Graduate Student Emancipation: - an Investigation on Authorship and Paper Writing

Abstract

To achieve a doctoral degree and function as an independent researcher, a graduate student
must acquire certain capabilities and master a specific body of knowledge. It is also a
personal development process which is characterized by the abilities to formulate new
interesting research problems, develop own ideas, and write independently. In the transition
towards independence, or emancipation, the supervisor undoubtedly plays an important role.
But how the process is structured is an open question, which should be left to the supervisors
and students to figure out. An observable clue in this process is the papers produced during
the doctoral education. The journey towards independence is reflected in the process of
paper-writing, i.e. the papers produced during the PhD period should represent a progression
towards independence, in terms of e.g. methods employed, actual paper-writing, and
contributions to the analysis. In this study, eight recently examined PhDs were interviewed
about their paper production process. The major conclusions are that the graduate students
can work independently with respect to the presentation of their research even though in the
initial stage of their PhD studies. However, the craftsmanship aspect of doctoral education is
rather a more dependent level and cannot develop spontaneously. The third aspect, which
involves determining the research topics and developing methodology, is of a strategic
nature. A PhD student must immerse himself in his subject for a considerable period of time
before he gets a bird’s eye view in his field. This is a self-educated process in the doctoral
education and the supervisor can promote the shift of his student towards an independent
researcher.