Receiving critical feedback on your dissertation can feel like a gut punch. Advisor comments can shake your confidence and make you question your abilities and direction. Just remember, this is a normal and necessary part of the academic journey. Your advisor’s role is to challenge you, to push you to reach your full potential. Even if your advisor is not acting in good faith, there are ways to manage feedback so that this uncomfortable experience can be a positive catalyst for growth.
Here are some of the ways:
1. Feel the feelings about your advisor’s feedback.
Receiving critical feedback can be emotionally taxing, and it’s important to acknowledge the emotions and bodily sensations that arise.
Allow yourself, at your own pace, to feel the full range of emotions – frustration, disappointment, anger. Cry if you need to, or vent to a trusted friend or colleague.
Your feelings are valid, and they don’t diminish your work. In fact, they mean you care, and you can take that deep concern into your revision process.
2. Take time to understand the feedback on your dissertation.
Once you’ve had some time to process your emotions, revisit the feedback with a clear head.
Focus on understanding the specific points raised by your advisor. What are the core issues? Are there patterns emerging in the critique?
Try to separate yourself from your work. Remember, this feedback is about the work, not you as a person.
Also, keep in mind that the feedback you receive may be vague, confusing, or even contradictory. In those situations, go back to your advisor to ask for clarification, or seek the support of others who can help you interpret the feedback.
3. Develop a plan of action and a feedback revision checklist.
With a clearer understanding of the feedback, develop a concrete plan for improvement. This might involve additional research, restructuring your arguments, reframing your introduction, or revisiting your data.
Take time to create a “revision inventory” where you catalog the feedback point by point, (a numbered list with a short description of each feedback point).
Break down the needed revisions into smaller, manageable steps where possible.
Once you’ve created this inventory, you can map when out when you are making which revisions.
One caveat: it’s always good to plan for twice the amount of time that you think a writing, research, or revision task will take. It’s better to allow for more time than you need than to underestimate and end up feeling rushed or behind.
Spending this time creating an inventory and a plan of action will help you regain a sense of control over the situation.
4. Seek Dissertation Support
If you notice that you are avoiding making the revisions or feeling daunted or deflated, don’t hesitate to reach out to your peers, mentors, or a therapist or academic coach for support. Sharing your experiences can help you feel less isolated.
Talking about your challenges can also provide valuable insights and perspectives.
5. Embrace a Growth Mindset About Receiving Dissertation Feedback
Remember that setbacks are a natural part of the learning process.
View critical feedback as an opportunity for growth and development. By approaching it with a growth mindset, you can transform challenges into stepping stones to success.
It can be helpful to think of feedback as the reviewer’s way of sharing their specific, (and sometimes idiosyncratic), preferences for how academic research and writing are done.
Try to think of it as guidance to improve your work and meet the standards of the reviewers, rather than a critique of your intelligence or abilities.
With commitment, a growth mindset, and a strategic approach, you can turn this experience into a catalyst for learning and academic growth.
Remember, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Join us at The Academic Writers’ Space (TAWS) for free, and discover how our community can help you understand, respond to, and implement dissertation feedback. Let’s ride this “academic bus” together!