Practical guidance is offered to masters and doctoral students on planning, developing, completing, and defending theses and dissertations. The objective is to meet the specific needs of students doing research in education and in the social and behavioral sciences, including psychology, social work management, health sciences, and communication. Chapter topics are as follows: professional and personal problems that may impede a student's progress toward a completed dissertation and a degree; selecting and developing a researchable topic; the use of library services, materials, and personnel; issues students should consider in selecting a dissertation director and advisory committee; the organization and writing of the dissertation proposal; research sample, instruments, and data analysis; usual procedures for getting a proposal approved; professional aids available to students and the ethics of using them; the structure of the dissertation; and the final oral defense. Appendices include: a detailed timeline, in graphic form, showing all the stages of the dissertation process; a brief description of the six types of research most commonly found in dissertations; and a bibliography that includes directories of funding sources (e.g., on-line databases of funding sources), style manuals, and statistical manuals. (SW)