UK Council for Graduate Education Publishes UK Research Supervision Survey 2024 Report
The UK Council for Graduate Education is delighted to publish the UK Research Supervision Survey 2024 Report. These insights are drawn from the largest ever survey of UK research supervisors, eliciting 5,174 responses across 141 institutions.
The research was conducted with support from both the Next Generation Research SuperVision Project and Research England and was open to all those involved in doctoral supervision across the UK. Many respondents said that supervision brings professional benefits:
- 90% enjoy being a supervisor.
- 79% say that supervision increases the quality of their own research.
We also asked supervisors to tell us more about the tasks they undertake as part of this role:
- 89% highlight training, professional development and public engagement opportunities in the course of their work.
- 75% ensure that their candidates publish in their field.
However, the survey also revealed significant challenges:
- 67% say the doctoral supervision has become more demanding.
- 30% say that supervision has kept them awake at night.
Both continuing professional development and team supervision were found to be positive aspects of the current landscape:
- 93% say that — if they are supported through professional development — they feel confident in supervising candidates from diverse backgrounds.
- 76% of supervisors are taking part in team supervision compared to 71% in 2021.
We hope that this report will help to give a voice to the doctoral supervisors who invest time, effort and compassion into their roles. You can find out more and download the report on the link below.