Surviving and Thriving in Postgraduate Research

By Ray Cooksey and Gael McDonald

This handbook provides an in-depth exploration of the entire journey of postgraduate research in the social and behavioural sciences, from enrolment to its culmination in the form of a thesis, dissertation or portfolio, and beyond. It is written in an accessible and example-rich style, offering practical and concrete advice in virtually all areas. It also includes references to additional resources and websites, and each chapter features key recommendations for improving the postgraduate research experience. 

The book addresses not only research-related aspects (e.g. supervisors; selecting your guiding assumptions; contextualising, framing and configuring research; reviewing literature; sampling; writing proposals; ethics and academic integrity; selecting a data gathering strategy; surviving your thesis/dissertation/portfolio examination; and publishing), but also questions concerning how to integrate, manage, and balance the research journey in the context of the postgraduate student’s broader life-world (e.g. skill development and supervisor relations; effective time and project management; a healthy work–life balance; maintaining motivation; and dealing with criticism). The book adopts an explicitly pluralist perspective on postgraduate research, moving beyond mixed methods thinking, and offers concrete examples from postgraduate students’ real-world experiences. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Springer
• Release date: Jun 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9789811377471

Book preview

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

Ray Cooksey and Gael McDonaldSurviving and Thriving in Postgraduate Researchhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7747-1_1

1. Why Am I Doing This and What Should I Expect?

Ray Cooksey¹   and Gael McDonald²  

(1)

UNE Business School, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

(2)

RMIT University Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ray Cooksey (Corresponding author)

Email: [e-mail]

Gael McDonald

Email: [e-mail]

When a friend got married, the Minister who was performing the service required them to have pre-marriage counselling. During the first session he had the couple list all the reasons why they wished to marry. They quietly wrote as they considered why they wished to embark on this life journey with specifically this person. Upon completion of the exercise, the Minister told them to keep the list in a safe place, and preferably accessible, as they would serve as an excellent reminder when times get tough as to the reasons why they did actually marry. Fortunately, the friend has said that she hasn’t had to pull out the paper to re-acquaint herself with the rationale for her choice of lifelong partner. However, the activity seemed like a sensible one and, on reflection, there are parallels with preliminary considerations you might also undertake before embarking on a postgraduate research journey.

On many future occasions you may find yourself questioning your decision to pursue what can be a lengthy commitment. For this reason, it is helpful to know, from instigation, what your motivations are for undertaking such an immense project and to gain some clarity around a few key areas, such as:

being realistic about the goal that you have set;

having an understanding of yourself;

the expectations of the institution you will be studying in;

the nature of the supervisory relationship;

the means by which you might support yourself; and

the effect your prolonged study may have on your friends and family.

At the outset, it is worth mentioning that this text is intended primarily for doctoral-level research students for whom, in addition to the possibility of preparatory coursework, there is the expectation of a substantial research project and the preparation of an expository research outcome, such as a thesis. However, students undertaking research master’s degree will also benefit from what we explore in this book. We acknowledge that doctoral degrees now come in many different forms depending on the field and profession involved (Gill & Hoppe, 2009). There is the traditional PhD, which typically results in the submission of a thesis and, depending upon the country in which you are undertaking the award, you may (e.g., in the U.S) or may not (e.g., U.K, Australia) be required to complete coursework prior to commencing your research. There are an increasing number of professional and practice-based doctorates which are now being pursued around the world (Lee, Brennan & Green, 2009; Maxwell, 2003; Neumann, 2005). Professional doctorates challenge the existing epistemology of a traditional PhD (self-contained, discipline-centred, appealing primarily to an academic audience) because the research typically requires contextualised professional, practice-based and/or community interaction, innovation and focus, often with the goal of creating research impact (Bourner, Bowden, & Laing, 2001; Green, Maxwell, & Shanahan, 2001; Fink, 2006). The research outcome from a professional or practice-based doctorate can take the form of a dissertation or a research portfolio that speaks to multiple audiences (Maxwell & Kupczyk-Romanczuk, 2009). Similarly, some students are now undertaking a doctoral degree by publication (Badley, 2009; Jackson, 2013; Nethsinghe & Southcott, 2015), where the research outcome comprises a compendium of published works woven together with contextualising narratives. Despite these variations in approach, students will be actively engaged in project planning, research and the writing process.

This text is therefore, intended to assist all those students embarking on a research endeavour for which there will be a considerable commitment of time in pursuit of an intellectual outcome of a dissertation, collection of papers, portfolio or thesis. In addition to this text, there are a number of useful books that you may also find of value in relation to undertaking your research journey (Brown, 2006; Brown, McDowell, & Race, 1995; Burton & Steane, 2004; Churchill & Sanders, 2007; Collis & Hussey, 2014; Cryer, 2006; Delamont, Atkinson, & Parry, 2000; Denholm & Evans, 2012; Dinham & Scott, 1999; Dunleavy, 2003; Elphinstone & Schweitzer, 1998; Fisher, 2010; Graves & Varma, 1997; Marshall & Green, 2007; Petre & Rugg, 2010; Phillips & Pugh, 2015; Powell & Green, 2007; Quinton & Smallbone, 2006; Race, 2007; Rudestam & Newton, 2015; Salmon, 1992; Thomas & Brubaker, 2007; Wellington, Bathmaker, Hunt, McCulloch, & Sikes, 2005).

