Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

Why You're Struggling with Writing Your Dissertation

30 Mar 2026 · 0 min

Watch on YouTube

0:24

In this brief YouTube monologue, Steve Tippins Ph.D. argues that dissertation writing feels like a foreign language because it is a distinct academic genre that students are never formally taught. He explains that dissertations require mastery of literature, justification of methodological choices, and a demonstrable gap‑filling contribution, which makes the task uniquely demanding. He reassures viewers that difficulty does not reflect poor writing ability but rather a lack of instruction, and he invites them to comment "help" to receive a link to a free dissertation‑help community, offering encouragement and a resource for support.

Dissertation writing is a foreign language, but nobody gives you a dictionary. Dissertations aren't just long papers. They're a different genre entirely. You're asked to prove that you've mastered literature, justify every methodological choice, and show that your study fills a gap. So when writing feels impossible, it's not because you're a bad writer. It's because you're writing in a language nobody taught you. Comment "help" and we will send you the link to our free dissertation help community. You've got this.