Phase 2 definition research was grounded in the Definitions Project, a review of “postdoc” definitions from 11 highly regarded organizations within the postdoc community, government agencies, and academic institutions.
The Definitions Project examined these definitions for key elements. Twelve common elements were identified (see table below). But only three were present across all of the definitions:
- ‘Research focus’
- ‘Training focus’
- ‘Temporary/ Defined period of time’
|
|
Definitional Element
|
NAS
|
NSF/ NIH
2007
|
GSS
|
SED
2008
|
SDR
2006
|
AAU
|
NPA
|
Sigma Xi
|
AAMC
|
FASEB
|
UC
|
|
PhD / PhD-Equivalent
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recent degree?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foreign degree equivalent?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research focus
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preparatory for something else
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Training focus
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Temporary /
Defined period of time
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supervised
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mentorship
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Full-time
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Publications
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clinical fellows?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|