A Researcher's Discipline
Ray J. Paul
(Brunel University)
Abstract:
Can a PhD be of even greater benefit to a candidate
than just the award of the PhD? This paper argues yes. A PhD is a process of
learning by doing, during which the successful candidate discovers what being
a researcher is all about, and how to write academically. The PhD dissertation
is the artifact that demonstrates that the process has been undertaken
successfully. It might appear that this is as much as you can expect from a
PhD. Upon completion and successful defense, the intensity of focus and effort
in the last stages often leaves the successful candidate almost bereft, so all
consuming has this been. It would be asking too much perhaps to want more.
This paper sets out to show that more should be required, not for the PhD
itself, but to benefit the candidate even more. The question is how?
