S. Joseph Levine, a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at Michigan State University, originally created these guides to assist his graduate students. Both guides, but especially the first, are very practical and focus on what Levine terms the "quasi-political" aspects of gaining approval for your dissertation, rather than the research process. The Dissertation Guide is divided into the four stages of the project, from the original idea to the defense and post-degree publication. Rather than an extended essay, the guide is a collection of succinct points which offers hints on what to do and what not to do to see the project through in a timely and stress-free (if possible) manner.