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This wiki represents the personal, self-published work of Glen Gatin and does not represent the views of Fielding Graduate University. While circulation is limited, the entire contents of this wiki, including the contributions in the discussions sections, are publicly viewable. Every effort has been made to honour the stipulations of the IRB approval that was granted for this research project. Comments made in the discussion section are greatly appreciated and it is hoped that they will support the ideals of open discourse and public discussion. If you would like to comment, ask questions, or otherwise participate but would prefer not to have your material published in this space, please contact me directly at glen(dot)gatin(at)gmail(dot)com. It is also possible to publish comments on this wiki using a pseudonym as long as the author is known to the organizer of this wiki.
 * About the Wiki dissertation.**
 * Disclaimer**

This dissertation follows a conventional dissertation format in terms of content and organization. On the left hand side of this page are links to each section of the dissertation. Clicking on the various links will allow you to navigate to each section. The navigation links appear on each section of the wiki. You will find links to conventional Word documents on each page. The material in the Word doc and the wiki should eventually match although I am editing and updating as I go.
 * Navigating this dissertation.**

Below is a link to a draft copy of my compete dissertation in Word format. My dissertation has been accepted by my full committee and I have competed the Final Oral Review. The FOR took place by WEBEX on June 17, 2009. Next step, final edits and submit for publication.

I am still working to make the wiki content pages match the Word document. The main differences are the footnotes and the paragraph indents.

To cite this dissertation Gatin, G. (2009). //Keeping your distance: A basic social process// (Dissertation). Fielding Graduate University. Publication Number AAT3371263



media type="custom" key="4007623"

The theory portion of this dissertation was peer reviewed and published at:

Gatin, G. (2013). Keeping Your Distance. //Grounded Theory Review//, //12//(1). Retrieved from http://groundedtheoryreview.com/2013/06/22/keeping-your-distance/


 * Why a wiki dissertation?**

A wiki is essentially an open access, self-archiving electronic document freely available to anyone with Internet access.

The wiki-based dissertation meets all the APA requirements in terms of scholarship, citations and format in the final result. The Fielding Dissertation [|specification page] states " Reasonable exceptions to APA style for theses and dissertations often make sense and are encouraged if communication is better served." The main difference is that in a wiki, text is presented electronically rather than in a paper format. Minor stylistic differences such as the absence of individual pages are also apparent.

In describing the steps of the dissertation the [|Fielding web site also states], "You may wish to ask other students to review your work informally (and you may wish to do the same for their dissertations), but their names will not appear on the dissertation. You may acknowledge the assistance and encouragement of your fellow students in your Acknowledgments page of the dissertation." I would deeply appreciate any comments that my fellow students would be willing to make on the discussions section of each wiki page. If you are not comfortable using the wiki format to make comments or if you want more information about wikis in general, or this wiki in particular, please do not hesitate to contact me at glen.gatin@gmail.com.

The developing dissertation is accessible to my committee while I am writing it and it is very simple for them to provide feedback. Rather than the time consuming process of print copies being mailed back and forth for consideration, revisions and approvals, the committee can see my work and progress by clicking a link.

Sending hard copy by mail or even courier is one of the barriers to the timely completion of dissertations and I believe this could be a great advantage to Fielding faculty and students. Shipping costs can be a barrier to students as well, to say nothing of the cost of having copies of the dissertation printed on cotton bond paper and bound. Another major consideration is that the wiki dissertation would have a carbon footprint near zero.

An excellent and comprehensive report prepared for the Joint Information Systems Committee has identified the costs of the scholarly publishing process.

The costs of the conventional methods of publishing are very high and prohibitive to scholarship. The use of open access, self-archiving repositories for the dissemination of scholarly writing would allow the dedication of substantial funds to the advancement of knowledge. Open and free electronic publishing would mean that established and emerging scholars would be able to benefit from unfettered access to the body of academic work in their field. The benefit to society would be manifest in accelerated advances through facilitated research and discovery.

The scholars examining this document are able to enter comments and observations directly into the discussion section of the wiki. This process mitigates against concerns of originality because every step of the composition and writing of the dissertation can be audited. My data and analysis can be viewed directly, within the limits of the requirements of the IRB respecting the confidentiality of my interview subjects.

Once all recommended changes have been made and final approval received, a copy of the wiki will be made to DVD. The DVD will be submitted with a document, written and referenced in APA style, that describes the wiki format in general, and this wiki dissertation in particular. The DVD and accompanying document can be published in the electronic archive as the final permanent record. Most electronic scholarly archives, such as ProQuest, support this type of storage and access.

A wiki supports the development of doctoral level competencies, particularly in the area of professional and practical scholarly skills. The wiki is an ideal vehicle for sharing concepts with the scholarly community and engaging in professional dialog. Any theory must be communicated systematically to ensure that the ideas and concepts can be usefully applied to the existing corpus of knowledge about a given subject area. Instead of ordering the dissertation from a hard copy library, the document is instantly accessible. Other forms of electronic documents are available, but unlike a wiki, restrict the usability of data through proprietary formats, registration routines, and access fees. The wiki allows for the preservation of the core document but supports dialog in the discussion sections.

There are aspects of using a wiki that are particularly useful to the process of articulating discovered theory. There is a natural fit between the discovery of emergent theory using the grounded theory method, the method used in the research for this dissertation, and the emergent nature of electronic publishing.

As well, the theory of human social behavior put forward in this document suggests that presentation of concepts in electronic format is consistent with the theory. This theory suggests that the immediacy of access to an electronic document, as opposed to documents stored in a distant and remote archive, allows people a measure of control over the distance they experience in their relationship to data, information and knowledge.

The grounded theory method seeks to develop emergent theories and recognizes that such theories are never static or complete. The emergent theory of this work will benefit as the wiki continues to circulate and stimulate further scholarship after my graduation. The use of the wiki format signals my hope that my dissertation be as much a starting point as an ending point. The evolution of theoretical concepts involves a great deal of collaboration and cooperation with others who are investigating similar basic social processes. The wiki format facilitates the communication process that encourages future modifications and adaptations to the theory. A wiki facilitates these and other scholarly objectives very well. I feel that the wiki format is especially appropriate for the research methodology that I have used in my dissertation and is also appropriate given the nature of the theory of social behavior articulated herein.