Abstract
This chapter explores the preliminary considerations you should undertake before embarking on a postgraduate research journey, whether at the doctoral or research master’s level. We encourage you to understand, at the outset, what your motivations are for undertaking such an immense project and to gain some clarity around a few key areas, including your goals, your own situation and context, institutional expectations, supervisory relationships, means for supporting your efforts, and the potential implications your prolonged study may have for your friends and family. Such understanding can be vital not only when making your decision to commence the journey but also for dealing with future occasions where you find yourself questioning that commitment.
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Cooksey, R., McDonald, G. (2019). Why Am I Doing This and What Should I Expect?. In: Surviving and Thriving in Postgraduate Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7747-1_1
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