Phd Proposal – where to draw the line between proposal and working-version
Recently I am working on a proposal (expose) to find and decide on a supervision for my phd or doctoral thesis. At the moment there are several perspectives in Germany but also abroad that seem possible and interesting and challenging. It will be a decision that will influence my work and goals for the next two or three years. I often tend to be kind of perfectionist and dealing with such an important task I even more am afraid of lacking to cover the expectations of myself as well as of a potential supervisor. Regarding my field of research and my ideas respectively plans (which are to concrete and to important for myself to be just called ideas) there are so manifold aspects and contexts that have to be kept in mind and considered towards their influence and interconnection with my thesis.
But I know I must (soon!) find a point, a marker, where to draw the line between a proposal and a working version that will constantly grow and change and enhance during the process of research and writing. During the time of writing my phd/doctoral thesis there will for sure be further discourses, approaches and changes that have to be implemented and reflected. Maybe I will not be able to read all the texts I have already found and collected as basis to review the state of art. Another conflict in regard to writing the proposal: will a large and elaborated list of literature show that I am conscious of the interdisciplinary contexts and influencing theories? Or could it awake the impression that I am not able to focus or concentrate or find the crucial aspects and “get to the point”. But – honestly – I am persuaded that it is much better to have done a little too much review in forefront than to risque to oversee anything connected with and important for my work(and I do not have to read everything I have found and will find in detail … many of the books, texts, resources will show to be not or not as much relevant as they looked liked … but therefor I have at least to scan and skim them…) .
How do you decide where to draw the line between curiosity, perfectionism, and your own claim towards your work and a reasonable (I do not like the word) restriction of time and content? I would love to read your feedback!