1.1 Why Am I Doing This?

The extent of the commitment required should not be underestimated and a postgraduate student who is setting the goal to obtain a doctorate needs to be realistic as to what is required of them, and the impact that a postgraduate program may have on themselves and others. If you take the approach Oh, I’ll enrol and see how it goes, then you are probably destined to failure, as that level of engagement is just not strong enough to sustain you when you start to hit some of the emotional, methodological, financial or time management bumps along the way. Interestingly, for some students, they are secretly reluctant to set the goal of getting a doctorate as they confess that they see the goal as too lofty and unobtainable and that, in some way, they are unworthy or don’t have what it takes. It is therefore appropriate to bust a few illusions here. The truth is that, as most experienced supervisors will tell you, getting a doctorate is more dependent on organisation and persistence than on brilliance. So, yes, you can do it, but you need to be dedicated to the completion of your project from the beginning.

Most people are understandably hesitant about embarking on doctoral studies. As one successful researcher has reflected I was scared that I may not be up for it, or that I would waste three years of my life, or worse I would quit half way through disappointing all the people involved. Luckily, a dear friend of mine came up with a good piece of advice. He simply said: Forget about the others and take this opportunity to invest in yourself" (Aliotta, 2011). So, go ahead and set the goal, write it down, and give yourself a realistic date for completion. The time lines will be approximately three to four years if you are planning to be a full-time student and possibly even up to six years if you intend to be studying part-time. To be realistic, now add one more year from a standing start, that is, with no preparation, for pre-registration and registration activity at the beginning, as well as submission and graduation procedures at the end. Once you have established the time lines and the goal, share that goal with others who will be supportive of you such as close family and friends. You will need to have them firmly on board with your plans and also committed, as they will be significantly affected by your studies as a result of your physical and sometimes emotional absence, and pre-occupation with the task. Be sure that your friends and family are aware of not just what you are getting into but also how it will impact on them and diminish the time that you have together, not just for a few months but for a number of years. If you are in employment you also need to communicate your goal of obtaining a doctorate with your manager. If the timing is right, during a performance review process is the best opportunity of raising the subject, as some concessions, such as time release, may be required in the future, particularly at the beginning and the end of the project. Getting early organisational commitment to your personal goal will be helpful.

1.1.1 Examining Your Motivations

With goal setting there is a difference between what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it. What you want to achieve is the bigger picture of what the goal is; but why is one step before the goal. The why are the deep inner feelings that spur your commitment and motivation, therefore, you are encouraged to have good insight into why you want to accomplish the goal as this is the main well from which you will draw your motivation, particularly when you get into the doldrums about mid-way. To be able to draw on this motivation, take time to reflect over a few days and be brutally honest with yourself as you explore all the reasons behind your desire to embark on such a significant project. In examining why students want to obtain a doctorate, Lawton (1997, p. 3) suggests that students start by examining their aspirations and long-term goals. Lawton found that motives can vary considerably between not knowing what else to do in one’s life, remaining as a student, enjoying the academic environment, having the intention to pursue a career in teaching and research, having a particular problem or research issue they wish to investigate, acquiring research skills, or even a desire to achieve the specific personal accomplishment of the highest academic qualification that can be given. Motivation to undertake a professional doctorate might be stimulated by a need to solve a concrete problem in context, influence or change existing practices or develop and evaluate an innovation; in short, to have an impact in or on one’s profession or industry.

It has been observed that there is surprisingly little research on what motivates people to start and persevere through a doctorate, and even less about what effect gaining a doctorate subsequently has on their life (Brailsford, 2010; Hegarty, 2011). In their study Leonard et al. (2005, p. 135) noted that their respondents gave more than one reason why they undertook their doctoral studies. For more than a third it was for professional development, or a requirement for their job, although this was rarely first on their list of motives. For example, I was working as a research assistant and it seemed the next logical step in my career progression as a researcher. Also, I was offered a research job which provided the opportunity to do the doctorate alongside, using some of the data collected as part of the larger project (Leonard, Becker, & Coate, 2005, p. 138). A third of respondents undertook a doctorate because of having an interest in a particular area, while a quarter mentioned personal development, including the pleasure of learning, testing themselves, gaining confidence, proving themselves, self-fulfilment and the joy of study. For example, I was stuck at home with three kids under eight, desperate to use my mind but, logically, unable to take on a job as well (Leonard et al., 2005, p. 138). Other reasons provided were acquisition of research skills such as statistical and writing skills, as well as being able to supervise students in the future. A few international students indicated their motivation was the ability to study while living abroad and improving their language skills.

There are a myriad of reasons why you may wish to engage in postgraduate study and they will vary from individual to individual (Fung, Southcott, & Siu, 2017). For international students there are what have been called push (from the source country) factors and pull (drawn to a host country or institution) factors (Mowjee, 2013). For simplicity let us divide the motivations into intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors relate to motivations that are linked to your feeling of self-worth, or your wish to acquire and/or apply new knowledge, achieve a personal bucket list goal, investigate a critical issue, be a role model to children while extrinsic factors tend to relate more to what postgraduate study attainment might actually achieve or do for you, that is, in the form of better job prospects, better pay, higher status, family recognition, having an impact on professional, organisational or community practice (seeking change for the better), and for international students this could also be exposure to a new culture and possibly migration opportunities.

Looking at these reasons in more detail may prompt recognition of your motives. Taking extrinsic motives first, they are usually the easiest to identify and primarily relate to enhanced career choices and the expectations of the occupation you wish to pursue. This is more notable for those who wish to enter, or to stay in, an academic environment, where a doctorate has long been recognised as the entry qualification necessary for a career in the sector and where, without a doctorate, career progression is extremely limited. However, for one of our students, he had no intention of pursuing a teaching career but felt strongly that, as an independent business consultant dispensing advice, the qualification would give him the necessary kudos to get through the door to acquire clients and the credibility to communicate his recommendations. Similarly, for one professional doctorate student, his primary motivation was to improve his organisation’s performance by creating, implementing and evaluating an innovation that could capture ideas for organisational improvements from the staff and volunteers that he managed as Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner in Western Australia. The desire for higher status is probably one of the weaker motivations to hang on to as the prestige associated with obtaining a doctorate can be fairly short-lived. If you are working in academia then you would have noted that virtually everyone has a PhD and the recognition you receive on an aircraft when asked for your assistance as a doctor, soon turns to embarrassment as you indicate you are probably next to useless in an emergency (interestingly, no-one is ever in urgent need of a methodological framework or a business plan).

