ABSTRACT
In order for the doctoral process to be as effective as it can be, and for it to have the maximum amount of benefit for everyone concerned, it is certainly worth all parties considering their motivations for engaging in the process. On a daily basis we meet doctoral researchers with a huge range of expectations and fundamental perspectives. These expectations can be purely intellectual (a desire to study and enquire deeply) or more practical (a desire to hold the title ‘Doctor’ or secure a specific career objective). Combined with this, a student may have a preconceived intellectual idea of the purpose and value of the research findings. Of course, these motivations can and do change throughout the doctoral process, but it is worth considering what they are at the start of the process.
