.

The email request should include the below fields:

First and Last Name:
Student Email Address: 
Student or Faculty ID #: 
Current Program:
Doctoral Committee Chair (if applicable): 
Is your research for IRB-related dissertation/applied doctoral project purposes? Yes or No. If no, please explain.

Please do not register your own free Qualtrics account, as it will not have University-paid features included. If you have questions about using the product, please contact our staff at surveyresearch@nu.edu.

On-Demand Training Resources:

•  Getting Started User Guide
• Learning to use Qualtrics - https://basecamp.qualtrics.com/page/learn-to-use-qualtrics-research-core
• Implementing research methodology in Qualtrics - https://basecamp.qualtrics.com/page/research-methodology
• Qualtrics webinars- https://basecamp.qualtrics.com/page/getting-started-webinar-series

As a student, you will encounter hundreds of resources relevant to your dissertation or applied doctoral project, including articles, websites, and even videos. Saving these is a way that makes them easy to find later, which is key to writing your dissertation or applied doctoral project. Below are two good resources for saving, annotating, and cataloguing your resources.

Visual planning tools can be used to map out the dissertation, create connections between themes in the literature review and collaboratively share your ideas with your Chair.

Writing a dissertation or applied doctoral project is a serious and lengthy task, with so many steps to complete, revise, and perfect. The NU DSE/ADE templates provide a lot of helpful information, but students still often have many questions and need additional guidance. Seeing completed examples of NU dissertations and applied doctoral projects helps a lot. This guide will help you access completed NU dissertations and applied doctoral projects in the NU library to inspire and inform your own research and writing.

Accessing completed NU dissertations or applied doctoral projects can help students with the following common issues:

• Finding examples/inspiration for methodology, focus, topic, and other “big-picture” concerns.
• Identifying specifics on the length/depth/breadth of each section of the dissertation or applied doctoral project.
• Seeing examples of formatting in context, such as APA style headings.
• Understanding specific dissertation committee expectations.
• Finding new sources via completed reference lists.
• Supporting your peers’ scholarly work by reading their dissertations or applied doctoral projects and participating in the scholarly community.

It’s easy to locate completed NU dissertations and applied doctoral projects in the NU Library!

1. Log into NCUOne and click on the NU Library link  - Home - Library - LibGuides at National University
2. Access the pull-down menu on left entitled “Research Resources” and click on “Find Dissertations”.
3. Click on Dissertations & Theses @ National University. 

Narrow your search

Once you have located the published NU dissertations or applied doctoral projects, you can narrow your search, just like you would with any other library resource. Try the following strategies to start:

• Keywords/terms that you are using in your own research.
• General area of focus (for example, “Special Education”).
• Methodological approach (for example, “Phenomenology”).
• Dates (Tip – Consider narrowing your search to only the past 5 years).
• Advisors (Dissertation Chairs).
• Committee members.
• References/citations you plan to use.
• Just like with any other library resource, you can perform an advanced search using a combination of these strategies.
• In addition to the NU dissertations and applied doctoral projects, you may want to consider accessing non-NU dissertations via the general ProQuest link on the same NU library page. This can be helpful if your topic is extremely specific, if you are very far along in your work, and if you need to broaden your search.

Now that you have accessed the completed NU dissertations or applied doctoral projects in the NU Library, the possibilities to inspire and guide you in your own work are endless. Be excited that one day soon, your own dissertation or applied doctoral project will be published in the NU library!