Proposing a Dissertation with a Free Rein

In: PS: political science & politics, Volume 34, Issue 4, p. 851-852

Abstract

Any Ph.D. knows that developing a basic statement of dissertation
ideas rarely begins or ends with the formal proposal. In a sense
dissertators never stop "proposing." Throughout the process of data
gathering and writing, they must make sense of new ideas and
information, contend with theoretical and empirical dead ends,
address the suggestions (or demands!) of advisors and committees.
Nevertheless, the aspiring Ph.D. must start somewhere, and finding a
starting point depends on one's own aptitudes and interests and the
expectations of the scholars who will ultimately assess one's work.
All of these may vary widely.