{"id":111949,"date":"2020-04-02T11:31:07","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T09:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=111949"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:52","slug":"give-doctoral-candidates-some-leeway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/04\/02\/give-doctoral-candidates-some-leeway\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Give doctoral candidates some leeway\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Give doctoral candidates longer or change the requirements for their thesis during the corona crisis, says Lucille Mattijssen from the PhD Candidates Network (PNN). \u201cHealth is more important than research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Office of the Beadle after a promotion<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Everyone is feeling the impact of the corona crisis, and that includes doctoral candidates. Some cannot gather data or are not allowed access to the lab. Others are unable to defend their thesis.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s something else that affects doctoral candidates, says PNN chairperson Mattijssen. They are very dependent on their promotor for their doctoral research, so they want to keep them on board. Sometimes they feel under pressure to continue with their research, even though they are worried about the virus. \u201cSome doctoral candidates don\u2019t feel they can stay at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why should doctoral candidates need to leave home at this time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is required to work from home unless they really can\u2019t. Only research that needs urgent attention can go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t sound complicated. So if you work with chimpanzees, for example, they need to be looked after even now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBut who determines what research must continue? If lead researchers are allowed to decide that themselves, they may prioritise their own research and ask doctoral candidates to come to work, even though those doctoral candidates might prefer to stay at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cConversely, doctoral candidates might find their own research very important too, particularly if they don\u2019t know whether they will receive compensation for their delay. They might then take unnecessary risks. So we feel that universities should be strict when they determine which research should continue and which research should be put on hold. Health is more important than research.\u201d<\/p>\n

How could they give doctoral candidates more leeway? Can you just give doctoral candidates more time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAn extension would seem the most obvious solution, but sometimes that isn\u2019t useful. Take longitudinal research, for example. It\u2019s now impossible to collect the data for that. Or research that requires you to take measurements before and after. That could badly affect the research. So you need find another solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

What then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSome doctoral candidates have already published three articles, for example, and according to the rules of their university they still need to write a fourth. In these circumstances, you might reconsider that requirement. Like in the case of the national school exams that have now been cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t you be lowering the requirements for the PhD?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s then about quantity, not quality. In these exceptional cases, we should leave it to the promotor and the doctoral committee to assess whether a doctoral candidate is good enough. If a doctoral candidate is on schedule and is only having problems due to the corona crisis, the quality of the research really isn\u2019t a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is your own thesis affected?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily I don\u2019t depend on labs. I\u2019m researching flex workers based on data from Statistics Netherlands, so I can get access to what I need. I\u2019m healthy and I work from home. I don\u2019t need to collect data myself, like many other doctoral candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t