Abstract
Being a supervisor of doctoral studies has become more and more demanding, as the education today is systematic and highly organised with a stipulated time and regular funding [1,2]. Nowadays doctoral students are professional as opposed to “recreational” researchers. Consequently, the supervisor has to plan his/her tasks very conscientiously, as he/she often has several doctoral students and the supervision is part of a full-time position. Accordingly, there are several aspects to consider and decide upon before the supervisor and doctoral student start the long joint journey.
The first aspect that requires consideration is the planning of the research study to be carried out. It is important to evaluate and scrutinise the study plan prior to commencement as well as during the period of study. All studies have their ups and downs thus it is necessary to have the relevant information as well as formal documentation, which set out support available from the organisation. Furthermore, most study designs change to some extent during the study period due to new ideas or discoveries. Another important aspect that requires reflection before accepting the role of supervisor concerns interest. If the doctoral student is a pathbreaker, it may well be that he/she is knowledgeable about the subject, which can lead to a different but positive relationship between the supervisor and supervisee. Usually, however, the doctoral student approaches the supervisor due to his/her established knowledge of the subject.
A third aspect of concern is the planned methodology. A supervisor has a great deal of empirical and theoretical know-how and skills, but no one is perfect. Today's doctoral studies comprise several methodological courses, which are often experienced as positive by doctoral students who want to implement the newly acquired knowledge. However, it is important to determine whether or not the aim of the planned study would be better served by the “new” method. If the new method is chosen, both supervisor and doctoral student must understand that they need support in, for example, the analysis phase, and still who has the main responsibility for the study. The fourth aspect is the conditions on which the co-operation between the supervisor and doctoral student are based, which are motive, will, ability, capacity and time. It is important that both parties are honest and open-minded towards each other. From the doctoral student's perspective, it is a 4-year full-time venture while the supervisor has to divide his/her time among several doctoral students and other educational and organisational work. Very similar to the above is the next aspect: personal chemistry, which consists of issues such as relationships, interests, sex, age and family situation. Chemistry differs from conditions, in that conditions should exist from start while personal chemistry develops over the course of the journey and can have both positive and negative consequences. An intimate relationship between supervisor and doctoral student must be considered negative for the study, although it can be positive for the individuals concerned. However, it is important to keep professional and personal life separate during the study.
The sixth aspect is didactical arrangements, e.g. where to meet, how often, and for how long. Furthermore, setting deadlines for the receipt of a manuscript or data and how complete and reflected the manuscript or data should be when handing it over to the supervisor. These tasks are very simple, but extremely important, due to both the supervisor's and the doctoral student's work situation. A common phenomenon exists—the doctoral student is only concerned with his/her own study and believes that this also applies to the supervisor, but the truth is that the supervisor has around 10–20 other students. The seventh aspect concerns the network and support surrounding the study and doctoral student. It is important that the supervisor is familiar with the student's personal and professional network, e.g. his/her employer or head as well as his/her partner. It is essential to have an idea of the support that can be expected both in positive situations and when problems arise. The eighth aspect deals with the product, i.e. the dissertation, which is the final testimony of the doctoral studies. However, the product is the result of a long series of controls and evaluations (50%, 90%, frame, etc.), that culminate in a demanding public defence. Accordingly, the supervisor and doctoral student must discuss and agree upon all tasks prior to the start of the study, in order to decide whether or not it is worth the effort involved.
The next aspect is the prerequisite theoretical elements of the study. The doctoral student must rapidly become a wizard at formulating CVs including scientific and pedagogical portfolios as well as applications to Ethics Committees and for funding. This is a very time consuming theoretical task that has to be performed every year, but necessary if the study is to progress without interruption. The tenth and final aspect is the prerequisite empirical or practical elements, which consist of writing information leaflets, informing target groups, obtaining written consent, designing questionnaires and conducting interviews, making video and tape recordings, as well as data processing and analyses, and the finishing touch: to write a dissertation book including the articles. All such practical work takes a great deal of time, and it is important that the doctoral student understands that these issues are his/her responsibility. To sum up, there are many aspects pertaining to the responsibilities of the supervisor and supervisee, which must be clarified, defined and agreed before they start on their scientific journey. No one aspect is more important than the other but together they form a comprehensive framework for the intellectual and social teamwork required from both supervisor and doctoral student in order to produce a dissertation.