How to deal with advisor who wants me to submit dissertation on time even though there's a major problem?

Question

I'm on my last month before the deadline to hand in my dissertation.

I found a severe problem with the work that renders it pretty much pointless and I pointed out to my advisor that I would need some extra time to fix the problem and at least achieve the objective of the work. He basically told me to keep writing the dissertation in order to meet the deadline, without trying to fix the problem. My advisor is also going on a sabbatical, so it feels like he's pushing me towards handing in my dissertation regardless if the work is complete or not. This would pretty much guarantee that I'd have to provide bleak explanations to the committee that will discuss the work with me (because telling them that my advisor rushed me isn't an option).

I really don't want to create a conflict with my advisor. Plus, I'm having a terrible time trying to meet the deadline and my motivation is pretty much gone. I'm considering quitting the program without handing in my dissertation and pursue other career options.

Should I hand in the dissertation even though there's this problem that renders it useless? Or should I try to convince my advisor to get me more time to fix the problem (even though he seems reluctant)? Should I not do any of this and just simply quit the program?

Answer 1

The following is based on my experience in neuroscience. Not sure if this generalizes to other fields.

I think you have two ways to work here, and each is equally "right".

First, you can do exactly as your advisor suggests, working towards completing the thesis even though there's a major flaw. This happens probably more often than you think; I learned halfway through my own thesis that the work I was doing was not generalizable at all due to bad design, and overall was pretty bad science. Oops. The thing is, it's a dissertation, not a peer-reviewed publication. The goal of your dissertation is for you to demonstrate to your committee that you know how to perform research, not for you to contribute overall to science. Your advisor's pushing you to complete your thesis may be him espousing this very idea; namely, your fixing everything up should be saved for your peer-reviewed publications, not for your thesis. Given that (in neuroscience) it is a pretty rare event for someone to refer back to a dissertation thesis when performing a literature search, the fact that your thesis document may be rendered moot isn't such a big deal; mention it in the introduction, results, and conclusion sections and just publish as is. Fix the problem in the journal articles.

The second approach is that, if it has your name on it, it should be publication-worth, and dang if you're going to let something with this obvious an error be in the public record.

Honestly, I don't think either one is wrong. The first one can save you valuable time and advance your career by months/years, and if you're in a field where your thesis doesn't mean much then it's probably the right choice. The second one may make you look better overall, and may be a requirement if your field places more weight on the thesis document itself.

Not sure if that helps, but it may give you some perspective.

Answer 2

I will begin by offering my sympathies on what sounds like a tough situation.

I think that you need to have a frank talk with your advisor ASAP. What he's telling you to do might or might not be good advice. Which one it is depends, in particular, on how serious the problem really is and/or what the prospects are for fixing it by the deadline. Practically speaking, the first is something that will be primarily determined by your thesis committee. If you think the work is without value but the committee disagrees, then you will still end up with a master's degree, which is what you presumably want. Of course it would be better to turn in a thesis that you feel better about and/or is actually better / not flawed but...is that option still on the table? If you have no motivation, are not enjoying your program and are seriously considering quitting right now, then it may not be. From a rational perspective it's hard for me to see what advantage there is to quitting a program and getting no master's degree versus getting a master's degree with a thesis that is (either apparently or objectively) rather poor. You shouldn't try to hide the flaws from your committee -- that would be a form of academic dishonesty -- but it's hard to see why it shouldn't be grudgingly acceptable to you if it's grudgingly acceptable to them.

The worst case, it seems to me, is that you are headed for a thesis that is not going to be acceptable to the committee and your advisor somehow doesn't care to get involved enough to avoid this. That's what you want to find out.

I really don't want to create a conflict with my advisor.

No one wants to create a conflict with their advisor, but in your situation your aversion to conflict seems not to be what an objective, outside observer would regard as rational behavior. Always assuming that you behave civilly and that your advisor has no extra-professional leverage on you....what's the worst thing that can happen if you have a real professional falling out with your advisor? You might get kicked out of the program without a degree? That's what you're contemplating anyway, so this seems to be a situation where if you can't get what you want without rocking the boat, then go ahead and rock it. (This could be bad advice if you want to start up a different master's program elsewhere and you need your advisor's recommendation. But that doesn't sound like it's the case.)

