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.