ABSTRACT
Undertaking a doctorate is not only about tasks, experiments, reading, and writing. Extensive “inner work” goes into the transformative process of producing not only a thesis or dissertation but also a new independent scholar. While all doctoral researchers will grapple with this inner work, this chapter considers, and shares real examples of, how those based off-campus might navigate these aspects of the doctoral journey. The chapter begins by unpacking the identity work involved in “becoming doctoral”, revealing the doctoral researcher as being at once an insider-outsider-student-candidate-scholar-novice-expert. The kinds of thinking and activities associated with doctoral identity development are noted, and readers are supported to consider how these might be accessed when off campus. The chapter then turns to considering imposter syndrome and perfectionism, noting how the isolation of distance study may intersect with these challenges and offering strategies for off-campus doctoral students to overcome them. Finally, the chapter highlights the importance of doctoral researchers nurturing their health and wellbeing, and the increased opportunities that distance students may have in this regard. Practical strategies are offered for both preventing and responding to health and wellbeing challenges during doctoral study, and further useful resources are identified.
