There is a widespread interest in doctoral supervision, yet novice doctoral co-supervisors' experiences remain understudied. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore how supervision culture and practice are experienced by novices. This thematic analysis is based on focus groups and in-depth interviews with 23 novice co-supervisors from two…

This conceptual paper considers doctoral candidate mindset and effective doctoral supervision. I explore mindset through a Critical Mobilities lens to posit two mindsets that candidates inhabit on their doctoral journey: transit and connectivity (Kesselring, (2006). Pioneering mobilities: New patterns of movement and motility in a mobile world.…

Academic institutions are characterized by specific dynamics between leaders and followers. Academics prefer work autonomy but expect quality leadership. In this article, we explore how early career researchers (ECRs) constructed followership identities through their expectations of supervisory interventions. We used thematic analysis to analyze…

Doctoral education and supervision have changed in recent decades. The increasing prevalence of co-supervision has been a notable aspect of this, but change also includes stricter accountability and quality assurance measures, such as the quantification of workload allocations in supervision as well as of academic work more broadly. This paper…

This small-scale research has drawn on the experience of six senior academics who have been involved in extensive doctoral supervision and examinations. The aim of the article is to discuss the nature of doctoral supervision and examination, and suggest views to enhance the expression of research outcomes as new knowledge or re-interpreting of…

Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students are an important part of Australian university research culture. They contribute significantly to the generation of new knowledge, research outputs, industry engagement and the continual development of higher education. This article is the first to systematically review existing research to synthesise the…

This part-reflective, part-conceptual article focuses on the issue of supervision models and the need to move away from the dominance of the traditional master-apprentice model which continues to persist in many social sciences and humanities contexts. Drawing on communities of practice theory, I critically reflect on my own PhD supervision…

There has been substantial research on doctoral supervision and examination, yet rarely a focus on what happens at the end-stage of the process when examiner feedback is received and addressed. This article reports survey findings (n = 262) from a study investigating supervisor perceptions about Australian end-stage doctoral examination processes.…

Remote proctoring of exams is one of the most divisive issues in higher education. Critiques of remote proctoring abound, and there are a variety of perspectives particularly in relation to the advantages and disadvantages of this type of assessment, and opportunities for cheating. However, these perspectives are largely based on rhetoric with…

Students may experience uncertainties when planning and conducting research. On the one hand, a measure of uncertainty is an inherent part of knowledge creation and represents the positive dimension of uncertainty in research. On the other hand, if uncertainties are not handled well, it could negatively affect the process and quality of research.…

Impostor phenomenon refers to an overwhelming feeling of being an intellectual fraud despite evidence to the contrary, and it affects highly capable individuals in many fields, including those in postgraduate education. This project sought to answer the following question: in what ways do postgraduate students enrolled in a large, American…

Team or co-supervision of doctoral students has been adopted by many universities in different parts of the world. This study focuses on a key aspect of this supervision model that is both a perceived advantage and a challenge, namely the need for supervisors to work collaboratively with colleagues for the benefit of students. It argues that…

Although high PhD attrition rates are a matter of international concern, the factors that lead doctoral researchers to leave their programmes are not well understood. The present study addresses that issue by exploring factors that prompted thoughts of discontinuing among 1017 PhD researchers (PhDRs) at a public, research-intensive Australian…

Discourse regarding modern doctoral studies criticises the traditional notion of doctoral education as being too narrow to facilitate knowledge creation and transfer towards the knowledge economy. This study considered the pedagogical links to supervisory practices to enable transformative learning experiences. The study, grounded in the…

The relationship between PhD candidate and supervisor influences successful candidate completion and helps maintain candidate satisfaction and mental health. We quantified potential mismatches between the PhD candidates' and supervisors' expectations as a potential mechanism that facilitates poor candidate experiences and research training…