Do successful PhD outcomes reflect the research environment rather than academic ability?

Abstract

Maximising research productivity is a major focus for universities worldwide. Graduate research programs are an important driver of research outputs. Choosing students with the greatest likelihood of success is considered a key part of improving research outcomes. There has been little empirical investigation of what factors drive the outcomes from a student's PhD and whether ranking procedures are effective in student selection. Here we show that, the research environment had a decisive influence: students who conducted research in one of the University's priority research areas and who had experienced, research-intensive, supervisors had significantly better outcomes from their PhD in terms of number of manuscripts published, citations, average impact factor of journals published in, and reduced attrition rates. In contrast, students' previous academic outcomes and research training was unrelated to outcomes. Furthermore, students who received a scholarship to support their studies generated significantly more publications in higher impact journals, their work was cited more often and they were less likely to withdraw from their PhD. The findings suggest that experienced supervisors researching in a priority research area facilitate PhD student productivity. The findings question the utility of assigning PhD scholarships solely on the basis of student academic merit, once minimum entry requirements are met. Given that citations, publication numbers and publications in higher ranked journals drive university rankings, and that publications from PhD student contribute approximately one-third of all research outputs from universities, strengthening research infrastructure and supervision teams may be more important considerations for maximising the contribution of PhD students to a university's international standing.

Research Activity of Students in the Application of Laser Processing and 3d Printing Technologies in Textile Fabrics

“…Research question: Do the experiments and applied technologies performed in research grants promote students' independent research project activities, and how? Increasing research productivity has received a lot of attention in universities around the world (Belavy, Owen, Livingston, 2020). The study (Zogla, Lubkina, 2020) describes the nature of the basic activity of research skills and competence development and the successive stages of competence development: problem-oriented studies; research-based studies; research-oriented studies; inquiry based research study process; research excellence has reached the highest quality.…”

“…Pētniecības produktivitātes palielināšanai ir pievērsta liela uzmanība universitātēs visā pasaulē (Belavy, Owen, Livingston, 2020). Kopumā studentu pētnieciskā darbība sekmē profesionāļa veidošanās procesa izpausmes: radošā darbība, gatavība domās pārveidot subjektīvos atspoguļoto objektu attēlus, to nozīmi reālu pretrunu risināšanai, jaunu mērķu, līdzekļu un plānu atklāšanai, to sasniegšanai; spēja atrisināt problēmsituācijas, kurās nepieciešama aktīva apstākļu maiņa, atbilstoši konkrētai situācijai.…”

Chinese and U.S. University Rankings

“…Research is a key component of doctoral programs in both the United States and China, and PhD students who work with respected faculty on highquality research are more likely to excel in their fields after graduation. 4 Doctoral students also contribute to their institution's research efforts during the course of their studies, which suggests that the quality and quantity of research reflect the caliber of a university's PhD students, at least to some degree. 5…”

Paradigms of Sex Research and Women in Stem

“…This process implicates students' social identities: LGBTQ undergraduates use the topics that fields study to understand whether those fields are "queer-free" or "queer-friendly," and thus whether they belong (Forbes 2020). PhD funding in the life sciences is dependent on how valued a student's topic is (Belavy, Owen, and Livingston 2020). Mentor prestige and financial resources are key factors in life science PhD success and retention, outweighing prior academic achievement (Belavy, Owen, and Livingston 2020).…”

“…PhD funding in the life sciences is dependent on how valued a student’s topic is (Belavy, Owen, and Livingston 2020). Mentor prestige and financial resources are key factors in life science PhD success and retention, outweighing prior academic achievement (Belavy, Owen, and Livingston 2020). Thus, the success and prestige of sex research paradigms (signaled to academics through publications) may influence graduate students’ choice of subfield and persistence by shaping the resources available to them and their mentors.…”