Doctoral supervision has been deemed as a site of power, knowledge production, and an effort in career progression, mediated by doctoral students and their supervisors. Extensive studies have looked at these interactions from multiple angles. Although research into doctoral supervision has been extensively documented, there lies a paucity of…

The undergraduate honours-level dissertation is a significant component of many UK undergraduate programmes, as a key stage in the longer-term intellectual and career development of potential researchers and knowledge-workers, and also a critical contributor to immediate award outcome. This study aims to identify how dissertation supervisors…

Doctoral study remains the most popular form of research degree globally. The student and supervisor relationship is an integral part of the postgraduate researcher (PGR) experience. Supervisory relationships can be complex and multi-faceted, with differing expectations from both supervisor and PGR. However, comparing different perspectives of the…

The expansionist nature of the higher education sector has led to an increase in the provision of online Masters programmes. Many of these programmes are offered part-time attracting working professionals. The dissertation component that can be the culmination of many of these degrees is largely unexplored. A constructivist grounded theory…

Purpose: The paper posits that the enforced work from home (WFH) arrangement due to COVID-19 provides a unique setting for the study of trust in changing contexts. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine to what extent COVID-19 WFH changed trust relationships among remote employees, their managers and organisations and how this has…

This interview-based study with thirty doctoral supervisors in the UK focused on the diverse goals and intentions behind their supervisory activities, from which we derived a six-dimensional model of concepts of supervision. We explored how strongly each of these concepts featured in supervisors' intentions and whether this varied by discipline.…

Purpose: This paper aims to show how an Academic Literacies lens can contribute to a deeper understanding of writing for a professional doctorate (PD) by focusing both on the language of supervisors' written feedback and on student and supervisor perspectives on feedback throughout Year 1 (Y1). Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, written…

The aim of this study is to explore doctoral students' (DS) perceptions of social practices that contribute to their well-being. Utilising social practice theory, specifically the framework of social practices as an interplay of 'materials', 'meanings' and 'competences', we examine which social practices enhance DS well-being and the contexts in…

The notion of borderlands implies a boundary demarcating a crossing to/from an unfamiliar territory. It is a productive metaphor for dual-status academics -- those employed in academic roles in universities who concurrently undertake doctoral studies. We argue that dual-status academics dwell in an extended form of boundary crossing, potentially…

International doctoral students are an indispensable part of the increasingly globalized Higher Education Institutions and play a vital role in continually refreshing the host country's research base and fostering cross-national research collaborations. Despite their contributions, most international student employability experiences have been…

Much research around student mental health focuses on undergraduate students. However, recent research suggests that depression and anxiety are just as prevalent among postgraduate researchers (PGRs). This study explores the experience of PGRs in the UK (N = 50), their wellbeing and resilience. The results of the survey indicated that the…

This study examines the early-stage progress assessment for doctoral candidates at a British university through the perceptions of academic staff who acted as assessors. It was conducted in response to staff concerns about changes to the process that shortened the timescale for candidates to prepare and present their research for peer review. As…

To engage students with academic research is recognised as a high-impact activity that supports the development of valuable critical thinking skills. Various approaches have been developed to promote student research both in and outside the curriculum. By incorporating the perspectives of both students and academics, this qualitative study…

Professional development is vital for professional service staff but there is little research evidence on how this group engages with development programmes. A cross-sectional study of professional service staff was carried out in two universities who are engaged in the Association of University Administrators Mark of Excellence. The study…

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, low-skilled workers have continued to move around the labour market. Working from home presents a new set of challenges for employees and managers alike. Our new research with the Chartered Management Institute looks at the role of managers in supporting low-skilled workers to thrive in their new workplaces…