Much of the supervision literature revolves around the delicate balance between directive supervision and student independence. Yet there remains a paucity of empirical research about the balancing act. This is the first study based on survey data to undertake a large-scale empirical analysis of the assumed relation between doctoral supervisor…

While supervision is often characterised as a relatively private relationship, we would argue it is strongly influenced by departmental, institutional, national and global factors. It is also intertwined with other academic work and life experiences -- with time playing an important role, not just as regards lifecourse but also changing…