Staying motivated for the entire duration of the thesis is some feat. Work, life, family, illness, travel and community commitments all make demands on your time. Then there is the reduction or loss of your social life, which brings its own issues. So how do you balance everything, keep your sanity and an eye on the prize – your Doctorate without alienating everyone around you? The Doctorate Hub team will hold a live, interactive webinar on the Staying Motivated for the Thesis Duration, on Saturday, the 8th December 2018, at 12noon UK time. The Staying Motivated webinar will draw on […]

Tackling Wicked Problems is a tough challenge Tackling Wicked Problems is perhaps one of the toughest challenges one can face. The reason for this is that wicked problems have no ultimate solution. They might be a problem to some, but not to others; or they differ over time, even to the same person. They may even have different causes and effects at the same time. And working with linear cause-and-effect logic won’t sufficiently tackle wicked problems, as the different causes and effects may have no direct observable relationship. Though it would be crucial to understand direct, indirect and vaguely related causes and effects, […]

On Saturday, 10th November 2018, the DoctorateHub held the next interactive webinar on Designing and Implementing your Mixed Method Research. The group of participants were taken through the philosophical challenge of using mixed method research, differences between methodology and method, followed by what mixed method research is, the philosophical position, typologies of mixed method research design, the six design approaches and challenges faced, research questions and the ten questions we need to answer before opting for mixed method research, writing up mixed method research and what journals look for in mixed method write ups. We were led through the nuances […]

Two of the most prolific and acknowledged expert writers on Mixed Methods Research(MMR), Professors Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, once noted: “a  key feature of mixed methods research is its methodological pluralism or eclecticism, which frequently results in superior research (compared to mono-method research). Mixed methods research will be successful as more investigators study and help advance its concepts and as they regularly practice it”. However, a decade and half since, we are still not sure how to successfully undertake MMR and its popularity is not well recognised by main stream research, Universities and top academic journals. Within the University of Liverpool, […]

I am a regular visitor of Pat Thomson’s blog, which provides invaluable insights to doctoral students and fellow academics. The below post of Pat appears to be a timely follow up on the literature review webinar we gave in June. Pat’s post is  particularly encouraging as it shows the initial effort students put into producing a critical literature review literature summary is not a sunk cost, but instead a part of the research journey that subsequently supports a critical and focused engagement with the literature. If you are new to Pat’s blog, I recommend you take some time and read through it.   from description to […]

A while ago we started to run regular webinars. In the webinars we adopted a mix of presentation and structured discussion. As feedback suggests this approach has been very much welcome and the webinars prove to be useful beyond the subject focus. They allow students in making sense of their own development, provide some guidance and enabled them to compare themselves against their peers using our tips and examples. Some of you also pointed out your interest in having an additional space that would allow for a more frequent meeting up, in support of ongoing discussions, and where to collect […]

When it comes to Quantitative Research, many students want to rush straight into doing a questionnaire to collect data for their study. However, a lot of pre-work and planning is needed in undertaking a solid quantitative study. Some students believe the methodological approach of doing a quantitative study means they need to have numerical or quantitative skills. This is not the case. The focus should be on understanding the principles of quantitative study. DoctorateHub are providing a webinar to try and demystify the above by introducing participants to the principles and approaches in the design and implementation of Quantitative Research, […]

On Saturday, 22nd September 2018, the DoctorateHub held an interactive webinar on Developing your Thesis Proposal. Dr Andreas Meiszner outlined the need to establish a solid grounding for developing the thesis proposal through a systematically developed proposal, understanding the right size of the thesis research project, and being aware of and how to avoid the various pitfalls along the way. Differentiating the problem from the question, identifying whether the problem is the start or end point, sourcing key literature at the boundaries, identifying related studies, establishing the appropriate sizing of the research project, assuring action research compliance within the research […]

The Doctoral Thesis Proposal is the first step in the final thesis journey. Getting it right from the start reduces the false starts and rework during the thesis process. Identifying the organisational environment you are dealing with, your place within that environment and your ability to influence any change undertaken all contribute to the success of your research. Defining the research problem grounded in academic literature, along with your action research orientation and appropriate methods are all components of the thesis proposal; as is identifying how the research relates to the design, implementation/evaluation of the resultant managerial action. This overall […]

The DoctorateHub provided Doctoral tutors/academics for a residency held in partnership with the University of Liverpool (UoL) UK for DBA students across all stages of their doctoral journey from 10th to 14th September 2018. The agenda covered five days focused on the DBA thesis, from proposal through to Viva. Interactive topics included: writing and presenting conference papers, understanding the expectations and lifecycle of the thesis process, exploring action research, the ethical approval process, research problem statements and research questions, data analysis and findings, and what to expect at the Viva Voce examination. Participants also presented various stages of thesis progress […]