'I've been a research supervisor for 35 years and I'm still learning'

Having been a PhD supervisor in departments of philosophy, politics and international relations at four different universities over the past 35 years, I’ve supervised more than 30 students to successful completion. Yet, I’m still making mistakes!

Each time, I learn more about how to build supervisory relationships in a way that is most helpful for each student’s needs, and how to supervise in a way that improves their chances of starting and finishing doctoral work successfully. Here are my tips, drawing on the practical lessons I have learned. They reflect past failures as well as successes, and are always a work in progress.

Be proactive

Respond encouragingly to enquiries from prospective students and work with them on refining their research proposal and application. This won’t always result in the student coming to work with you, but if you don’t try, you certainly won’t succeed. This kind of engagement maximises the chances of a stronger research proposal, and of the student gaining funding through national or institutional schemes.

Boost confidence

The PhD is a long process, and crises of confidence happen. This is especially the case at the midway point, when supervisees often cannot see the wood for the trees. When discussing draft work, always bring the student back to how this part of the research (the tree) fits with the overall aims of the project (wood). Remind them that the PhD is an apprenticeship – no one expects it to be perfect, and it’s the beginning of their serious thinking, not the end. Get them to produce writing regularly right from the beginning, so that they get used to their drafts being looked at – this avoids the trap of perfectionism, common in many academics.

Be constructive

Just because doctoral researchers are peers within the research community, it doesn’t mean that all those arguments for constructive feedback or feedforward for undergraduates don’t also apply to them. Start with the positive in any summative comments on drafts. Draw out the constructive implications of your and others’ assessments of their work. Handle the first journal rejections they get by insisting on a cooling-off period to get over the shock, then work through the unfairness or otherwise of the review, gently taking them through the reasons why desk rejects happen.

Be sympathetic and honest

As a supervisor, you are your student’s champion and supporter. You must also be professional and realistic if things go seriously wrong. It’s tempting to cover for your students by making misleading claims about their progress, or ignoring evidence that they are not going to be able to complete, but will ultimately prove counterproductive.

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When there is a crisis, take advice from your director of graduate studies, clarify the regulations and possibilities, and have an honest conversation with the student to produce a plan to navigate the problem. Sometimes giving up the PhD is the right answer, even if that is not what the student wants to do.

Learn from your peers

Working with co-supervisors has taught me the most about supervising effectively. Initially, this was working in tandem with more senior colleagues and realising that my own experience of supervision as a student was not the right model to follow. Later, I learned from younger colleagues with a much more professionalised early career experience than my own.

If opportunities for peer learning are limited in your department, then use formal opportunities offered by your institution for training on supervision to meet and talk to other supervisors. Beyond your institution, use the working groups and networks on teaching and pedagogy of your professional associations. Check out what they are doing in disseminating successful supervisory practice. If they are not doing anything, get them to sponsor a workshop or conference panel on the topic and you will create your own community of peers.

Don’t go it alone

Completing a PhD is not a private matter between supervisor and supervisee. As a supervisor, you are part of a complex collaborative process involving many different people, including your supervisee and any co-supervisors, research skills training providers – but also the peer research community inside and outside your own institution. Think of them all as partners in supervision, and you, as well as your student, can learn from them. Encourage your student to get advice from as wide a community as possible, not only through presenting conference papers, but by making use of the training and career mentoring opportunities, offered by your own institution and by professional associations.

Strategise

Get involved in initiatives to support doctoral work within and across institutions. Don’t dismiss doctoral training centres, even if they do sometimes reinvent the wheel of research training!

Try to involve yourself in the planning processes for bidding for these initiatives. It will give you a strong understanding of, and possibly a chance to influence, how research streams or training requirements are identified. I found this when I was involved in planning an Economic and Social Research Council-funded doctoral training programme and later, in a successful bid for a five-year Leverhulme-funded doctoral programme. When these bids succeed, they more than pay dividends in enabling more funding of PhD students, increasing your chance of supervising strong students and building a mutually supportive postgraduate researcher community.

Kimberly Hutchings is professor of politics and international relations at Queen Mary, University of London. She has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year category in the 2024 Times Higher Education Awards. A full list of nominees can be found here. The awards will be presented at a ceremony in Birmingham on 28 November 2024.

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