Once you've been allocated a supervisor should you talk about your research with others?
Petra Boynton
Safety and wellbeing advocate. Advice-giving as praxis. Mental Health. Social Psychologist. Research Methodologist. Sometime Agony Aunt.
If I have a supervisor am I allowed to discuss my research with anyone else? I would like more feedback but I don’t know if it’s against the rules.
The answer to this question is generally YES! It’s a really great idea to talk to lots of people other than your supervisor about your research, but some caveats might apply. Read on to find out more.
Why don’t PhD Candidates feel like they can discuss their research with others?
It’s not unusual for some PhD candidates to believe they have to discuss their research with their supervisor before anyone else, perhaps even instead of talking to others.
Usually that’s down to a simple misunderstanding on the part of the student - while elevating the supervisor’s status to way more than it should be. A good supervisor will want their students to be discussing their work as widely as possible. And there will be key points in the PhD journey (and later research career if you choose one) where such conversations are essential and transformative.
Occasionally, though, it’s because a supervisor is doing a poor job. Failing to encourage their supervisee to seek alternative perspectives, opinions, and advice.
Or worse, they’re discouraging them from communicating with anyone else and enforcing secrecy. This reaches concerning points if there is a dispute with the supervisor and/or bullying and they’re effectively silencing PhD candidates from raising the alarm.
Your supervisor is there to guide, advise, assist, and sometimes instruct. But they aren’t a god, you don't always have to agree with them, and nor should they be controlling who you can discuss your research with.
Who should PhD candidates be discussing their research with?
Aside from a supervisor there are some essential people candidates must be in touch with to discuss all aspects of their research. These are any secondary supervisors, the doctoral office/programme, and their funder (if not self-funding).
All of these people are essential to guiding your PhD journey and there are others who will join your support squad as you go (more on this shortly).
Your supervisor should be liaising between the doctoral programme, secondary supervisor and latterly with your internal and external examiners.
This means the procedural and regulatory aspects of your PhD along with essential study and research skills can be integrated into your learning rather than expecting you to find out things you may not know you need to know (or where to find them).
What reasons might there be for talking about your research with others?
Discussing your research with others is a positive habit all of us should get into from the earliest opportunity.
The main reasons PhD Candidates want to talk to others beyond their supervisor are to:
There may be many other reasons – big and small - ?for discussing research with other people. As you can tell from the list above some of these conversations will be pleasant, others more demanding, but all should enrich the PhD.
Having space to talk to others can be validating and reassuring and might move the PhD forwards, or simply encourage the candidate to persevere. While some of these conversations might be formalised and structured, others may be casual but still impactful.
They don’t always have to have a set goal or purpose. Conversations that simply help a candidate to feel secure and welcome, or a bit less frustrated.
Discussions about research can happen on or offline, in public or privately, and be a one-off or sustain over years. A conversation that might start during the PhD years could still be going decades later.
Other places where might PhD Candidates discuss their research?
While some candidates may have a clear idea of who they’d like to discuss their research with, there may be a number of places that are consistently overlooked. These include:
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Some universities organise specific social events, structured discussions, debates, or introductions for PhD candidates to foster conversations about research, increase friendships, and model how to talk about research (because even if you want to do it it’s not always easy).
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It’s not just about you telling others about your research or asking them questions on how to improve your work, but the opportunity for you to connect with colleagues in different ways where you have the chance to assist, advise, comfort, or encourage them too.
Talking about your research, your PhD, your wellbeing, life in general needs to happen throughout the PhD. The list below gives you some more ideas of places and people you can speak to alongside your supervisor. Don't wait, if you're curious, worrying, or just want a chat, speak to someone.
When should a PhD candidate NOT share their research with others?
There are some situations where it may be appropriate not to talk about your research with people other than your supervisor, although these are quite specific.
Most commonly these relate to sensitive subjects, confidential information, trade secrets, or disclosures that might cause harm, exacerbate tensions, or increase risk to others.
However, it’s rare even in these cases that a PhD candidate cannot discuss their research with others. Instead, it would be appropriate for the candidate to discuss the most sensitive research issues with their supervisor(s) and other relevant experts as appropriate. But other general areas about PhD study can be talked about as normal with others.
For example, you may not discuss the specifics of your data but you may join general conversations with others about how to carry out analysis. Or wider feelings about the process of doing a PhD.
It goes without saying that it’s unacceptable to share anything about your research in dishonest or unethical ways; ?that breaches other people’s confidentiality (participants or peers); harms their dignity; or places them in risky or unpleasant situations.
But of course you can listen to others sharing information on how they’re finding the PhD or essential tips about ways to get a PhD done even if you can’t talk about some parts of your research.
If you want more feedback it’s still a good idea to begin with your supervisor
Why? Because they may assume you understand an issue that actually you don't get, or are further ahead than perhaps you feel. Alerting them that you need new insights, alternative perspectives, or further information is important for any good supervisor to be aware of and allows them to provide more instruction while signposting you elsewhere and supporting your own ventures to discover more.
These conversations with your supervisor(s) may also expose additional areas where you need support. Your conversation may begin with a question about data collection or analysis, but reveal wider worries about imposter syndrome, navigating a conference, or loneliness. All of which a supervisor should know about even if they aren’t the only or main person to help address them.
However, if your supervisor is obstructive, absent, unwilling, or even hostile when you explain you want to discuss aspects of your research elsewhere then you can escalate this to the doctoral programme/office or seek additional help as needed.
Remember, you should never be pressured to not talk about your research if what you’re trying to talk about is harms that are caused or worsened by your supervisor, colleagues, peers, or other aspects of the university.
A good supervisor will be pleased to know you’re ready to take discussions of your research further afield. For me it’s always a good sign the PhD is moving in the right direction and while I’m happy to signpost candidates to my contacts and wider networks I’m also delighted to hear who they begin to find as they broaden those conversations about their research.
Research should be wonderful and joyous, and even at the times when it’s boring or difficult it should be talked about as widely as you want or need to.
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