Palgrave Research Skills / The Professional Doctorate

Acknowledgements.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Choosing Your Research Project and Framing Your Research Question.- 3. Developing as a Researching Professional Through Reflective Practice.- 4. Methods of Enquiry.- 5. Contextualising and Planning Your Doctoral Project.- 6. Personal Development and Transformation.- 7. Putting Together a Portfolio.- 8. The Student/Supervisor Relationship: Expectations and Challenges.- 9. Dissemination and Influencing Your Community of Practice.- 10. Assessment and the Oral Examination.- 11. Case Studies.- 12. Summary and the Future.- References.- Appendices: Sample Coursework Assessments.- Index.

Dr. John Fulton has a career pathway spanning 25 years in the field of Mental Health Nursing and Clinical Education. He has worked extensively in the context of undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare and his research interests reflect a commitment to social theoretical perspectives in health and social care. He is currently a Principal Lecturer in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of Sunderland, working predominantly with professionals undertaking doctoral level study.

Dr. Judith Kuit is Programme Leader for the BSc in Clinical Physiology and the BSc in Healthcare Science at the University of Sunderland. Her past experience includes clinical research in endocrinology, leading university staff development in learning and teaching specialising in reflective practice, assessment and e-learning, developing educational programmes for staff in healthcare and developing the professional identity of healthcare staff.
Dr. Gail Sanders is Programme Leader for the University of Sunderland's Doctorate of Business Administration and a core team member for the university's professional doctorate programme, specialising in reflective practice. Her research focuses on professional identity and inter-professional working, particularly with respect to healthcare workers.

Professor Peter Smith is Programme Leader for the Professional Doctorate programme at the University of Sunderland. He has published over 250 papers, and spoken at conferences throughout the world. Peter has supervised, and examined over 80 doctoral candidates, and is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and the Royal Society of Arts.

The authors have published widely on the subject of professional doctorates. Collectively, they have supported over 100 students through the different stages of doctoral study. The authors' subject disciplines include sociology, nursing, sports science, education, chemistry, physiology, business, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.