Doing a doctorate - the beginning stages

Every doctoral research journey will look different depending on your institution, discipline, type of research, and personal circumstances.

There are, however, several common challenges that most researchers face at various stages of the process.

Here we cover some common challenges and where you can go for further support.

Always refer to your institution for specific guidance on the requirements for your doctoral programme.

For information on what a doctorate is and what it involves, see our ‘Should I do a doctorate?’ page.

Getting started

The beginning of your doctoral journey is an exciting time, but you may initially feel a bit overwhelmed and unsure about where to start.

This is completely normal, and your organisation will offer support to help you through this period of transition. This may be through a very structured set of induction talks and lectures. However, in smaller departments or if you did not start at the beginning of the academic year, you may depend on your supervisor and colleagues for induction and wait for the formal induction courses to happen later.

Things to find out about at the start of your doctorate

You will be given a lot of information at the start of your doctorate. It’s a good idea to prioritise knowing where to find information when you need it. Things you may want to note are:

The institutional terms and conditions of your doctoral degree
Any rules and conventions governing doctoral degrees
Health and safety arrangements and any specific institutional regulations
Timings of research seminars and research group meetings
Social events for doctoral researchers in your department and university
Any researcher development or training programmes
Who to contact in case of questions or concerns

Your supervisor

The relationship with your supervisor is a key one and will determine your success as a doctoral researcher. As a researcher, your work is mainly independent, but it’s advisable to meet regularly with your supervisor to get feedback.

The supervisor’s role includes but is not limited to:

Setting expectations with you
Having regular supervisory meetings with you
Helping you to formulate a research plan and how your research fits into other projects

Providing constructive feedback and helping you to develop your critical thinking
Giving advice on courses, training, literature etc.
Giving access to career development opportunities

The supervisory team

In the UK and some other countries, more than one person is appointed to supervise doctoral research projects. The team is made up of two or three individuals, from your academic department or potentially another, with one key contact amongst them who is your main supervisor.

In interdisciplinary projects, there may be a joint supervisory relationship. Roles and responsibilities must be agreed from the beginning and the doctoral researcher must manage their team.

How to manage your supervisory team

Discuss and agree on key issues such as intellectual property and research ethics at the start of your relationship
Be proactive and arrange formal supervisory meetings
Prepare agendas for meetings and prepare work for each meeting. Expect constructive criticism and feedback
Deal with problems as they arise
Make a summary of each meeting and keep a copy for yourself and give one to your supervisor so key actions are not forgotten and everyone is on the same page

Planning your research

A timeline for doctoral research:

Build the foundations: this includes determining your research project by defining your question, conducting literature surveys and utilising any equipment for the first time.

Deepen understanding: set some targets for how you will understand your project better.

Evidence and data collection: also establish targets for this to give your data evidence structure.

Reflection and evaluation: reflect on your data and focus on the most productive aspects. Start to think about how to reach your end point.

Consolidation: tie up any loose ends, bring your findings together and check any new literature if relevant.

Completion and submission: bring all your work together into a thesis, that is formatted and edited properly.

Set yourself deadlines for each of these stages and start writing as you are researching – don’t leave it all to the end! The final section of your doctorate should be focused on editing and refinement, not generating new material.

A guide on planning your research

It’s best to have a solid plan in place when embarking on your doctorate – studies of completion rates for doctorates demonstrate that final outcomes are determined by decisions taken in the first few months of the doctorate. Of course, things change, and your plan may need to adapt if new findings or a new pathway emerges.

In general, and specifically for social sciences, arts and humanities doctorates, for your planning you will need to:

Plan your research route and how you will get there
Plan your key stages
Decide what breaks or pauses you may need
Find out where your key resources and guidance are
Find out how to use the experiences of others to help you get to where you want to

Managing yourself, your time and your project

Managing yourself

When beginning your doctorate, focus on building up a supportive network of academic staff, the department staff, fellow researchers, librarians and others to help you maintain work-life balance and to give you support.

There are many challenges involved in doing a doctorate but also ways to overcome them such as building a supportive network. If you’re feeling that doing a doctorate is not right for you, try to talk to someone before deciding to quit. Reflect on what has changed since you started your doctorate and try not to decide in isolation. There are many ways to change your doctoral situation such as:

Finding a way to re-kindle your enthusiasm
Changing your supervisor/ project/ department/ institution
Suspending our registration for an agreed period
Submitting earlier for an alternative qualification
Take a positive decision to walk away and not look back

What is expected from the doctoral researcher’s role includes but is not limited to:

Take responsibility to find out what is expected
Take initiative and raise any problems/ difficulties
Discuss with the supervisory team how to make guidance more effective, which includes raising issues with disability
Attend meetings as required, undertake training, read relevant material and produce written work

Comply with reporting procedures and update supervisors on the progress of your work
Informally share information and practice, generate your own ideas, set realistic deadlines, and ask questions if clarity is needed
Submit your thesis on time and adhere to all the correct regulations to do this
Be proactive, independent and assertive

Key things to takeaway

The relationship with your supervisor is a key one and will determine your success as a doctoral researcher.
It’s best to have a solid plan in place when embarking on your doctorate – studies of completion rates for doctorates demonstrate that final outcomes are determined by decisions taken in the first few months of the doctorate.

When beginning your doctorate, focus on building up a supportive network of academic staff, the department staff, fellow researchers, librarians and others to help you maintain work-life balance and to give you support.
The Vitae Researcher Development Framework Getting started in research lens is a useful resource to help you keep track of the competencies you should be developing at this stage of your research career.

Useful links

Doing a doctorate – the latter stages

Should I do a doctorate?

Vitae RDF

You and your development

Skills for research

Doing a doctorate – the beginning stages