ABSTRACT
Academics have a wide variety of concerns about supervising students’ writing. The difficulty in supervising this student over academic writing is in knowing whether they are reading widely and formulating an innovative project with new ways of expressing themselves or if they are timewasting and filibustering. In workshops many supervisors report problems with students being unable to synthesise and think conceptually, structure their writing or write at an appropriate level. One frequent general concern is how to respond when supervisors have given feedback, but it has not had the desired effect. Supervisors are advised to liaise with learning advisors, and it does seem important to have learning advisors with specific disciplinary understanding. Countries, universities, disciplines, departments and supervisors all have differing views about the virtue of writing for publication during a research project. Research, especially at the doctoral level, is increasingly an international and interdisciplinary exercise.