Intrinsic motivations have more of a personal element and, in addition to self-development; there is the intellectual challenge as well as the personal satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. As one PhD student in her late 30s commented, I have never really had a career plan but what I have done is set personal goals. I got an undergraduate degree and then a master’s so the next level of personal accomplishment seemed to be a PhD. I didn’t start out with the intention of doing a PhD; it just seemed like the next step if I wanted to get that great feeling of personal achievement. The actual topic was secondary. A similar sentiment was expressed by another student who reflected well I guess the primary motivation was the Himalaya syndrome. It was there, it was the final step if you like to a university career as it was available to me and I wanted to do it, it was that last jump (Brailsford 2010, p. 21). For others, the topic and the intellectual curiosity are their prime motivators, as one student commented, a strong motivating factor was certainly the wish to come to grips with a defined, substantive body of knowledge and to develop my critical and creative faculties—essentially, reasons to do with personal development (Connell cited in Dickinson, Connell & Savage, 1997, p. 121). As Francis (1997, p. 18) has pointed out, doing a significant piece of research changes people, not simply in terms of the technical expertise and knowledge gathered in their field, but also in terms of the way they value themselves and their work. Upon the completion of your PhD you will become an expert in your area. This has been identified as almost an unavoidable consequence of working for many years exclusively on a specific topic and you may even exceed your supervisor in the knowledge that you have developed (Aliotta, 2011).

Intrinsic motivation is considered the dominant factor in the motivation of adult students in continuing postgraduate education (Templeton, 2016). Dinham and Scott (1999, p. 19) identified intrinsic motivation as being more common than extrinsic, when 60 percent of the students they surveyed gave what could be termed as intrinsic reasons for undertaking their doctorate. Mueller et al. (2015) also found that students are significantly attracted by intrinsic motivations such as life aspirations and the intellectual challenge of gaining a doctorate for the intention of further study. It is thought that tapping into one’s intrinsic motivation contributes to a greater level of commitment (Ryan & Deci 2000) with those that have the motivation of personal development obtaining higher learning achievement (Lee & Pang, 2014; Thunborg & Brubaker, 2013).

The most common reason given for undertaking a doctorate is a desire to study in greater depth an already interesting and well-liked field of study. However, there is usually not one but a combination of reasons behind the desire to do a doctorate, and during your moments of self-reflection it may be worthwhile listing your reasons. Make it personal, for example, when wanting to lose weight the goal may be the number of kilos by a certain time, but the motivation is because we want to look and feel great. As one American student confided, in hindsight, I think one of the main reasons I successfully completed the PhD was the fact that I didn’t pass the exam (preliminary doctoral written exam) on the first try. It’s ironic, but life sometimes works in strange ways. That initial failure caused me to answer the basic question [why I was doing this] and provided the mental fortitude to keep going, despite the hurdles and problems I would later face (Azuma, 2017).

Motivations are heightened when they are personal and very dear to our heart. Let’s be honest, there has been many a family member who has been motivated to achieve success in study or a career in order to out-do a sibling. What is imperative is that the motivation(s) is important to you. A Middle Eastern postgraduate student who was struggling with the decision as to whether to do a PhD recently indicated the primary motivation for postgraduate study was family pressure and the need to fulfil family expectations. Intriguingly, he stated that every adult member of his immediate living family had a PhD, including his grandmothers! It does, however, need to be your motivation not someone else’s desire or expectation if it is going to fuel you over an extended period of time. The motivation can be quite personal. For example, one of our students expressed dissatisfaction with their current job and the need for a career change. Another older student, who had been lecturing for many years, indicated their fear of being without a job as the requirement for a doctoral qualification increasingly became apparent as a necessity to stay in their role.

The reality is that on your list of motivations there will be a mix of both intrinsic and intrinsic motivations. This is not unusual. Similar to the results found by Mueller et al. (2015), Wiegerová (2016) observed that young PhD students are influenced by both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations specifically relating to their institution, family and their wish to continue to study and research at a postgraduate level. In fact, Templeton (2016) went so far as to indicate that people with only intrinsic motivations do not have enough to keep committed to the program.

If you have identified your motivations, write then down and keep them handy. Yes, they are pretty personal, don’t worry, no-one is going to ask you to share them, but it is important that you identify the buttons you are going to need to push along the way to keep you moving forward. You may need to repeat this process periodically as it is not uncommon to find one’s motivation for undertaking a postgraduate research qualification change as you transition through the process. A young female student shared how her motivation changed; when I expressed my goal of doing a PhD with others, an older male colleague who didn’t have a doctorate chided me and questioned whether I was up to it. It was probably only a throwaway line but, wow, did that motivate me. I was shocked at his comment and, while I can’t say that the emotion stayed with me through the whole process, to be honest, it certainly did sustain me for quite some time in the early years of my research as I wanted to show him I could do it. However, in the latter stages of my study I was more motivated by a need to capitalise on the significant investment of time and resources that I had put into the project. I wanted something to account for all that effort. So your motivations may change over time as you progress through the research journey, however, you do need to be in touch with what your primary motivations are so that when times do get difficult and your commitment wanes, you are able to remind yourself of why you are doing it in order to get another injection of enthusiasm to carry you over until the next challenge.

