Summary

Dear Colleagues,

Doctoral supervision is a crucial element of the research process for students pursuing a doctorate degree. It involves the development of a close working relationship between student and supervisor, aimed at guiding and supporting the student’s academic journey. The role of the supervisor is to provide guidance on research methodology, help the student develop research skills, and provide constructive feedback on the student’s work. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the student produces a high-quality thesis that meets the standards of the academic community for their own discipline area.

Effective doctoral supervision requires a strong understanding of the research process, a deep knowledge of the subject matter, and excellent communication skills. The supervisor must be able to provide constructive feedback, whilst also being supportive of the student. Furthermore, the supervisor should also be able to help the student manage their time effectively, as doctoral research can be a lengthy and challenging process that must lead to an original contribution to knowledge in the specific field.

Doctoral supervision is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Different students have different needs and learning styles, and the supervisor must be able to adapt to these needs. This requires a willingness to be flexible and creative in their approach to supervision. The sharing of best practice is therefore necessary to raise standards and support supervisors, and there is a growing recognition of this necessity across the higher education sector.

This topical collection will bring together a range of papers that explore doctoral supervision best practice, with the ultimate aim of creating an essential resource that can be used by both supervisors and doctoral students. Papers can be either an encyclopedia entry (entries do not contain primary data, but instead provide an overview of the subject area, with a minimum of 30 relevant references) or a review (offer a comprehensive analysis of the extant literature, identifying current gaps or problems). To avoid duplication, we will only be able to accept one entry paper on each individual subject area. Suggested subject areas related to doctoral supervision include the following:

Creating a positive research culture for doctoral students.

Helping doctoral students to develop their writing techniques and skills.

Enhancing doctoral supervision practice.

Monitoring the progress of doctoral students.

Recruitment of doctoral students.

Supervisor relationships with doctoral students and co-supervisors.

Supporting doctoral students through completion and final examination.

Supporting doctoral students to disseminate and publish their research.

Supporting doctoral students with their research.

Supporting the mental health of doctoral students.

Supporting the personal development of doctoral students.

Supporting the professional and career development of doctoral students.

These are just examples of subject areas in which we are particularly interested in receiving entry papers, but we are also open to additional ideas. We look forward to receiving your contribution and being able to work together on this unique topical collection.

Dr. Martyn Polkinghorne

Dr. Julia Taylor

Dr. Fiona Knight

Collection Editors

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Editors
Martyn Polkinghorne

Institution: Business School, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

Interests: doctoral supervision; research culture; business and management; innovation; artificial intelligence; higher education; student learning gain; recursive abstraction; project management.

Julia Taylor

Institution: Doctoral College, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

Interests: doctoral supervision; BBC; media history; broadcasting journals; higher education; student learning gain; recursive abstraction; PGR mental health and wellbeing; PGR education; PGR student experience; PGR research culture and environment

Fiona Knight

Institution: Doctoral College, Bournemouth University, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

Interests: doctoral supervision; higher education; PGR mental health and wellbeing; PGR education; PGR student experience; PGR research culture and environment; volcanic and magmatic studies; mineralogy; geochemistry

