Book launched!

Our book is now out and about! The official launch date was 16 May 2024.

We had the first book launch for Doing doctoral research at a distance on Tuesday this week (21st May). It was a wonderful opportunity to gather our colleagues who wanted to celebrate with us, many of  whom are very interested in the topic of distance doctorates! 

The stars aligned and we had the good fortune to have guest speakers Pat ‘Patter‘ Thomson (aka ‘Insider Guides’ series editor), Inger ‘Thesis Whisperer‘ Mewburn, and PhD students Dom Violi  and Bec Harrop. They shared their insights about the book and some of their own experiences as researchers who did their doctorates at a distance. It was all very affirming for our book’s approach and voice! Inger was our star launcher and her savvy and warmly supportive speech is included below – thank you, Inger!

For those who couldn’t make it to the event, or who want to relive it in all its glory, here is a recording of the book  launch (56 mins). 

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Professor Inger Mewburn in action during the book launch

INGER’S LAUNCH SPEECH: 

“When I first saw the title I thought to myself “Everyone needs this book because what does ‘distance’ mean since Covid anyway? The on campus every day from 9-5 experience is vanishingly rare – it’s just not how we work these days. It’s always been the case that many supervisors and students go off extended field work, so working at a distance is nothing new,

But at the same time, there are aspects of distance doctorates that are unique to that study mode. Especially where geography or circumstance means this study mode is less about choice and flexibility – and more about necessity.

That’s where this book is at its strongest and I commend all the authors for the nuance and sensitivity they bring to the book which is both informed by research (their own, and other peoples) and also deeply practical and useful. As they say in the book, the doctorate is never an ‘“invisible” houseguest: this book will help you learn to live with it well.

Briefly, I just want to pick on the principles [the authors] state at the start of the point and talk a little about how they inform the book.

We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education.
This commitment is deeply held and you can see it in the ways that this book talks to you without judgment of your circumstances and choices. It stares unflinchingly at our universities as ‘greedy institutions’ and talks candidly about the cost of living and the necessity of working – which many in management seem to forget is a thing. This book is written with knowledge of and sensitivities to complex caring situations and some of us have chronic illnesses and disabilities to manage as well.

We hold a strengths-based view of distance doctoral education.
They really don’t treat the distance doctorate as sloppy seconds. I’ve known people who hide the fact they did it as a distance because they feel ashamed and less than. You won’t after reading this book. Here’s a little passage as a taster of this approach: “. These doctoral researchers may have sharp leadership, communication, or organisational skills that have been developed in these other domains; they may have deep insight or empathy for others within their departments, professional spheres, or research contexts; and they may have a stronger sense of moral purpose driving them forward in their research.” – Now there’s some good lines for your resume!

We recognise that distance doctoral education is complex, messy, and takes many forms in many contexts.
One of the standouts of this book are the tools, for instance the extensive check list for getting started. I’m stealing that for our induction week briefing at ANU! Or should I say, sharing with appropriate acknowledgement. Distance doctoral students do face some unique practical challenges like differences in time zone currency and address formats from their home university. But they also have more abstract challenges, such as maintaining visibility. My husband has been a remote worker for over 10 years, so I have seen this struggle up close and personal. Regularly having people forget you exist is demoralising and ‘visibility work’ is an extra burden. The authors strike a perfect balance between describing the problems – and providing strategies – in general enough terms that you can apply them to your specific circumstance.

We recognise that distance doctoral researchers are an extremely diverse group.
Fascinating snippets of student voice are throughout the book in pop out panels. These are like little windows into other people’s lived experiences. They put flesh on the bones of the advice and help you see how the challenges play out in real life. Alongside that we get practical and yet compassionate advice about how to deal with challenges. At one point they say “Try doing some things less well and see what happens” – I wish someone had said this to me early in my own academic journey.

Finally, we believe that individual doctoral researchers, supervisors, support staff, and institutions all have agency in this space.
One of the key ways the authors live up to this principle in this book is to talk a lot about how universities work so that you understand the context in which you are working. I often say ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’, but sometimes you don’t even know what you can ask for and what you can’t. This book is one of the few that tackle the complexity of universities head on – no one can fully explain a university (there aren’t enough trees in the world for that) – but this book will help you know what questions you need to ask and that’s the start of a stronger sense of agency.

To conclude – just a big well done everyone. In big ways and small you live up to the promise of flourishing in the title. I really loved reading it and learned a lot. Books are always a huge achievement, but he last couple of years have been really challenging, so you should feel even more proud of yourself. I encourage us all to give a big zoom round of applause to the whole team!”

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Doing doctoral research at a distance is now out and about so make sure your university librarian has ordered a copy, or use the discount code AFLY02 for a 20% discount on your own copy. One of the reasons we chose to write for this book series is the much more affordable cover price compared to most academic books – with the 20% discount code applied, you can get a paperback copy for NZ$35.99 / AU$31.99 or an eBook for around NZ$28 / AU$26.