1.2 How Do I Go About Choosing Where to Enrol?

Closely related to the choice of where to enrol is the question of whether you should continue your postgraduate education in the university where you undertook your prior qualifications, or should you change to an entirely new institution? As one student concluded, the decision to return to my Alma Mater was deliberate for, despite the great distance from home and the logistics problems implied; I particularly liked and felt comfortable in London. I had always found it conducive to study, it was where the bulk of the primary resources were located, and I was familiar with the geography of the town and the university. Perhaps, above all, I was keen to work with people I knew and trusted (Dickinson cited in Dickinson, Connell & Savage, 1997, p. 116). There may be some ethnic preferences as Smith (2007) found that for minority ethnic students in the UK ‘familiarity breed contentedness’ with student concerned with proximity as well as staying with a previously experienced institution for their postgraduate studies. While it is sometimes tempting to undertake your doctoral studies in the same environment in which you undertook your undergraduate or Masters qualification, because of the desire to remain in a secure environment where you know the people, the library and the topography but, from an academic recruiter’s point of view, there is commonly a subtle desire to see some variation in the degree awarding institutions. A movement to another institution and the successful completion of a qualification demonstrates a degree of mobility and adjustment, while staying in one’s home institution does promote questions of overt patronage. You may, therefore, wish to demonstrate your flexibility by seeking another institution to do your doctoral studies. If, however, you are constrained by geographic location, that is, there is only one institution in your town, funds are too limited to pursue a research program at another institution or, you have family commitments which restrict your ability to move away to study, alternatively, the expertise in your field resides in your home location, clearly, you would be wise in the face of those constraints to stay where you are.

Taking a moment to consider the choice of institution further, and with an eye for what will enhance a CV, some students’ desire is to attend the most prestigious institution they can get into, and they are hopeful that there will be an appropriate supervisory match with their intended topic. Others may place greater emphasis on the supervision and will enrol in an institution where they perceive that the greatest level of knowledge is in their subject area. For part-time students, the choice of institution may be driven by pragmatics as they seek the most accessible institution to their work or home while, for others, they may reside in a small city in which there may be only one immediate choice of tertiary institution. Reflect on these alternative perspectives when choosing where to study, and consider which approach resonates with you. Interestingly, Dinham and Scott (1999, p. 24) have provided a ranking of the reasons most commonly given by Australian doctoral students when choosing a university at which to complete their degree. These are in rank order:

Geographic proximity to family

Quality of the doctoral program

Desire to work with a particular supervisor

The reputation of the university

Financial assistance provided

Having worked or studied there previously.

In a similar discussion, Das (2015) outlined 7 factors potential doctoral students should consider when choosing research institution for their study: the match of the research interests of the candidate and the research activities of the faculty, available funding, peers and co-workers with whom the candidate will be interacting, the publication track record in the department, the supervisors working style and expectations, other areas with a related research focus, and the prevailing work ethic.

A point worth noting is that undertaking postgraduate research is an independent activity and, given the power of email and other forms of digital communication, as well as external access to library resources, proximity to your data sources is probably more important than proximity and the location of your supervisor(s) and home University. Our further recommendation is that where you do have choices, keep your options open and do due diligence on more than one institution by initially obtaining information and then, if possible, visiting the institution. For international students, the latter may mean telephone calls and/or internet investigation. Start this process at least six months to a year before you intend to enrol.

1.3 Researching Where to Study

List the institutions that interest you and, initially, look up information on them on the internet. In the first instance, as most universities appear in ranking tables start broad and see where the institutions are on any comparative league tables, although noting international assessments tend to be broad assessments of the institution rather than discipline-specific. The following websites may be of value for this purpose:

https://​www.​timeshighereduca​tion.​com/​world-univresity-rankings

https://​www.​usnews.​com/​best-colleges/​uiuc-1775/​overall-rankings

https://​www.​topuniversities.​com/​university-rankings/​world-university-rankings/​2018

https://​www.​socialcapitalgat​eway.​org/​eng-rankings.​htm.

If you want to look specifically at the research standing of the universities that you are interested in, then you may need to locate national databases. For example, for universities in the U.K., the UK Research Excellence Framework assesses the quality of research in universities and colleges in Britain and reports the findings (https://​www.​ref.​ac.​uk).

To obtain information on actual doctoral programs and to undertake further evaluation of the research within your intended department, as well as the individuals within that department, you will need to become more institution-specific and look at actual university websites. However, be aware that, as most people do not like seeing large chunks of text on a website, the information may be limited. Don’t be swayed by the lovely pictures of students demonstrating ethnic and gender diversity and having fun in the classroom, as these are often either stock photos sourced by the promotions department, or orchestrated photos of selected staff and students. Surprisingly, searching organisational websites is not as easy as one would expect but what you are initially looking for is an indication of:

The structural layout of the organisation—what are the faculties and departments? Is there a graduate school?

Who are the key personnel, such as the Director of the Doctoral Program and the Head of Department in the discipline area you wish to study?

What existing research projects are being undertaken by staff and students?

Who are the key researchers and what are their areas of research interest?

Is there a student union and/or student support services for graduate students?

What is the nature of the doctoral program?

Is there a downloadable map of the campus for use when you visit?

What organisational and industry links do they have as this may be useful for future data collection?

