Completing a PhD in business and management : A brief guide to doctoral students and universities

Purpose – Despite the ever-growing number of PhD students all over the world, there remain significant doubts about whether entering students in business and management disciplines fully understand the process of producing a PhD thesis, defending it and developing a coherent publication strategy. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to offer some guidance on what it takes to successfully complete a doctoral research thesis. Design/methodology/approach – The arguments and guidance presented in this viewpoint paper are drawn on the authors’ collective supervision and doctoral examination experiences. Findings – The paper presents guidelines on three key issues related with the doctoral completion: choosing a research problem; demonstrating rigour and quality; developing a publication strategy. Originality/value – The content presented in this paper would be valuable aide to those pursuing doctoral research.