2026-10-13T12:23:04Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33915403 2026-10-01T17:52:10Z portal_1197 item_type_6 month_year_10_2026

Expectations of independence from the outset? The discourse of researcher independence in the pre-application stage of doctoral admissions James Burford (25015393) Susan Deeb (25066207) Dangeni Dangeni (25066210) Emily F. Henderson (25015384) Sophia Kier-Byfield (25066213) Akkad Ahmad (25066216) Research -- Methodology Universities and colleges -- Graduate work Doctor of philosophy degree Doctoral students -- Social conditions Migrated from ePrints This paper explores how the discourse of ‘researcher independence’ operates in the pre-application stage of doctoral recruitment. Drawing on semi-structured interview data from an institutional case study of pre-admissions practice at a UK Russell Group university, we examine how doctoral programme officers and academic directors of doctoral programmes interact with enquiries from pre-applicants. Our Foucauldian-inspired analysis demonstrates that researcher independence functions as a powerful discursive formation structuring staff expectations of pre-applicants. Specifically, we find independence at the core of a dense web of desired values including autonomy, professional responsibility and academic preparedness. Contrary to previous accounts, we find ‘researcher independence’ is not simply a quality staff expect will be demonstrated later in the doctoral journey, but a discourse projected onto hopeful applicants. This paper calls for greater reflexivity among all admissions actors regarding how unspoken ideals like ‘researcher independence’ govern access to doctoral education. 2026-07-10T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1080/14703297.2026.2617864 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Expectations_of_independence_from_the_outset_The_discourse_of_researcher_independence_in_the_pre-application_stage_of_doctoral_admissions/33915403 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0