Start up a file on each institution you are interested in and phone the course information office to get further documentation. Realise, however, that educational marketing usually works on two or three levels. Given the cost of printing the first level of material, it is usually a beautiful teaser brochure which has great pictures but not much detail. The more robust information is contained in the second and third levels of promotional material. This information is often easier to obtain when you actually visit the campus and engage with the program staff. If you are able to visit then don’t only go to the course information centre but also try to connect with the actual academic department where your subject area is taught, as you will find them more knowledgeable about the program. If possible, endeavour to visit the institution twice, the first time to get a feel for the place and the resources, and the second time to actually meet with key people with whom you have made an appointment, people such as the program directors and academics who are in the field you are interested in studying. Obviously if you are an international student visiting the university may not be possible so see if you can locate someone who has studied the same program there before and now lives by you. The alumni office might be helpful in making that connection for you.

In getting more detailed information on the program find out not only the obvious, such as what, if any, course work is required, you should also obtain information on the relevant policies and regulations that govern the degree you would be enrolling in, as well as on registration requirements, the examination process, the processes for ethics approval and so on. This information should be documented and available as part of the program regulations, however, it doesn’t often sit on the promotional racks, so you may have to ask for it, indicating that you are looking into studying at the institution.

It is here we should make an emphatic note on the importance of establishing a good relationship with the administrator/department secretary and staff. They are the backbone of any academic department and are particularly knowledgeable. Make a point of learning their names and establish rapport. I learnt this from personal experience. When I arrived at the LSE seeking relevant information, the department secretary was in a real flap as she was trying to organise a postgraduate function for 5.00 pm and was way behind in the preparation. I could see that I wasn’t going to get any sensible answers from her so, as most antipodeans would do, I offered to help, rolled up my sleeves, opened umpteen bottles of wine, set up tables and played bartender. Later, when she had calmed down she came over to me and said, now what can I do for you? From then on, she was immensely helpful and continued to provide all manner of insight and support for the next few years until her retirement.

The next stage in your investigative process is to identify what resources might be available to a postgraduate research student, such as, in the form of study locations—do they have study spaces and how busy are they; the availability of software, database, equipment, external library access, library training. Do they charge for inter-library loans? Do they have holdings related to your area of interest? What is the function of the research office or postgraduate office and, more importantly what support programs do they offer. Greenspon (2013), a first year PhD student in Applied Physics, made a sage observation that it is more about the importance of the structure of the program, the support available, the facilities and the location rather than the reputation of the institution. It may be especially useful to visit the campus library to check out the resources it offers. As well, you could check into their holdings of prior postgraduate research theses, dissertations and/or portfolios in your area of interest and have a look at some of these.

A further location to review as part of your investigative process is the relevant student union. They can alert you to any issues that may have arisen in the past in the academic department where you intend to study, as well as also giving further insight into some of the supporting mechanisms available for postgraduate students at the institution. Most institutions, either through the student union or the postgraduate centre, will also have a scholarships office where personnel can provide you with advice regarding scholarships. If you are an international student check out the international office and ask about their pastoral care program for overseas students.

While you are on site, it would also be a good idea to try to interact with some of the other postgraduate students, who will be able to share their experiences regarding the institution, the program, the administration, the support services and to comment on potential supervisors. Postgraduate students talk amongst each other regarding their supervisors, so it’s not too difficult to get an indication of the reputations of various academic staff in relation to their supervision, whether they are hands-on/hands-off, around or not around, and so on. A quick word to other postgraduate students can often provide some useful information although, remember, it is anecdotal and may not be entirely accurate, so treat such information as only one possible piece of the informational jigsaw when determining who might be an appropriate supervisor. If time is limited, then ask the postgraduate students you meet for their email addresses and follow up later as this may be more appropriate and will also give you more time to ask them about their research.

Having thoroughly digested the course information on the second visit, make an appointment with the doctoral program director/dean of postgraduate students (or a similar title) as well as one or two academic staff whom you believe could be potential supervisors. The purpose of your meeting with the program director should be to clarify any questions you have from reading the program documentation and to obtain additional information that is unlikely to be found in the written material.

Specifically, you may wish to:

Determine how large the department is in terms of numbers of students, faculty members and administrators. Larger departments tend to have more resources and support training, however, if it is too large, there is the potential that you could get lost amongst a sea of other graduate students.

Find out the program completion rate. This information is now being collected more routinely because it is related to government funding, so don’t be fobbed-off when they say they don’t have the information available.

Determine the procedures for aligning students with a supervisor, and/or supervisory committee and gauge to what extent a postgraduate student can request a specific supervisor. Also inquire whether it is common to have more than one supervisor, and whether the secondary or co-supervisor can be in another institution.

Know how supervision time is allocated, that is, the usual time allocation for an academic staff member who is supervising a doctoral student. Ascertain whether there is a maximum number of students an academic staff member can supervise. While there may not be a standard answer, there may be a range. The fact that you have asked the question does alert the department to appropriateness of supervision as being an important consideration for postgraduate students before embarking on their study.

Express your interest in the program and provide a quick précis of your intended research area.

Identify the names of potential supervisors in your likely topic area whom you will later visit and talk to.

Should a communication breakdown occur, or the relationship deteriorate between a supervisor and their postgraduate student, ascertain the mechanisms available for resolving the situation. In addition to the academic supervisor, find out whether there is a mentor or buddy system operating in the department.

What resources are available to postgraduate students? Is there support for data collection and attendance at conferences?

What are the policies governing processing time lines for getting ethics approval? Also ascertain what interim reports are required to qualify for candidature or during the course of study.

Identify the next steps and time frames in regard to registration.

Ask whether they could suggest names of current, or even past, postgraduate students who may be studying in a similar area to you.

