Definitions Research Background
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The initial phase of the PDP identified the need to create an accurate and useful operational definition of a ‘postdoc.’ During Phase 2, the PDP focused on evaluating existing postdoc definitions in order to develop guidelines for identifying this population in future surveys.
Research questions
- What is the impact of the similarities or differences across employment sectors?
- What distinguishes a postdoc from other research staff?
- Do the same definitional elements apply to both PhD and PhD-equivalent postdocs?
- Do individual postdocs define themselves differently than institutions define them?
Methods
This research was grounded in a review of “postdoc” definitions. It also required a cross section of qualitative and quantitative data collections. The PDP reached out to:
- Postdocs
- Postdoc employers
- Postdoc funders
- US academic institutions
- US non-academic institutions
- Professional associations
- Federal government agencies
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