Exploring Doctoral Supervision Styles for the Early Stage of the PhD Supervisory Process: Some Concepts, Potential Choices and Suggestions for Beginners (like me!)

Abstract

The humble objective of this essay is to offer some key concepts and elaborate eventual choices and tips for beginners like myself about different PhD supervision styles in the initial stages of the PhD supervisory process. The essay departs as a learning exercise for the author. This exercise is driven by the overwhelming interest and motivation to building up skills to successfully support and empower PhD candidates during their research journey. In particular, I decided to focus this essay on supervision styles (potentially) applicable to the early stage of the supervisory process. In other words, I want to explore approaches, procedures, activities and/or roles that can boost (my) supervision proficiency in the early stage of the PhD process. Why? Simply because this is what many supervisors have to do in the beginning of their doctoral supervision work.