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[camera]

My dissertation is near completion but its current state, according to my DA, is "adequate" rather than "great." My DA, rightly, wants it to be "great." The problem is, I don't think I have it in me. I am only an adequate scholar, not a great one. Also, my DA warned me of possible outcomes of a poor or even adequate dissertation -- stories about tenure denial, disastrous job searches, etc.
I am terrified, especially since I must graduate in a few months. This means, I only have 2 months to finish the revisions (after many, many drafts). I know some people say that no one reads dissertations, but I don't think that's true. I cite at least 2 in my own thesis. I am very worried my dissertation will simply never be good and someone citing it in their own project will tear it to shreds.
Yes, I am paranoid much ;)
Advice? Reassuring words? I'll take what I can get.
(btw, I am in the humanities)

[snowbound]

Chill out.  Finish your diss and look for a job.  Your advisor is working at a PhD-granting institution, probably an R1, and wants you to reach that kind of level.  If your self-estimation is accurate, that just isn't going to happen--or if it does, you won't get tenure, unless you develop a lot post-PhD. 

But that's not the end of the world.  Most academics don't work at those kinds of institutions.  Most of the folks posting on these fora are at "lesser" institutions--SLACS, regional state campuses, community colleges.  There are many fine careers at such schools.  Many pay as much as R1s,  some more.  The teaching loads are bigger, the research expectations less (zero for c.colleges), and good teaching counts a lot.  If you can carve your diss into a few publishable articles, you'd meet humanities research requirements for tenure at most less-than-R1 schools.

Your career doesn't have to be a carbon copy of your advisor's.  To increade your

[francie_]

My dissertation is near completion but its current state, according to my DA, is "adequate" rather than "great." My DA, rightly, wants it to be "great." The problem is, I don't think I have it in me. I am only an adequate scholar, not a great one. Also, my DA warned me of possible outcomes of a poor or even adequate dissertation -- stories about tenure denial, disastrous job searches, etc.

Ask your adviser to define "great".  Also, check out hus dissertation to see if it measures up to that definition (but do not tell hum you are doing this).

(btw, I am in the humanities)

Why am I not surprised?

It's way to early to worry about tenure denial based on a "not great" dissertation.  Tenure will depend on what you accomplish post-dissertation.

It sounds to me like your adviser wants you to achieve "greatness" to benefit hus own bid for tenure or promotion.  Just a hunch.

[olive]

I second Realfrancie's suggestion to take a look at your advisor's dissertation, if you haven't already.  And while you're at it (again, if you haven't done so already) take a look at other dissertations put out by folks in your department.  That was one of the things that made me relax (a bit) about my own dissertation--seeing exactly what others had done.  I had been terrifying myself with ridiculous expectations of what needed to be included, and how extensively everything had to be covered. 

Some of the dissertations I read were really, really well done and others were pretty crappy.  But even the ones I liked made it clear that I could do something in the same range.  Seeing the range in your department could be more helpful than this vague description of 'great.'

Ask your adviser to define "great".  Also, check out hus dissertation to see if it measures up to that definition (but do not tell hum you are doing this).

[snowbound]

I am very worried my dissertation will simply never be good and someone citing it in their own project will tear it to shreds.

Seriously, DON'T worry about this!  Very very few researchers indeed will take the trouble to read a dissertation, unless it sounds like it's on the exact topic that they are working on.  In the unlikely event that you do get cited, that's good!  It means you are entering the critical conversation on your topic, and it gets your name out there.  Even if your diss does get mentioned (unlikely as that is), a seasoned scholar writing for publication frankly is not likely to spend more than a sentence or two responding to a dissertation to refute it, unless that dissertation is so important that it demands attention.  In which case, good again!  In fact, great! 

In general, you are going to have to grow a thicker skin.  You have to be prepared for the give and take of academic discussion, without shriveling up at the prospect of someone disagreeing with you.  Go to conferences, present your ideas, prepare a diss chapter as a stand-alone article and send it to a journal, milk your advisor for ways in which your work could be improved post-defense, learn to welcome criticism and see how it helps you grow.




 

[larryc]

Just finish the damned thing. The greatness can be added when you convert it into a book.

It is a very rare search committee that ever looks at your dissertation--especially if you have an article in print you can give them as a writing sample.

Also--what exactly is it about your diss that is adequate but not great? If it is prose and organization, could you hire an editor? I know that is not often done in the humanities but I do not think it is unethical.

[sugaree]

A "great" dissertation is a done dissertation. If the current state of your work is "adequate" does that mean your committee is likely to pass it through a defense? If so, then LarryC is right - worry about "greatness" for the book.

[dr_crankypants]

Your advisor sounds like an ass.  Can you talk to his/her former students to get a sense of how things worked for them at the end?  In any case, work like crazy for the next two months, and then accept that a dissertation is going to be imperfect (mine certainly was, but that didn't stop me from getting a research university job).  You'll be amazed how much you can do in the last two months.

