ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to review the processes of doctoral degree assessment with the aim of learning to make the opaque transparent. To achieve this aim I will first set the scene to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of the topic. This will be followed by a description of the main issues that seem to be arising at a general level, supporting contentions by reference to recent research and literature on the debate. Then I will present data from a small study which confirms the presence of the generic problems at the micro level; it is not a problem simply caused by cultural or disciplinary differences. All of this indicates that more research is needed on this topic.
