ABSTRACT
The first part of this chapter discusses the choices made by doctoral students in nursing regarding topic, methodology and theoretical framework. I argue that the complexity of some methodologies can distract early researchers from a focus on understanding social processes. I offer the examples of phenomenological approaches and narrative analysis. This chapter also looks at the advantages and disadvantages of approaching doctoral work late in a career. For example, such researchers may struggle—not to gain access to the research field—but to forge some distance from it, both intellectually and in terms of workload. The second part of this chapter discusses the complexity of the supervisor-student relationship in doctoral study. It focusses on the power imbalance where supervisors can sometimes act as gatekeepers to a research career and also, for some students from outside the UK, to a visa and right to remain. Finally, this chapter considers supervision across ‘race’ and gender.
