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Over the years, the essential nature and purpose of a higher degree by research has generally been seen as affording an opportunity to make an original contribution to research and scholarship through a programme of research training observing rigorous intellectual standards.

Today this ideal is being perceived increasingly in broader terms: in some academic disciplines, postgraduate research offers the opportunity to enhance and develop qualities such as:

• creative artistic ability
• critical thinking
• professional responsibility
• organisational skill
• proficiency in oral and written communication

Thorough training in the process of research and acquisition of transferable and interpersonal skills is also being offered. In other academic disciplines, scientific research aims at increasing understanding of the natural world using methodologies, which may be defined as the testing of hypotheses by observation or experiment.

Successful postgraduate researchers are self-reliant, well-organised and able to call upon a variety of inner resources. Of particular importance is the intellectual environment resulting from the presence of a large postgraduate community and the active involvement of staff in research at the highest level. Equally importantly, postgraduate researchers can receive much intellectual stimulation during experimental or observational work from their peers.

It is essential that each postgraduate researcher develops a good relationship with a supervisor, who may be their formal supervisor or another member of their supervisory committee. This relationship not only involves initial guidance and later advice, but can also enable a postgraduate researcher to gain access to scarce research resources through funding provided to staff in national and international research grant programmes. Where appropriate, supervisors will introduce their postgraduate researchers to technical, administrative and archival staff who are able to provide help with a project; and it should be appreciated that in the environment of university research, the quality of this assistance is inevitably enriched by having a good working relationship with these staff.