Supervising the Doctorate : A Guide to Success

"This publication represents a thorough updating of an earlier book that was, in its own right, very useful. The second edition...is a significant improvement on its predecessor and I cannot recommend it highly enough for novice or experienced doctoral supervisors." Journal of Adult and Continuing Education How can I get my students to produce good theses on time? My last student failed! What could I have done to prevent it? I am supposed to train the new supervisors in my faculty; where can I get some good ideas? This new edition of Supervising the Doctorate still provides everything you ever wanted to know about the doctoral supervision but were afraid to ask! It includes: New material on supervising professional doctoral theses A new chapter on the changing policy context in higher education Latest research findings Experiential material from staff development sessions throughout the United Kingdom and New Zealand Now that supervisor training is compulsory, this practical, no-nonsense handbook is essential reading for both the novice and the experienced higher degree supervisor. For novices there is a developmental sequence of advice, guiding them through all stages of supervision from the first meeting to the viva and beyond. For experienced supervisors there are fresh ideas on how to improve practice and solve problems. Grounded in research, this book is invaluable to academics in all disciplines. At a time when there is increasing pressure to ensure 'quality' provision, to improve the doctoral completion rate, and to turn out employable graduates, the need for a practical guide is obvious. An essential item for every academic's bookshelf.

Sara Delamont is Reader in Sociology at Cardiff University.

Paul Atkinson is Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at Cardiff University and Director of CESAGen.

Odette Parry is Professor for Social Welfare and Community Justice at the University of Wales, North east Wales Institute, where she heads the Social Inclusion Research Unit.