Entries
Topic Review
Doctoral Supervisor Training and Professional Development
Doctoral supervisor training and professional development comprise the formal and informal processes through which academics develop, maintain, and extend the knowledge, judgement, and professional practices used to supervise doctoral researchers. These processes address the multidimensional nature of doctoral supervision, including disciplinary and methodological guidance, research pedagogy and feedback, supervisory relationships and communication, organisation of the doctoral process, responsiveness to candidate diversity and context, and reflective professional practice. Development may occur through initial induction, formal courses, mentoring, peer learning, communities of practice, reflective activities, blended or online provision, and continuing professional development across a supervisory career.
  • 9
  • 04 Nov 2026
Topic Review
Indigenous Doctoral Supervision: Developing Reflexive, Relational and Culturally Responsive Practice
“Indigenous PhD scholar” refers to doctoral students who are Indigenous to their country or part of the First Peoples or First Nations of that country. In Australia, this includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand; Inuit, Métis and First Nations peoples in Turtle Island Canada; and Native American peoples and Alaska Native peoples in the United States of America. The term “PhD scholars” is used here instead of “PhD students” to acknowledge the lived experience, expertise and knowledge that are brought to Indigenous doctoral study. PhDs take different forms in different places and institutions but predominantly involve independent research-based projects that can also include coursework and publications. All PhD scholars are guided by “supervisors”, “advisors” or “committees” who are experts in a field and support the PhD scholar to achieve their research goals and to meet the requirements of their PhD program. Reflexivity, relationality and cultural responsiveness are supervisory practices required to ensure the success of Indigenous PhD scholars in Western academic environments. They are grounded in cultural values and must be supported by the structural conditions of higher education to guarantee the rightful place of Indigenous knowledges and research practices.
  • 5
  • 04 Nov 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Generative Artificial Intelligence in Doctoral Supervision: Ethical Boundaries, Feedback Practices, and Supervisory Relationships
Generative artificial intelligence is increasingly being adopted in doctoral education to support writing, literature synthesis, translation, feedback, research planning, and administrative work. While emerging scholarship has examined generative AI in higher education, academic integrity, and student writing, its specific implications for doctoral supervision remain comparatively underexplored. This review argues that generative AI should not be understood merely as a technical aid, but as a socio-technical force that may reshape ethical boundaries, feedback practices, doctoral student agency, and supervisory relationships. Drawing on literature from doctoral education, supervision studies, academic writing, feedback literacy, and AI-mediated learning, the review examines three interrelated thematic areas of AI-augmented doctoral supervision. First, it considers ethical issues related to authorship, originality, academic integrity, transparency, privacy, confidentiality, bias, data protection, and overdependence. Second, it analyses how generative AI may influence feedback preparation, interpretation, timing, and dialogic use in doctoral writing and research development. Third, it explores implications for supervisory relationships, particularly trust, power, responsibility, emotional support, and autonomy. The review also discusses institutional implications, including AI literacy, supervisor development, doctoral policy, and responsible use guidelines, and positions generative AI as a human-centred support mechanism rather than a substitute for supervisory judgement, ethical responsibility, or relational mentoring.
  • 67
  • 04 Nov 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Doctoral Student Wellbeing: Conceptualization, Challenges and Pathways Forward
Doctoral student wellbeing refers to the perceived state of psychological, physical, and social health experienced by a person during the process of completing a doctoral thesis. From a eudaimonic and salutogenic perspective, this construct goes beyond the mere absence of distress and incorporates dimensions such as meaning and purpose in life, personal growth, autonomy, feelings of mattering, and the quality of academic and personal relationships. It is a multidimensional construct shaped by the interaction between personal variables, including prior psychological history, personality traits, and task motivation, among others, and contextual variables, such as funding conditions, quality of supervision, departmental culture, family and personal circumstances, and social and institutional support networks. Doctoral wellbeing is therefore dynamic: it evolves throughout the different phases of the doctoral process and is influenced by conditions specific to this population that distinguish it from other groups of students or workers. It has emerged as a critical concern in higher education research, driven by evidence of high rates of psychological difficulties among this population. This entry paper offers a narrative and conceptual review of the current state of knowledge on doctoral student wellbeing, identifying the main challenges facing this group, the factors that influence their wellbeing, and the pathways forward in terms of intervention and future research.
  • 27
  • 15 Jun 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Guiding Doctoral Students into Research Communities
Research communities refer to the learning and social environments within which members engage in scholarly activities. Consisting of diverse actors involved in research processes, research communities provide opportunities for doctoral students to become familiar with the shared norms, values and cultures that are particular to each group. Research communities not only allow members to access pertinent knowledge, information and resources, but also offer social support and foster a sense of belonging in academia, helping students to develop into independent scholars. During their studies, doctoral students often participate in various research communities, ranging from the research lab at their institution to international networks connecting researchers from different countries. This paper focuses on ways to guide doctoral students into research communities, both within and outside of their institutions. In addition, it examines the formal and informal processes that facilitate their integration into these communities.