1.3.1 Considering Supervision

They say that one of the keys to being successful in life is first to choose your parents very carefully. Well, the same applies to supervisors or supervisory panel/committee members but, unlike choosing your parents; this time around you might actually get to have some influence on the selection of individuals in a critical relationship which could significantly impact on your well-being and the likelihood of completion of your doctoral studies. Remember, not all academics are necessarily good at, or like, supervising postgraduate students. Some academics find postgraduates distract them from their own research, while others consider them to be resources available to assist their own research, which could ultimately distract you from your research. In a blistering account of their experience published online in the Times Higher Education in 2013 (and has since been taken down), one student commented I found the supervisors remote and odd. A couple of them tried to block the submission of the theses to my institution. Indeed, on three separate occasions in my career, academics informed me that if I submitted this thesis, it would fail. The results that followed these warnings were a Master of Arts passed with distinction, a Master of Education with first-class honors and a dean’s award, and a PhD passed without correction. I was left with the impression that these supervisors had no idea what they were doing. The worst supervisors share three unforgivable characteristics: they do not read your writing, they never attend supervisory meetings, they are selfish, career-obsessed bastards.

Fortunately, many consider good supervision an important and part of their job and are dedicated to supporting their students in achieving their doctoral aspirations. These individuals meet regularly with their students, are diligent in their review of material, provide constructive feedback, are open to theoretical and methodological choices that vary from their own and constructively mentor their students.

It is distracting, time-consuming and embarrassing to have to change supervisors, so you want to make sure you get the right one/s at the beginning of the project. In some circumstances where you are applying from a distance and assigned a supervisor on the basis of your topic, the decision is made for you. For other students, there is the potential for some investigation and personal selection of a supervisor or at least a short list of preferred supervisors. In those circumstances you will be active in identifying your supervisor(s).

1.3.2 So How Do I Go About Locating a Good Supervisor or Supervisory Panel Members?

It is widely acknowledged that successful doctoral candidature relies heavily on the supervisor-candidate relationship (Nethsinghe & Southcott, 2015) so getting the right person or persons is important. In some Universities rather than a single supervisor you could be appointed a primary and secondary supervisor even a supervisor panel/committee made up of senior academics. In the later instance, it is not uncommon to have the panel members allocated to you and for the members to have a spread of expertise related to your research. However, if you are able to have a say in who might oversee your doctoral supervision then here is some advice you might find useful.

When looking for a suitable supervisor(s) let’s divide the process into three stages: (1) The pre-meeting stage which entails topic reflection and preliminary investigations; (2) Meeting with potential supervisors to ascertain the likely personal and academic fit; and (3) The final follow-up stage where you express common courtesies and a subtle indication of your supervisory preferences.

1.3.3 The Pre-meeting

At the beginning of postgraduate study students do differ in their entry point, with some students having a very firm idea of what they want to do, the research questions and the approach they wish to take, while others are more ambiguous, even in regard to the topic area and possibly having a number of alternative fields of interest they are considering. To focus your search for potential supervisors, it is a good idea to spend some time reading and deliberating in order to narrow down your topics of interest to a general field of study. Having decided on the discipline and/or problem area(s) of interest to you, go to the university website and look up associated academic staff and their specific expertise. From this list you will be able to identify an academic who may be interested in your intended research or, alternatively, academics who are currently undertaking research which is of interest to you. You may also have identified some key academic staff mentioned to you after talking to the program director and administrative staff. If time and costs permit, it is also a good idea to attend a local conference in your field of interest, as the attendee list may yield local academics that could make potential supervisors. Another source of potential supervisors is http://​www.​scholar.​google.​com using key words related to your study, your country location or your preferred country location. Not only will it generate names of people researching in your field of interest, but you will also be able to source current papers on the topic. Prior to meeting a specific individual, it is also useful to use Google Scholar (enter the academic’s name) to read the full range of relevant papers/abstracts they have written. That way will you come across as being reasonably informed and with a strong indication that you have done your homework.

1.3.4 Meeting with Potential Supervisors

Once you have isolated a number of key individuals who could be potential supervisors, make an appointment for an informal discussion with them regarding their research interests, and your interest in doctoral study in their area of expertise. As Peters (1997) has succinctly stated, My own gut feeling is that you have got little to lose and much to gain by writing a respectful letter or making a pleasant phone call. The worst that can happen, provided you don’t come off as a complete dolt, is that the professor won’t be helpful. Indeed, the professor’s response or lack of one can tell you something about whether or not he has the time or temperament to be a good advisor (Peters 1997, p. 40). Yes, this often requires cold-calling, as you don’t know the person, but that is a skill you need to develop if you are going to gain access to research data sources and also to future, potential employers.

When you do meet with potential supervisors indicate your interest in postgraduate study and, potentially, in doing research in their area. Introduce into the conversation, a past paper that the academic has published to demonstrate your propensity for the subject area and that you have done some background checking. Academics love to talk about their work and what they are doing so, by having a discussion with the supervisor regarding their past and current research; it may also widen your scope of potential research topics and questions. In the case of professional doctorate programs, one requirement might be for a non-academic practitioner or industry/profession person to be appointed to a supervisory team. You would want to have a conversation with relevant people to gauge their interest in and capacity for joining your supervisory team (they may reside, in fact, in your own workplace and you might need to converse with them about the implications of that). In these instances, you would be talking, not about their own research, but about their contextualised views of problems and possibilities for where applied, practice-based, professionally-focused research might be needed. In particular, your conversation might focus on areas where both you and they think changes, improvements and/or innovations are required.

About 20 min into this conversation is where you may then be able to shift the direction of the conversation towards your research ideas. When meeting the potential supervisor and communicating your ideas for your doctoral research, try not to come across as too dogmatic. The supervisor is there to guide you in your research journey and, should they feel that you are inflexible or indifferent to their suggestions, that will flag to them that, potentially, you may be a difficult student. Possible questions to ask of a potential academic supervisor:

A question to which it is sometimes difficult to find a reliable answer and, hence, one you should ask, not only of the program director but also of a potential supervisor, is what is the time allocated by the department for lecturing staff who are supervising postgraduates?

