Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role scholarly conferences play in professional socialization of doctoral students. Design/methodology/approach Using data from 20 interviews on conference experiences of student attendees of a North American conference in social sciences, as well as on the conference experiences of students from various disciplines at a private research intensive university in the USA, the authors explored how research identity of doctoral students change over time as result of participation in conferences, how the process of socialization is shaped by advisers and peers and how the experiences vary depending on the characteristics of the participants. Findings The authors found that conferences play an important role in socialization, and the effect from conference attendance increases with the number of conferences attended. The study also showed that students undergo several stages in the process of their socialization, throughout which they develop greater agency and independence as scholars, as well as a more positive image of themselves as researchers, and become more strategic in their behavior. The results also point to the key role of adviser and peers in the process of socialization, whereby the former can provide direction and orientation, while the latter may offer support and opportunities for mutual learning or future collaboration. The authors also found a notable difference in the support provided by advisers between teaching and research-oriented universities. Originality/value The paper applies doctoral student socialization theory to the analysis of informal doctoral experiences outside the program of study.

中文翻译：

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会议在博士生社会化中的作用

目的本文的目的是探讨学术会议在博士生专业社会化中的作用。设计/方法论/方法利用20次采访中的数据，这些数据涉及北美社会科学会议的与会人员的会议体验，以及美国私立研究型大学中来自各个学科的学生的会议体验，作者对此进行了探索。参加会议的结果是博士生的研究身份如何随时间变化，顾问和同伴如何塑造社交化过程以及体验如何根据参与者的特征而变化。结论作者发现会议在社会化中起着重要作用，会议出席的影响随着会议数量的增加而增加。这项研究还表明，学生在社会化过程中经历了多个阶段，在这些阶段中，他们作为学者变得更加有才华和独立性，并且对自己作为研究者的形象更加积极，并且在行为上更具策略性。结果还指出了顾问和同伴在社会化过程中的关键作用，即前者可以提供指导和方向，而后者可以为相互学习或将来的合作提供支持和机会。作者还发现，在教学型大学和研究型大学之间，顾问所提供的支持存在显着差异。