  • 28
  • 15 Jun 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Training Doctoral Researchers for Applied Computing Research: Design Science and Action Research in International Contexts
Doctoral training in applied computing and information systems is the structured development of a researcher’s capacity to produce original, rigorous, and scholarship that is relevant to practice, supported through doctoral supervision, which provides academic guidance for research design decisions, progress management, scholarly quality, and researcher development. In this setting, Design Science Research (DSR) is a methodology that generates knowledge through the purposeful design and evaluation of an artifact intended to address a defined problem. In parallel, Action Research (AR) generates knowledge through collaborative, iterative cycles of planned action and critical reflection conducted with stakeholders in real settings. Bringing both traditions together, Action Design Research (ADR) integrates DSR and AR by developing and evaluating artifacts through participatory cycles focused on intervention while maintaining explicit expectations of rigor and contribution. These approaches are often used in international or study abroad research contexts, which are research environments spanning national, cultural, institutional, or governance boundaries and therefore require adaptive methods, careful ethical attention, and sustained stakeholder engagement. This synthesis results in an integrated methodological framework that positions Action Design Research as a supervisory scaffold for doctoral training in applied computing and information systems. The framework integrates Design Science Research and Action Research within an iterative cycle embedded in dialogical supervision and ethical reflexivity. It contributes a structured model for aligning methodological rigor, doctoral learning, and practical impact in complex and international research environments.
  • 42
  • 15 Jun 2026
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Personal Development of Doctoral Students
Personal development refers to the process of increasing one’s self-awareness, associated increases of self-esteem, increasing skills, and fulfilling one’s aspirations. The current paper reflects on these elements within the doctoral journey, for PhD students within the UK Higher Education system. The paper makes particular reference to frameworks to encourage and capture personal development needs and supervision or coaching styles that may be used to encourage a continual reflection of personal development throughout the doctorate.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Mar 2025
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Supporting Doctoral Candidates through Completion and Final Examination
Completion and final examination comprise the final stages of a doctoral program and represent the culmination of the doctoral candidates’ years of research. In this entry, completion is defined as the writing and submission of a doctoral thesis, and final examination is defined as the viva voce. Over the years, the format and scope of doctoral degrees has expanded and a variety of formats are now offered. In addition to the traditional research-only doctoral degree, professional, practice-based, and new route programs also contain a taught element alongside research. However, the creation of a substantive thesis or practice-based alternative addressing a novel research question is common to all. In contrast, processes and formats of viva voces vary across the globe. These range from private, closed-door defenses to assessed or ritualistic public defense presentations. For both completion and final examination, there are many practical and psychological hurdles that need to be navigated in order for the candidate to attain their doctoral degree. This entry will highlight these aspects as well as provide evidence-based guidance for supervisors in supporting their doctoral candidates through these daunting final stages.
  • 1.6K
  • 14 Mar 2025
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Supporting the Professional and Career Development of Doctoral Students
A doctoral student is someone studying for a doctoral degree, which is generally considered to be the highest academic qualification a university can award. The student develops research experience, while making an in-depth and original contribution to knowledge. They are supervised by university staff members (usually there are two, or a small panel) who train, mentor, and support the doctoral student. Professional and career development refers to support that helps students to not only grow as individuals and independent researchers, but to also have the option to successfully pursue either academic or non-academic roles after graduation. While this entry considers some international contexts, it is particularly oriented to the United Kingdom (UK) model, and to the most common doctoral degree, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
  • 940
  • 14 Mar 2025
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Inclusive Supervision: Bridging the Cultural Divide
Inclusive supervision is an approach to supervision that prioritizes multicultural competencies and an ethic of inclusion. Inclusivity in doctoral (or PhD) supervision is of key significance due to the collaborative nature of the relationship between supervisors and supervisees. Scant research has been conducted that considers the multiple, intersectional influences and their impact within this relationship. This study employs a rapid review method to synthesize findings on the research evidence encapsulating inclusive doctoral supervision. A search of academic literature spanning the last ten years (2013–2023) led to the inclusion of nine empirical, qualitative research studies on inclusive supervision. A synthesis of the findings resulted in five key challenges to inclusive supervision that diverse students face: power dynamics and feedback, a lack of belonging and support, a racial lens on academic competence, (mis)understandings of cultural differences, and communication and language barriers. In discussing these findings, we employ an intersectional lens and introduce a conceptual framework for an inclusive collaboration between supervisors and supervisees.
  • 881
  • 14 Mar 2025
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