By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
After I finished my doctoral orals, I went to visit one of the professors on my committee, to ask him a question. I had read statistics that approximately 85% of doctoral students in the humanities who reach the point I had reached never finish their dissertations. Instead, they join the large crowd of ABDs ("All But Dissertation") who complete all course requirements, pass their orals, and yet never complete the dissertation.
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.
"What Is Enough?" is the single most important reason why I was able to go from ABD to Ph.D.
"What Is Enough?" allowed me to pull myself back on track when I realized that I had gotten off course, studying some interesting, but irrelevant piece of information. The question reminded me of my objective. My purpose was to finish the dissertation, so that I could defend the dissertation and finish my degree.
The enemy of completing a dissertation is the word "more." The word "more" drives scholars. There is always more to read, more to study, more to know. One more article. One more book. One more fact. The question: "What Is Enough?" cuts through this relentless drive to know and do more, to remember that the immediate task is to finish.
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.
The question will help you complete your dissertation because it reminds you that you only need to write "enough" to make your case and prove your thesis. You don't need to write everything you know about a topic. And you don't need to write more than you need to make your case.
About the Author
Nothing is more important to dissertation writing than a clear thesis. If you need help with your thesis, here's a persuasive writing guide for you. My ebook, What's Your Point? gives clear methods to get to your point.
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