Doctoral support networks: Characteristics and associations with research conditions and identity development

Doctoral candidates rely on diverse individuals to cope with the challenges of their doctoral trajectory. In this article we define Doctoral Support Networks (DSNs) as the group of individuals with whom the doctoral candidate intentionally collaborates in order to deal with the problems and difficulties of the doctorate. We aim to explore the characteristics of this type of networks and their relationships with doctoral program conditions and researcher identity development. Results from a cluster analysis identified two groups of doctoral candidates based on the characteristics of their network: those with Distributed and Active DSNs (56.8%) and those with Reduced and Passive DSNs (43.2%). The first group reported more frequent interactions with a wider range of individuals from both academic and extra-academic contexts, higher levels of emotional support and direct advice to cope with doctoral challenges and difficulties, and a higher level of identification with the researcher position.