The PhD is the highest formal qualification and signifies a scholar's rite of passage as a legitimate contributor of new knowledge in a field. Examiner reports make claims about what is legitimate in a thesis and what is not and thus articulate the organising principles through which participation in a field is measured. The authors analysed 39…

This historical overview of higher education research in South Africa finds that research foci and methods have been shaped by the political agenda of the "old" South Africa. Identifies issues, such as redressing past inequalities, which higher education must address as part of the transformation process of both higher education and…