Seventh Thing: Supervisor Relationships

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens may have been describing a period of great upheaval and change in European history, but the quote could equally be applied to Graduate Research (GR) candidature. For both supervisor and graduate researcher, the journey through candidature is a serious undertaking, where both embark on a path of research which ultimately leads to a submitted thesis. The path of candidature is filled with trials and tribulations and undoubtedly changes both supervisor and GR in different ways as the research emerges.

This ‘research thing,’ authored by Kate Howell, celebrates the research journey of supervisor and GR and gives advice on how to set up for and conduct a functional supervisory relationship. This advice is for both GRs and their supervisors and is taken from the literature and our understandings of best practice drawn from national and international universities.