How To Write And Finish Your Doctoral Dissertation

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

During my doctoral work, I read statistics that approximately 85% of doctoral students who have reached the status of ABD never finish their dissertations. ABD stands for "All But Dissertation." These are students who have finished all course requirements and passed their doctoral oral exams. Knowing this statistic, I went to visit one of my own professors after I completed my own doctoral orals. I wanted to ask him a question.

The question I asked was: "What do I need to know to write and finish my dissertation?" I knew that he was a street-smart scholar, in addition to being a prolific author, outstanding teacher, and brilliant scholar. I knew that he would have practical wisdom for me.

This was his answer: "By the time people reach the point of writing a doctoral dissertation, they are smart enough, they know enough, and they work hard enough to finish. But everything they hear is: 'You aren't smart enough, you don't know enough, you don't work hard enough.' And so they never finish because they think they can never do enough." I will never forget these words.

When I got home, I wrote a simple question on a 3x5 yellow index card: "What Is Enough?" I stuck that card on my wall, behind my desk. Every time I sat at the desk to work on my dissertation, I could see the card and the question.

I think that this simple question: "What Is Enough?" is the single most important reason why I was able to go from ABD to Ph.D.

As I worked on my dissertation, the question: "What Is Enough?" kept me on course. Whenever I realized that I had just spent two hours on some interesting bit of information, the question reminded me of my purpose. My purpose was to complete the dissertation, defend the dissertation, and finish my degree. When I asked the question I could evaluate whether the particular topic I was working on was relevant to my purpose. Sometimes it was. Sometimes it wasn't. But simply asking the question reminded me that I was working toward a specific goal.

The word "more" drives scholars. Scholars love to study. Love to know more, read more, learn more. Yet, this quest for "more" is often what stands in the way of completion. The question: "What Is Enough?" reminds scholars who can never do enough or know enough, to remember the simple task at hand.

Since I completed my own dissertation, I have offered this question to other scholars, and I now offer it to you. The question will keep you on track to finish your dissertation. It is especially valuable whenever you feel overwhelmed, focused, and off-track. If you wonder if you will ever be able to finish, ask yourself: "What Is Enough?" to finish.

So what is enough? To complete your dissertation, you will need to write a cogent, coherent argument on a single thesis. You don't have to write everything you know on the topic. You only need to write "enough" to make your case and prove your thesis.

Article Source: http://www.rsspoetry.com

Nothing is more important to dissertation writing than a solid thesis. If you need help with your thesis, here's a persuasive writing resource for you. My ebook, What's Your Point? gives solid methods to get to your point.

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