Talk, trust and turning points: An investigation of
the ways in which the supervisor-candidate
relationship is responding to changing times

As the focus on research, research teams and research output continues to sharpen, the relationship of supervisor and candidate is bound to attract even greater attention. Such attention is justified as supervisors are now undertaking their supervisory responsibilities across various degree frameworks, within a quality arena influenced by the constraints of the Research Training Scheme, and, in some contexts, by means of virtual rather than face-to-face communication. What do such changes mean for the ways in which supervisors work? What do they mean with respect to the supervisory relationship?

Recently, we examined supervisory relationships using the notion of 'fit', arguing that " the candidate and the supervisor should be considered in relation to one another and that, in the most productive interactions, a 'fit' can be achieved that makes the journey both short and relatively trouble-free" (Reidy & Green, In press). In order to extend the discussion, this paper reports on a recent exploration of two contrasting supervisor-candidate pairs. Significant issues including the structure of the supervision meetings, the expectations of supervisor and candidate, and the turning points of the research journey, are used as the foundations of the comparisons made. The paper will have special interest for supervisors and for doctoral students wishing to understand the nature of the journey that they are undertaking or have just recently completed.