How many postgraduate students is the supervisor currently supervising? How many have completed, and did their students complete on time? Experienced supervisors get people through, so you want someone who has done this many times before.

Have they had any students who have not completed? Naturally enough, not all doctoral students complete their study but, should a supervisor have a disproportionate number of students who have dropped their studies, this may indicate poor interaction between the supervisor and student.

What are their expectations of a student in the first year of their doctoral study? Where do they expect you to be after the first year will give a good indication of their understanding of the research journey and will also give you clear expectations.

How frequently do they anticipate meeting with a doctoral student? You are looking for a response that preferably indicates weekly or fortnightly meetings and not the experience of one student who recounted I knew a supervisor whose idea of supervision was a once-a-semester meeting in a bar where he would order three bottles of red wine and start drinking. The meeting ended when the wine finished.

Last year, how many research-related international trips did they do? This may sound like an odd question but what you are trying to ascertain is whether your prospective supervisor will actually be around to supervise you. High-flying researchers often have great reputations but may rarely be on the ground and available to you.

Are they intending any significant long-term absences from the country, a sabbatical or study leave for instance, or long service leave or retirement within the next three to six years?

How would they describe their supervising style (supervisory styles will be discussed in more detail in Chap. 4)? How does that style change during the different phases of doctoral study? You want someone who is engaged and will also hold you accountable to milestones.

What are their views on a student publishing or presenting at a conference during their study, or would they prefer the student to complete their studies and then publish? What are their views on co-authoring? You don’t want a supervisor who will expect automatic co-authorship on all your work.

Can they give an example of a time that they had to advocate for their student? You want someone that is prepared to go to bat for you if necessary.

How would they reconcile differences of opinions with co-supervisors? If you are assigned a co-supervisor, it is imperative that they are on the same page or life can get very difficult as you are left to arbitrate.

What are their key industry connections? These may be helpful when looking for data sources.

What grants to they currently hold or intend to apply for? This may be potentially positive for you if you are able to align your research and be employed as a research assistant on an externally funded project.

Possible questions to ask of a potential non-academic supervisor:

Have they had any experience supervising other professional doctorate students?

How much time could they devote to working with you in a supervisory capacity and would they be happy to participate in supervisory team meetings with academic supervisors.

If your project generates useful intellectual property, such as an innovation or change process, how would they view the balance in allocation of intellectual property rights between student, university and the industry, profession and/or the organisation in which the research is situated?

What kind of resources could they provide you with access to?

What kinds of project feedback would they like to receive that might be shared with other members of the industry, profession and/or the organisation?

Who, in their industry, profession and/or the organisation, do they think might be useful for you to contact with respect to your research project and intentions?

Always be respectful of their time and keep the meeting to around 45 min. Don’t ask a potential supervisor general questions relating to the program. Such information should have been obtained previously from relevant administrators or program documentation.

1.3.5 Follow-up

Out of courtesy, email and thank the potential supervisor for their time and input. It is a nice touch to consider providing something of intellectual value. For example, if you discussed a recent paper that you have read and that possibly the potential academic supervisor was not aware of; you may wish to provide a copy or link, as most academics are always interested in new material in their field. From your prior discussions with the program director, you will have some indication of how the allocation of supervisors is undertaken in the department. Be mindful of this process and that you can, in no way, demand that a particular staff member is your supervisor, but you can politely indicate to the program director a preference which you would like to be taken into consideration should you be accepted onto the program. However, remember that just because you like that supervisor, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be available for you, as most universities operate now with work load models. That supervisor may, in fact, already have a number of postgraduate students and is, therefore, not able to take any more on. Similarly, the decision to appoint that person as a supervisor is often done by the level above, that is, their manager or Head of School in conjunction with the research/postgraduate office and the potential supervisor. Where there is more than one supervisor to be allocated, the skills that each supervisor will bring need to be balanced and consideration given as to how they might work with each other.

1.4 Getting Registered

Following getting the documentation on regulations for your intended qualification, you will have become fully acquainted with the program expectations, time lines and so on. You will have met with potential supervisors and spoken with other postgraduate students, so, the final stage in the pre-registration process is completion of the relevant applications and, possibly, formal interviews. This is not a job that should be rushed, and you may be required to assemble ancillary information such as academic transcripts, letters of recommendation and maybe a tentative research proposal.

All of this will require some co-ordination. If you are not sure what is being requested, ask. A simple call to an administrator (the one that you have established rapport with) may iron out an issue that could otherwise hold you back. While some institutions allow applications any time in the year, others are more specific given that course work will commence at the start of each semester. Provide all information accurately and attach all requests for supporting documentation. It really annoys administrators when they get incomplete information and have to initiate contact with a potential student, and request material that should have been provided in the first instance. Where possible, it is a good idea to append an example of your own writing, either a previous research paper you have written or some other document you have produced in a university context, which can show your capabilities in academic writing.

In many cases, you will be interviewed by the department or graduate school before being admitted as a doctoral student and, quite possibly, will be interviewed by the doctoral program director whom you would have met previously. This meeting will be more formal than your last, and the interviewer will now be the main person asking questions (previously, it was you). At this stage, it would be ideal if you have a broad topic area that could be framed into a research question(s). Without being dogmatic, and remaining open to the learning process, some students will have an indication of likely data sources as well as some thoughts on the research frames (e.g., action research, evaluation research, survey research; see Chap. 11 for more details) and data gathering strategies they favour (e.g., questionnaires, interviews, experiments, observation; see Chap. 14 for more details). Demonstrating more than a passing acquaintance with the existing body of knowledge and related theories will impress your interviewer. It is, therefore, suggested that you prepare well for the meeting in order that the interviewer will have confidence in your ability to perform the task of completing the qualification.

