PhD, postgraduate and early career
Strength of supervision more important than prior ability in determining doctoral performance, Australian study indicates
Survey finds that rates of depression and anxiety more common among low-income, female, ethnic minority, LGBTQ and arts students
Assessing doctoral candidates’ published papers instead would teach more useful skills and improve morale, says Noam Schimmel
Fees are likely to have been set before the Covid-19 crisis, but the change could help university finances if student numbers fall
Early-career and female researchers experience the greatest mental health toll, Australian surveys find
Administrators must stop asking faculty of colour to do more than our fair share and then punishing us for it, says Josh Hiller
Short-term financial squeeze could litter sector with aborted projects and careers, report warns
The Research Australia report has exposed the fault lines in health research funding, says Ross Coppel
National Science Foundation’s new emphasis in postgraduate funding seen as backsliding on diversity
Managers must acknowledge that supervising some types of doctoral candidates is more labour-intensive, say Roger Watson and David Thompson
Australian expert highlights evidence indicating that good grades do not necessarily translate into success in doctoral training
Falling staff-student ratios and low quality in some graduate programmes are prompting concern that more will mean worse, says Zhang Ruomei
UKRI says research organisations will have ‘greater financial incentive’ to invest in supporting scholars
Physical events are not going away but they must open up and embrace the best of the digital world, says Jim Woodgett
Incentives draw students wary of Covid-19 and overseas visa hassles
Aspirants are convinced they can succeed against the odds because they have always succeeded in the past, analysis of ‘quit lit’ suggests
Most doctoral candidates show ‘clear preference’ for academic career despite high exit levels from sector, finds Higher Education Policy Institute study
As online teaching increases, cutting casualised and short-term staff will cost more down the line, conference hears
Young scholars’ lack of reputation and digital prominence risks seeing them excluded from online conferences, says Scott Rich
The ability for PhD students to research previous students’ experience with particular examiners could reduce bad practice
Declarations of solidarity lay bare the feudalistic mentality of even the most radical leftist scholars, who speak for the beleaguered masses from the cover of their academic nobility, says Scott Thomas Gibson
Erin Hatton draws on an ‘odious comparison’ to illuminate the extraordinary powers coaches and supervisors can wield over their students
Report shows heavier burden for UK students compared with other parts of Europe, with the country’s research funding boost ‘a chance to reform PhD education’
Briefing note from UKCGE shows drop-off in numbers at PhD level compared to undergraduate
Increasing numbers of postgraduates appears to be a win-win, with graduates seeking refuge from a poor job market and universities able to make up for lost income, but there are concerns over the quality of those being considered
Doctoral graduates’ occupation of Higher Education Ministry will do little by itself to solve a structural problem, says Kenneth Nsah
Support for early career scholars must be explored to avoid research being damaged in the long term, experts warn
Responses to survey of junior research staff and PhD students suggest majority have major concerns about their future as they deal with stresses of working under lockdown
It is time for those most vulnerable to huddle together in solidarity, says Tian An Wong
The lockdown is affecting not only final-year students. Without a blanket funding extension, many others will suffer and drop out, says Ross Goldstone
Virtually all modern university courses end with a request for feedback. But are students’ reactions even useful for improving future course design, never mind assessing lecturers? Seven academics discuss their experiences
Funding bodies should reconsider case-by-case assessments to minimise bureaucracy and student distress, say researchers
Finding writing partners online can impose some productive accountability, says Alice Kelly
Graduate students had been seeking help with high housing costs
PhD students seen as being particularly at risk, in wake of murder of Giulio Regeni and detention of Matthew Hedges
Parting shot the privilege of the established, as precariously employed academics choose less risky departures, says anthropologist
Impersonating the Messiah is apparently a necessity for funding success – but it’s hell, says Piers Kelly
Australian researchers fear wasting weeks writing potentially pointless applications
Analysis of 10 years of data identifies sea change in research-intensive universities’ profiles
But study shows that difference in career prospects between men and women is considerably smaller within academia compared with other sectors
Researchers say that conservative Christian beliefs do not necessarily conflict with belief in concepts such as evolution
Scholars welcome new ethics training for doctoral students but want broader action to improve awareness
Arbitrator finds campus unfairly limited hours to avoid having to provide tuition fee benefits
Ongoing falls in Australian postgraduate recruitment suggest a trend away from structured education for people in mid-career, says Andrew Norton
Union cites aspirational university statement as grounds to halt walkout
Craig Poku was the only black PhD student in his department. He reflects on how black British doctoral students can navigate the challenges they face
You have spent three years thinking your life will be perfect after you submit your thesis. But it isn’t true, says Petra Boynton
Economic and Social Research Council may provide four years of PhD funding amid concerns over stress caused by three-year model
University’s first graduate walkout since 1973 comes as winter break approaches
Precarious contracts ‘damage’ universities’ teaching and reputation, panel says
Junior scholars have always needed to curry favour with their seniors, but quantifying research impact exacerbates the problem, says Jonathan R Goodman
Most postdoctoral researchers will end up working outside universities – postdoc adviser Emma Williams has some advice on the tricky business of applying for jobs in different sectors
Survey of more than 6,000 students worldwide also highlights bullying and harassment faced by doctoral students
Constant checks on their presence and bureaucratic curbs on their movement leave international students feeling like security threats, says Alexander Mack
‘Monk mornings’, work sprints and withdrawal from social media helped Benedict Probst become hugely more productive
Investment will create 2,700 new PhD places in biosciences and AI research
Complaints about journal editors’ decisions ignore the root cause of the research assessment problem: career structure, says Richard Sever
Student labour movement feels momentum despite Trump administration pressure
New rules will soon require UK institutions to listen to early career researchers. Jack Grove looks at how to engage a group often seen as hard to reach
Universities rightly make every effort to protect learners’ feelings. But what about teachers’ feelings, asks Alice Wickenden
