Peter Macauley

How shall we know them? Capturing the diversity of difference in Australian doctoral candidates and their experiences.

Although there is general agreement that doctoral students and their experiences are diverse, in what respect this is true is in question. Most institutional practices in the collection of data in this regard have been established to satisfy government reporting requirements and concerns, such as funding, participation and equity, and efficiency. Missing is more detailed and nuanced quantitative data and analysis, complementary to those of qualitative studies, to illuminate the nature and extent of doctoral student diversity and the effects on the quality of their candidacy. Drawing on select data and findings from a national survey of Australian doctoral candidates conducted in 2005, the article questions the utility of commonly used categories for quantitative data collection and analysis, and their use as the basis of (sub)groupings to represent doctoral diversity. In so doing, it presents a more complex picture of doctoral candidature that depicts the idiosyncrasy of the individual experience, as well as generic characteristics. Central to the argument is that doctoral candidates are diversely different, bringing varying goals, expectations, career histories and family and community responsibilities beyond the academy, that shape their engagement with their candidacy.

Distance Education Research Students and Their Library Use.

ABSTRACTThis paper1 reports on the results of research on the information needs of off-campus higher degree by research students from Deakin University. The study involved surveying the total Australian-domiciled population of Deakin University off-campus PhD, EdD and Masters by research students. Its main findings were: many students received little guidance from their supervisors on how to carry out a research project; in spite of this, students made extensive use of libraries and visited libraries other than their own for convenience, for access to material not held by the home library and to browse; their stated usage of public libraries was much lower than that found in previous surveys; while students sometimes claimed that they needed certain services (e.g. networked electronic databases), they often did not use them when the databases were available; consequent on this, research students need a shift in attitude and willingness to use electronic services if they are to benefit fully from the vastl...

Doctoral Dissertations at a Distance: A Novel Approach from Downunder

Abstract The model suggests that librarians can assume the role of co-supervisor to ensure that the literature review of a doctoral dissertation is comprehensive and relevant. Librarians can also assist research students, make sure their supervisors are kept abreast of new information resources in their research disciplines, and act as a mentor to both student and staff member in library matters. The model was developed in recognition of the special support needs of off campus research students who are disadvantaged by isolation, time and distance. It is anticipated that adoption of the model will lead to increased rates of completion, higher standards of research, an improvement in information and literacy skills of research students and supervisors, and reduced isolation for off campus researchers.

‘My Universe is here’: Implications for the Future of Academic Libraries from the Results of a Survey of Researchers

Supporting the information needs of researchers adequately is a major challenge for unversity libraries. This paper outlines results of a survey of 23 researchers conducted by Deakin University Library into their information needs and perceptions of the library’s role and performance. The survey challenged established ideas about researchers’ preference for print, the age of resources required, and reliance on specialist rather than general or cross-disciplinary databases. Of note were changes in use of the library and online resources, and in the need for library support services. The study raises key questions about the future roles of libraries and librarians.

Using digital data and bibliometric analysis for researching doctoral education

As more digital data become publicly available new opportunities for researchers in education are arising. Researchers may be unaware of the existence and usefulness of such data even though these are freely available. In this article the use of one such source of information is described and its potential for research into research education discussed. We sought to exploit the research potential of the existing, yet dispersed, collection of online Australian thesis records to inform their research into the development of the PhD in Australia. Having created a searchable and reliable database from the available records, bibliometric analyses enabled us to map knowledge production and research capability in institutional and disciplinary settings from 1949 to 2003 as indicated by PhD theses. This is in contrast to the more familiar use of data based on student load or completion rates, and complements that data by focusing on research output as opposed to student throughput.

Classifying Australian PhD theses: linking research and library practices

This article draws on the findings from, and the methods and approach used in the provision of a database of Australian PhD thesis records for the period 1987 to 2006, coded by Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) fields of study. Importantly, the project was not merely the creation of yet another database but something that constitutes a valuable research resource in its own right. The database is significant as it can be used to track knowledge production in Australia over a twenty year period and contains approximately 54,000 bibliographic records. Recommendations for practice relate to university libraries, doctoral candidates, and the coded database.

The diversity and complexity of settings and arrangements forming the ‘experienced environments’ for doctoral candidates: some implications for doctoral education

A significant feature of contemporary doctoral education is the continuing trend for research and research education to migrate beyond discipline-based institutional teaching and research structures. The result is a more diverse array of settings and arrangements for doctoral education linked to an increasingly global research enterprise. Recognising the complexity of what is a distributed environment challenges some commonly held assumptions about doctoral education and its practice. Drawing on data gathered in an Australian study of PhD programme development in Australia carried out in 2006–2009, the article describes the fluid and complex arrangements forming the ‘experienced environments’ for doctoral candidates, an environment that can afford them varying opportunities and challenges for completing their candidacy. Some implications for doctoral education are discussed.

Revealing future research capacity from an analysis of a national database of discipline-coded Australian PhD thesis records

ABSTRACT This article reports how statistical analyses of PhD thesis records can reveal future research capacities for disciplines beyond their primary fields. The previous research showed that most theses contributed to and/or used methodologies from more than one discipline. In Australia, there was a concern for declining mathematical teaching and research capacity. We decided to investigate the ‘hidden’ mathematics research capacity in PhDs outside of mathematics. Australian PhD records were re-coded with up to three fields. Records with mathematics as one of their codes were selected and analysed for their relationships to disciplines in their other codes. Triple-coding revealed ‘hidden’ mathematical research capacity that had previously been single-coded in another field had mathematics as one of their subsequent fields. Our findings have implications for policy and planning for mathematics in Australia, and multiple coding of PhD theses records enables analyses for other disciplines to be undertaken to show their research capacities.

A new ERA of open access

There has been a push for open access journals for more than a decade in a higher education and research environment in which the ‘publish or perish’ syndrome is as dominant as ever. This article examines the success, or otherwise, of open access schemes in light of the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative. It compares the Australian Research Council draft list of journals, which will be used to rank academic output under the ERA initiative, with the Directory of Open Access Journals. If academic recognition is linked to journal prestige, how do open access journals rate in this context?

Large-scale Acquisitions: The Story of Ian McLaren's Collection

This article uses the case of the McLaren Collection at the University of Melbourne Baillieu Library Special Collections as a starting point to examine the issue of large-scale acquisitions in libraries. The McLaren Collection is a significant collection of 34,000 books, papers, pamphlets and journals of Australiana that was acquired by the Baillieu Library in 1976. Examining the issues surrounding the purchase and integration of the collection illustrates a number of considerations that libraries need to be aware of when making decisions about large-scale acquisitions. These include the possible motivations of the seller or donor, the terms of the contract negotiated, the cost of processing the collection once it has been acquired and the ongoing issues associated with managing the collection over time. It is not the goal of this article to offer definitive instruction on how libraries should approach the possibility of a large-scale acquisition, but rather to raise issues and considerations that will he...