It is widely recognised that an important aspect of doctoral study is the development of a researcher identity. However, little is known about how to support this. Although previous research has highlighted the importance of discursive engagement for researcher identity development, no studies examine talk or discuss how identities are constructed…

This article investigates whether experiences of the PhD trajectory during the first year of enrolment predict dropout during a later stage. More specifically, we studied how supervisor support, time pressure and passion for research relate to dropout among PhD students and assessed the role of discipline in this process. We used longitudinal data…

Publishing prior to completing graduate school is increasingly institutionalised through institutional policies in ways that pressurise doctoral students to publish as a graduation requirement or encourage them to do so to gain advantages in the academic job market. However, no systematic review of the role predoctoral publications play in shaping…

This paper sets out to offer emic insights into doctoral students' identity formation processes emerging at the interface of their personal biographies and situational doctoral conditions. Leaning on a dialogical theorisation of identity, the study analyses life stories told by four PhD students, focusing on how participants narratively position…

Opting for academic sojourns has become increasingly popular for students worldwide at various levels of education. While there have been a number of research studies into the college and country choice of university students at the undergraduate level, the opinions of international doctoral students are less presented, and if presented, they are…

This qualitative study focuses on critical incidents identified by three U.S. PhD students as they reflected on the process of writing qualifying examinations. This study is couched in sociocultural conceptions of literacy, which view the qualifying exam as a social practice. Extending previous research of doctoral student writing and utilising a…

High dropout rates, delay, and dissatisfaction among PhD students are common problems in doctoral education. Research shows that many different factors are associated with doctoral success, but these factors have not often been studied simultaneously. Moreover, characteristics of the PhD project are mostly neglected. In this study, we investigate…

Supervision has been shown to have a high impact on doctoral students' development. However, little is known about how students perceive not only negative but also positive doctoral experiences, as well as their strategies for dealing with perceived problematic situations. The aim of this study is to analyse and relate doctoral students'…

This paper aims to articulate the multi-regulatory and complex territory that programme developers of professional doctorates are required to navigate, and, using examples from Health Psychology and Sport and Exercise Psychology, discusses the impact of this territory on programme development. 'Practitioner Psychologist' is a legally protected…

This study reports on the value of community-based learning for the preparation of EdD graduates as practitioner researchers. To provide insights about the conditions that facilitated or constrained the development of inquiry abilities, the study applied a qualitative research approach examining the perceptions of 14 doctoral students who…

Stress during doctoral study is common; however, its presence is of concern to students as it has a deleterious impact on well-being and performance, and to the university which has a duty of care to students and the desire to promote a supportive research environment. This article reports on the qualitative findings from an online survey that…

The aim of the paper is to report some of the research findings from a workshop held at an International Professional Doctorate Conference. The workshop aimed to elicit the views of attendees surrounding the following questions: How do you currently measure the impact and outcome of your professional doctorate programme(s)? What tools, frameworks,…

Despite the burgeoning research on feedback, we know little about the ways in which students engage with supervisory feedback in doctoral writing -- a crucial element for understanding students' feedback uptake. To address this issue, this study uses text analysis and semi-structured interviews to explore Chinese international doctoral students'…

Although scholarly publishing is increasingly institutionalised as a graduation requirement or expectation for doctoral students around the world, there has been little systematic investigation of institutional policies on doctoral publication. This study aims to fill this lacuna by critically examining a Chinese university's publication…

Learning to "become doctor" requires PhD candidates to undertake progressive public displays--material and social--of knowledge. Knowledge in doctoral pedagogy is primarily realised textually, with speaking and writing remaining as the primary assessment rubrics of progress and of the qualification. Participating textually begins, in a…