From the vantage point of someone who does not know you or your situation but has seen some pretty shaky work be awarded a master's degree, I would encourage you to avoid the impulse of bailing out on your degree unless there is no other reasonable alternative. I think it's very likely that N years down the line it will be strongly in your best interest to have the credential in your pocket. I think most people who don't continue on in academia forget mostly to entirely about their thesis work whether it's good or bad, and I don't know of many mechanisms that would dredge up this past work.

Hang in there, and good luck.

Answer 3

You aren't doing the thesis for the benefit of your supervisor. And if they are going on a sabattical, it may make no difference if they are unhappy, because they won't be there anyway.

I would suggest two things you need to do:

1. Check the rules of your institution about late submission. There may be something you have to do, such as re-registering for another year. Don't miss out on a degree because of some minor procedural error.
2. Discuss the problem with someone more senior, such a head of department or faculty. They make be able to produce a way forward, perhaps with another supervisor.

Answer 4

It's not possible to directly answer without knowing exactly what the problems with the work are. That said, having problems does not necessarily make the work useless. If nothing else, the work you've done to date has uncovered a problem, which has value. There may be a disconnect between how bad you think the problem is and how bad your adviser thinks it is. It may well be that its not as serious as you think.

If you choose to go ahead and write/defend, covering up the problem and hoping the committee doesn't see it SHOULD NOT be an option. Be frank in your discussion, and in the dissertation fairly evaluate the impact the issue has on the interpretation of your data. Put the best slant on it that you can, and work with your adviser and committee to do so, but a less than stellar experiment is not a reason to put your integrity on the line.

Answer 5

Talk to an expert that is on the committee/advisory. Chances are it's too late to do serious rework, but as a scientist/student your job is to learn and identity such faults in research (as you now know, the sooner the better) so "operation cover up" is asking for a bit of trouble if you don't say anything. But going against your advisor is not good so seeking independent help, _since_they_are_leaving_and_cant_help_you_, puts you in the situation of having to act. A thesis isn't the end of world despite all the work, but it does have to handled professionally, and with academical ethics. If it were peer-review then the answer would be different, as would the goal. If you were doing corporate sponsored work, your boss would want to know (even though they would probably say, budget constraints fill in what you can - but that's their risk). Today you have to show you are professional and can do the work.

But don't go off empty heads on the 'net.

Answer 6

I think you may need to adjust your perspective on what the requirements of your program is. You are trying to obtain your master's degree, not produce a publishable work of pure art. If your adviser's advice helps you to obtain the degree, then they are doing their job. If you're afraid that their advice will result in failure to obtain the degree, then seek out better advice. If you don't fully understand the requirements enough to understand whether a flawed "dissertation" will satisfy the program requirements, then seek understanding.

For instance, you have tagged the question "masters" but then mention "dissertation" several times rather than thesis. What exactly does your program require? Does it merely require you to show that you are capable of Master's level research? It often doesn't involve novel research - some master's degrees only require that you review the existing research, explore it, and show that you've gained a certain level of mastery over the subject and current research. If you are in such a program and have performed additional novel research, it may not matter that the research is flawed - you've already exceeded the standard.

It's also possible that this is the best way to obtain a needed extension. Meet the deadline with the work you have, demonstrate that you've gained enough mastery over the subject to realize that it needs more work, and the committee may simply send you back to work on it more without failing to meet the deadline. This may seem odd, but the process isn't uncommon.

Regardless, try to understand the bar that is set for obtaining the degree you are pursuing. If you understand what is required, then seek to understand the process. If you truly believe that your adviser doesn't understand the requirements and/or process, then educate them and try to understand why they are mis-advising you. You may learn something new, or they may learn something new. Either way, focus on what you have to do to get the degree, and try to work with the adviser.

Answer 7

Switch advisors !!! Sure, he's going on a sabbatical, and as above, maybe find a sympathetic committee member to explain the problem as to why you can't get more time.