New development: Are our doctoral programmes doing what we think they are?

Abstract

While there is general agreement that the doctoral process is about the creation of original knowledge, there is less clarity about other objectives. In an age of austerity the potential conflict between longand short-term aims becomes more acute, as well as the conflict between larger scale objectives (such as sustainability, economic and intellectual development), quality assurance procedures and ethical requirements. These conflicts are explored through a review of some initiatives followed in Australia, England, Estonia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the USA and Wales.

Keywords:

• Doctoral research
• ethics
• internationalization
• quality assurance
• research objectives

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Lee

Anne Lee ([email protected]) is an independent academic developer working with universities in Eire, Estonia, Scandinavia and the UK. She was formerly a senior academic development adviser at the University of Surrey. Routledge recently published her book on ‘Successful Research Supervision’.