Doctoral Writing Discussions are informal, bi-monthly virtual chats. At each gathering we share our thoughts on a reading (e.g., a blogpost or article) or topic related to doctoral writing and invite the author to join us. During the one-hour session, we ask the author questions, discuss our responses, and share our ideas and practice. Each session is recorded, and a summary is available via the links below.
To join an upcoming Doctoral Writing Discussion, or to suggest a topic, please email the discussion facilitators Juliet Lum (juliet.lum@mq.edu.au) or Susan Mowbray (s.mowbray@westernsydney.edu.au).
Dr Juliet Lum is the Graduate Research Development Manager at Macquarie University’s Graduate Research Academy. Juliet has over fifteen years’ experience as a PhD educator with research and teaching expertise in doctoral communication.
Dr Susan Mowbray is the Academic Literacy Advisor for the Graduate Research School at Western Sydney University. Susan develops and delivers initiatives to support higher degree research candidates.
Previous Doctoral Writing Discussions: topics and summary links
2024
April – Doctoral writing support: Where are we now? Where are we going? (Summary)
Doctoral Writing SIG session at QPR 2024
Dr Susan Mowbray (independent researcher) and Dr Juliet Lum (Macquarie University, Australia)
February – Building a new mindset (Summary)
A/Prof Rachael Cayley (University of Toronto, Canada)
2023
December – Generous reading strategies (Summary)
Dr Katherine Firth (University of Melbourne, Australia)
September – Theorising data (Summary)
Dr Kirstin Wilmot (Rhodes University, South Africa)
July – The pre-completion seminar versus the viva (Summary)
Dr Kerry Dally and Professor Allyson Holbrook (The University of Newcastle, Australia)
March – Languages and Doctoral Examination (Summary)
Prof Prue Holmes (Durham University, England) & Dr Susana Pinto (University of Aveiro, Portugal)
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November – Supervisors and Academic Developers working together to support doctoral writing (Summary)
Dr Claire Aitchison (University of South Australia, Australia)
Sept – Writing as healing (Summary)
Dr Florence Chiew (narrative therapist and researcher, Australia)
July – Facilitating PhD completion (Summary)
Drs James Burford (Warwick University, England) & Jeanette Fyffe (Deakin University, Australia)
May – Effective supervisory practices that support HDRs’ writing (Summary)
Associate Professor Rachael Cayley (University of Toronto, Canada)
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2021
November – ECU’s benchmarking survey of doctoral support in Australian universities (Summary)
Dr Michael Stein (Edith Cowan University, Australia)
September – Attending to (L2) writers’ stress in the dissertation process (Summary)
Dr Lisa Russell-Pinson (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA)
July – Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in doctoral writing (Summary)
A/Prof Susan Carter (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
May – Researcher developers traversing the borderlands between academic disciplines and university administration (Summary)
Dr Cally Guerin (Australian National University, Australia)
February – Getting HDRs to publish papers together (Summary)
Dr Lynette Pretorius (Monash University, Australia)
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2020
November – Writing Without Discipline workshops and The Journal of Imaginary Research (Summary)
Dr Kay Guccione (Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland)
September – Extended Online Writing Retreats (Summary)
Coordinated with Drs Tseen Khoo (Monash University, Australia) and Katherine Firth (University of Melbourne, Australia) for QPR Lite
July – Influential Publications and Influential Writers in the Discipline of Doctoral Education (Summary)
Prof Alistair McCulloch (University of South Australia, Australia)
May – Digital Writing Tools (Summary)
Dr Evija Trofimova (University of Auckland’s Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education, New Zealand).
March – Emotions, play and graduate student writing (Summary)
Dr Cecile Badenhorst (Memorial University, Canada)
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2019
December – Facilitated sharing of resources (Summary)
What does your institutions/schools offer their higher degree research candidates to help prepare them for the doctoral undertaking?
October – Doctoral Writing Conversations (Summary)
Dr Marcia Johnston (Waikato University, New Zealand)
August – Mindfulness during the PhD (Summary)
Dr Michelle Jamieson (Macquarie University, Australia)
May – Learning to be a co-author (Summary)
Dr Katherine Firth (LaTrobe University, Australia)
March – PhD by publication: panacea or paralysis? (Summary)
Assoc. Prof. Liezel Frick (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
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2018
December – What are your ‘go to’ resources? (Summary)
Facilitated sharing of resources
August – Creativity and reverse engineering in the PhD (Summary)
Dr Steven Thurlow (University of Melbourne, Australia) &
A/Prof Susan Carter (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
June – When is enough reading enough and how long is a PhD thesis? (Summary)
Dr Ian Brailsford (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
DoctoralWriting 