Rethinking doctoral publication practices: writing from and beyond the thesis

Abstract

This article addresses the importance of giving greater pedagogical attention to writing for publication in higher education. It recognizes that, while doctoral research is a major source of new knowledge production in universities, most doctoral students do not receive adequate mentoring or structural support to publish from their research, with poor results. Data from a case study of graduates in science and education are examined to show how the different disciplinary and pedagogic practices of each discourse community impact on student publication. It is argued that co‐authorship with supervisors is a significant pedagogic practice that can enhance the robustness and know‐how of emergent scholars as well as their publication output. There is a need, however, to rethink co‐authorship more explicitly as a pedagogic practice, and create more deliberate structures in subject disciplines to scaffold doctoral publication – as it is these structures that influence whether graduates publish as informed professionals in their chosen fields of practice.