What I would be careful about, however, is entering into any kind of open warfare with your advisor.  An "adequate" diss is not going to ruin anything.  Your advisor's rage can. Placate him/her as much as you can.

Oh, and people don't usually really read dissertations.  I've read a few, on very closely related topics, but they're usually not worth the time.  Good ones usually get turned into books, and then I read them.

[tedbear09]

You don't want dissertations to be adequate, not even "good." Not even "great." The way I see it, you should aim to introduce some new idea or methodology, or challenge something, something to make you stand out! That's just my $0.02, though...

[francie_]

You don't want dissertations to be adequate, not even "good." Not even "great." The way I see it, you should aim to introduce some new idea or methodology, or challenge something, something to make you stand out! That's just my $0.02, though...

TedBear, are you by any chance a first-year graduate student?

And, could you please summarize in a single word your idea (see my emphasis in bold) of what a dissertation should be?  It's just the kind of revising skill you are going to need to move your dissertation's prose from "adequate" to "great".  Never too early to start practicing, IMO.

[tedbear09]

You don't want dissertations to be adequate, not even "good." Not even "great." The way I see it, you should aim to introduce some new idea or methodology, or challenge something, something to make you stand out! That's just my $0.02, though...

TedBear, are you by any chance a first-year graduate student?

And, could you please summarize in a single word your idea (see my emphasis in bold) of what a dissertation should be?  It's just the kind of revising skill you are going to need to move your dissertation's prose from "adequate" to "great".  Never too early to start practicing, IMO.

Actually, I'm in my fourth year, finished my dissertation proposal defense. My preliminary work has already been published by a top journal, and I've won a few research awards at my school. I can't say that I'll keep doing "superior" research -- I would like to, but obviously it's hard. I guess you can say it was lucky for me to get "one" superior research.

But anyways, back to the point: I guess you should always AIM to do something spectacular, beyond great. I heard of this quote once: "Reach for the moon -- even if you fail, you'll land among the stars."

[t_r_b]

I guess you should always AIM to do something spectacular, beyond great. I heard of this quote once: "Reach for the moon -- even if you fail, you'll land among the stars."

Perhaps, but there's also the Bette Davis line from the end of Now, Voyager: "don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars!"

In any case, if you don't actually finish the diss, you won't end up anywhere. From what I've seen, shooting for the moon is the number 1 reason for diss non-completion.

Edit: I should add that I've heard sentiments like tedbear's from a number of people. They had one thing in common: they hadn't yet finished (and in some cases hadn't started) their dissertation.

[tedbear09]

"In any case, if you don't actually finish the diss, you won't end up anywhere. From what I've seen, shooting for the moon is the number 1 reason for diss non-completion."

-- I agree with this statement completely.

But then again, please don't put me down in my work. I've done quite well so far, part luck I guess, but obviously, I'm very proud of my achievements.

Then again, perhaps I've only been lucky so far. As I already said, it will be hard for me to find another "exceptional" topic to look at in the future.

[dr_crankypants]

I guess you should always AIM to do something spectacular, beyond great. I heard of this quote once: "Reach for the moon -- even if you fail, you'll land among the stars."

Edit: I should add that I've heard sentiments like tedbear's from a number of people. They had one thing in common: they hadn't yet finished (and in some cases hadn't started) their dissertation.

Amen.  Tedbear09, with all due respect, as someone just beginning your dissertation (even if you've done decent research in the past), you're not really in a good position to be giving advice to someone with only two months to finish his/her dissertation.  One of the most important things that a dissertator has to learn is how to balance ambition with reality.

[tedbear09]

I guess you should always AIM to do something spectacular, beyond great. I heard of this quote once: "Reach for the moon -- even if you fail, you'll land among the stars."

Edit: I should add that I've heard sentiments like tedbear's from a number of people. They had one thing in common: they hadn't yet finished (and in some cases hadn't started) their dissertation.

Amen.  Tedbear09, with all due respect, as someone just beginning your dissertation (even if you've done decent research in the past), you're not really in a good position to be giving advice to someone with only two months to finish his/her dissertation.  One of the most important things that a dissertator has to learn is how to balance ambition with reality.

And with all due respect, crankpants, you don't know me personally, nor my academic background and strengths. Like I said, I'm not saying that EVERY research I do will be spectacular -- and I freely admit that I've been lucky so far -- but I feel very comfortable and know that I will do quite well on my dissertation, if not spectacular.

But, I guess, back to the main point of this thread: I still say aim for the best you can do. You've got two months left -- just aim for it. I don't think you can do any worse than what you have so far. Why not give it all you've got? (Especially if academic research/teaching is what you're aiming for.)