1.4.1 What Are They Looking for?

Universities are looking for dedication to completion of a postgraduate degree. Universities are judged on their postgraduate ‘completion rates’ and, therefore, wish to enrol students into the program who have a high probability of successfully progressing at the right pace, completing all required course work and submitting an appropriate research outcome. They will be looking at your academic qualifications and any prior research you may have undertaken, as well as your personal commitment. It is very sad for all concerned when a student drops out of doctoral studies, given the considerable investment in time by all parties. Therefore, those deciding who is accepted into a doctoral program are looking for individuals who not only can develop the necessary research skills at that level, but who will also persevere and last the distance. Reflect on your past experiences and what circumstances you have overcome where you have previously committed to and completed a significant project. It may be at the master’s level, or it may be some work you have undertaken in your private life. They are looking for a student who will weather the storms, stick with the project over a number of years, and can meet the challenges inherent in all stages of the postgraduate research journey.

At the next level they will also be looking at your receptivity to new concepts, ideas and approaches, and for intellectual enquiry and flexibility in order that your research can be developed. One further point worth mentioning, which is often overlooked by doctoral candidates, is that, while undertaking doctoral research is an autonomous activity undertaken on an individual basis with the assistance of one or more supervisors, you will also, by association, be part of the academic group within the department. They will, therefore, also be looking at you from the perspective of what you would be like as a member within a community of learners, and how you will interact with others given the numerous opportunities for graduate student seminars and workshops during the course of your study. Are you someone who will not only successfully complete your own research, but will you also be supportive and encouraging of others, and will you contribute in a positive way to the research environment of the department or school? If you are undertaking a doctoral program at a distance education university, they may look for your commitment to periods of attendance on campus each year to meet with your supervisor(s) and contribute to seminar programs and the like. Some universities may be influenced by your potential research topic, whether it is related to the research themes or foci of the department. They are particularly attracted to topics that are seen as being hot or emerging areas of interest. Finally, they will look at your prior academic record and particularly your grade point average if you are applying for a scholarship.

If you are doing a professional doctorate, people in the work or professional setting in which you want to do your research may need to be convinced as to your intentions and wonder what they will get out of the project. They may harbour suspicions as to your or your university’s motives. They may look for some commitment to continuing dialog between themselves, you, as candidate and the academics involved. In short, undertaking a professional doctorate commits you to having multiple conversations with multiple stakeholders, not just university staff members. Be prepared to have to deal with potentially conflicting demands as well as to take advantage of any emergent opportunities and synergies. Obviously, the university will remain the primary stakeholder in your research as you will, hopefully, be selected for and enrolled in a program they control, and the university will ultimately award the degree to you, if you are successful. However, you must also realise that professions, organisations, communities and/or workplaces, who stand to potentially be influenced or even changed by the research you do, are also key stakeholders, whose interests must be safeguarded as well.

1.4.2 What Is Required for Admissions Documentation?

It is not uncommon for admission documentation to require you to provide a covering letter or essay to support your application. This can be somewhat daunting but not, however, if you put yourself in the shoes of the person reading it. Provide them with:

a statement of why pursuing this qualification aligns with your career goals or personal aspirations;

a statement of your field(s) of research interest and, in the case of a professional doctorate, what impacts you’d like your research to have in an industry, profession, organisation, community and/or workplace;

a statement of how your research interest may align with the school or department and, in the case of a professional doctorate, with a particular industry, profession, organisation, community and/or workplace;

evidence of your prior academic, and where appropriate, relevant workplace, industry or professional, experience;

a statement highlighting the logistics and support available to you that enhances your likelihood of completion; and

evidence of your personal traits of diligence, persistence and interpersonal skills.

If you draft out a paragraph from each of the above statements, you will quickly have a reasonably well-structured supporting document. Be mindful, however, that if the application requires answers to specific questions, rather than a more general approach, you would be advised to align your responses to the specific questions being asked. Keep the statements simple and focused. Hi-brow comments such as, the advancement of knowledge for the betterment of mankind can sound pompous and unrealistic. Have your documentation read over by someone else to check for any typos, spelling errors or omissions. Remember, they will be looking at your ability to write and what might be the contribution of your research to the domain of study.

Commonly, your application will require supporting recommendation letters. We suggest getting letters from an academic in the field (they carry more weight), and from someone who can attest to your qualities of persistence, team work and diligence. If you are undertaking a professional doctorate, a letter of recommendation from someone familiar with your connections and relevance to and capacities in the context in which you plan to conduct your applied research will be very useful. The final piece of advice here is to photocopy all of your registration material and forms. Yes, things do get lost and, in the event that you may suddenly have to recreate all that material in a matter of days, it is advisable to have an easily accessible spare copy.

1.4.3 How Do I Go About Financing My Doctoral Studies?

Financing your doctoral study will be largely dependent on your mode of study. Will it be part-time or full-time, or a combination of both at different times over your years of study? As a consequence, there are a number of means by which postgraduate study can be financed. These are as follows:

Government grants: This may come in the form of a Higher Education Loan Program to assist students pay for their studies.

External scholarships and grants (by external, we mean external to the institution): These are available to students from a variety of tertiary institutions. As a consequence, they are highly contestable but worth investigating. For international scholarships look at Scholarshipnet (2018) (https://​www.​scholarshipnet.​info). However, you will find that most international scholarship bodies operate independently so will need to be researched and applied for on a case-by-case