New in academia: Doctoral Studies at the Faculty
4.5 credits
About the course
Autumn Term 2024
Important dates and deadlines
Course period: 16 September - 29 September 2024
Application deadline: 16 August 2024
Overview
The objective of this course is to provide doctoral students with generic knowledge (that is, knowledge that is not discipline-specific) about how to conduct one’s doctoral studies when it comes to the two key domains of information management and publication processes. It is intended to give a kick-start to their doctoral studies.
The course is not a course in methodology or theory of science. It is, instead, a course in the practicalities of research that lie outside of scientific methods but nevertheless structure the work of producing a doctoral thesis. The course combines an introduction to the process of managing one’s need of information as a doctoral student and an introduction to the process of managing the publication of one’s results.
Concerning the process of information management, the course introduces the doctoral student to systematic literature searches combined with the use of reference management software (e.g. Endnote). Open Data, in the sense of open access to publications as well as to research data, will be introduced and discussed. The course also introduces evaluations and bibliometric tools, describing the rationale and roles of these tools in the publication process.
Concerning the process of publishing one’s results, the course features the differences between monographs and compilation theses, and provides grounds for the doctoral student to design a publication strategy adapted to any of these. A journal's editor view on the process of publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal gives the doctoral students some valuable insights to the publication process. Other issues of great importance that the course will address are media contact and outreach.
The course further introduces doctoral students to plan their future career. As for the socialization in the academic community, the course will address some legal implications of becoming a doctoral student and also discuss academic freedom and scholarly independence. The course will further emphasize the importance of the socio psychological environments of the doctoral process.
The course is meant to be taken early in the program of doctoral studies, preferably no later than the first year.