PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: Reasons why PhDs are delayed and how we can help
This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands.
These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those of you interested in pursuing a research position in the Netherlands.
If these posts raise your interest in working as a researcher in the Netherlands, even better – and feel free to fire away any questions you might have on this topic!
Completing a PhD often takes longer than originally planned. Universities may describe doctoral programmes as three-, four-, or five-year trajectories, but research rarely follows a perfectly predictable timeline. A doctoral candidate is not simply completing a long assignment. They are learning how to carry out original research while managing uncertainty, developing new skills, writing for publication, responding to feedback, and dealing with the practical realities of academic life. Research into doctoral completion and attrition shows that progress is shaped by a combination of personal, academic, social, and institutional factors.
When a PhD is delayed, it is tempting to assume that the candidate did not plan well or work hard enough. In reality, delays usually result from several interconnected factors. Some difficulties can be reduced through better planning, but others require action from supervisors, departments, funders, and universities. Below are some common reasons why PhDs are delayed and what we can do to help.
1. Developing new research skills takes time
Many doctoral candidates begin without having mastered all the methods, software, theories, or analytical techniques they will need. They may need to learn a programming language, unfamiliar statistical methods, laboratory procedures, archival skills, or academic writing conventions. Specialist training may not be available when it is needed.
How we can help: Supervisors should identify skill gaps early and help candidates find courses, mentors, workshops, or collaborators. Doctoral programmes should offer relevant and targeted training throughout the PhD instead of concentrating it in the first year or instead of focusing on general courses in the field of knowledge.
2. The research scope is unclear or too ambitious
A project can expand quickly. Candidates may add research questions, collect more data, or continue reading because the study never feels complete. Changes in direction can also result in work being discarded.
How we can help: Candidates and supervisors should agree on a realistic central question, define what lies outside the scope, and review the project regularly. Meetings should not just focus on the technical contents, but also general progress. A successful dissertation does not need to answer every interesting question that emerges.
3. Laboratory and technical delays interrupt progress
Experimental research depends on equipment, materials, technicians, software, participants, field sites, and access to laboratories. Equipment may break, materials may arrive late, or several researchers may need the same facility. These delays are often outside the candidate’s control.
How we can help: Research plans should include buffers, alternative suppliers, and tasks that can be completed while laboratory work is paused. Supervisors need to coordinate access to laboratory facilities to avoid issues with availability.
4. Supervisory difficulties slow down decisions
Delayed feedback, cancelled meetings, unclear expectations, conflicting advice, or changes in supervision can leave candidates unable to proceed. Research on doctoral supervision identifies the supervisory relationship as an important influence on the doctoral experience.
How we can help: Supervisors and candidates should discuss expectations at the beginning and revisit them regularly. A written supervision agreement can clarify meeting frequency, feedback times, responsibilities, and preferred communication methods. Cornell University’s advising guide for research students offers useful questions for starting these conversations.
5. Financial pressure reduces research time
Funding may end before the thesis is complete. In the Netherlands, for example, contacts are four years and not a day longer. Candidates may then need to continue in a different position to cover their expenses. Financial insecurity also creates stress and reduces the concentration available for research.
How we can help: Research timelines should be realistic, and supervisors and universities should be monitoring closely towards completion to make sure that candidates can finish in the available time.
6. Health and personal circumstances require attention
Illness, burnout, disability, caring responsibilities, pregnancy, bereavement, and family emergencies can interrupt doctoral work. These circumstances should not be treated as evidence that a candidate lacks commitment. Studies of doctoral researchers’ mental health also suggest that satisfaction with doctoral training and institutional support matter.
How we can help: Candidates need access to leave, flexible milestones, counselling, and disability support. Supervisors should respond with compassion and focus on what is realistically possible.
7. Poor planning and perfectionism delay writing
Candidates may underestimate tasks, postpone writing until the research is “finished,” or spend too long improving work that is already sufficient. Without intermediate milestones, the final stage can become overwhelming.
How we can help: Candidates can divide the dissertation into smaller outputs and begin writing early. Sometimes, a paper-based thesis with a publication per year can help to split the work and make consistent progress. Supervisors can help distinguish between work that must be excellent and work that simply needs to be completed.
8. Isolation and limited institutional support undermine progress
Doctoral research can be lonely, especially for remote, international, or part-time candidates. Without contact with peers, candidates may struggle for too long before asking for help.
How we can help: Departments should develop doctoral communities, writing groups, mentoring schemes, and regular opportunities to discuss unfinished work. A monthly seminar in which all candidates participate, can be a great way to connect.
9. COVID-19 caused long-term disruption
COVID-19 closed laboratories, restricted travel, interrupted fieldwork, reduced access to participants, and increased caring responsibilities. Many candidates had to redesign their studies or abandon planned data collection. A later UKRI report on doctoral extensions demonstrates the scale of support required by researchers whose work was disrupted.
How we can help: Institutions should recognise that the effects did not end when campuses reopened. Some candidates still need extensions, additional funding, revised expectations, and support for adapted research designs.
A delayed PhD is not necessarily a failed PhD. Research involves uncertainty, and some setbacks are unavoidable. Delays become more damaging when candidates are expected to solve structural problems through personal productivity alone.
The best response is shared responsibility. Candidates can communicate difficulties early and plan with realistic margins. Supervisors and universities can provide timely feedback, resources, financial security, flexibility, and humane support. Instead of asking only why a candidate is behind, we should ask what is preventing progress, and what we can change to help.
Which causes for delays have you observed and what have you done to support candidates?
