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Over recent decades, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) has traditionally served as the pinnacle of scholarly achievement, primarily preparing individuals for academic and research careers. However, shifting academic landscapes, increased competition, and changing industry demands are transforming the PhD's role from a terminal research degree into a foundational step toward academia. The objective of the article is to explore the emerging trends, underlying factors, and implications of the PhD becoming a prerequisite and stepping stone for entering academic professions. Through analysis of global patterns, institutional policies, and career trajectories, the article argue that the PhD is increasingly viewed as an essential credential for those aiming to establish a foothold in academia, shaping the future of doctoral training and academia’s workforce. This article found that PhD qualification does not always confirm the expertise of PhD holders but mostly display the research capabilities. The study also found that there are contradicting views from different scholars on the value of the PhD.

Identifying research gaps is a key aspect of scholarly excellence, yet it remains a challenge for many novice researchers. Despite the emphasis on innovation in academia, early-career scholars often struggle to differentiate genuine gaps from mere absences in the literature. This study examines these difficulties within social science research, exploring structural and institutional factors that shape the research journey. Using a qualitative, non-empirical approach, the study employs a systematic literature review and critical discourse analysis to synthesize scholarly arguments. Data were sourced from reputable databases, ensuring credibility through strict inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis identified key challenges, including difficulties in recognizing gaps, theoretical conceptualization, methodological rigor, and institutional constraints such as rigid paradigms, limited mentorship, and lack of interdisciplinary collaboration. Triangulation enhanced validity by evaluating sources across disciplines. Findings reveal that inadequate exposure to academic discourse, weak theoretical grounding, and insufficient methodological training hinder gap identification. The study underscores the need for structured mentorship, enhanced training, and critical engagement with theory to support emerging scholars. Addressing these barriers contributes to research capacity building in social sciences, highlighting the importance of fostering innovative and impactful academic contributions.

The paper developed a multilevel model (MLM) of postgraduate (PG) supervision to improve the academic publication and PG completion rate. Crowdsourcing essentials were used in the development of the model. The crowds consisted of the MLM made of students from Honours to doctoral levels. Teamwork was also implored, where the teams were level mates and supervisory teams. The simplest form of the model has the potential to generate over 65 academic manuscripts for journals. Monitoring of the supervision process can provide maximized completion of the PG research studies. Research capacity building would be effected for the doctoral and master’s students making them able to supervise and co-supervise from Honours to doctoral levels upon completion of their studies. The study condemned the use of a single supervisor for several doctoral students. It recommended the implementation of the model (the MLM PG Supervision Framework). It further recommended that doctoral students should be assigned co-supervisors, preferably varied for different students, to enable diversity in the supervision experience.

The Council on Higher Education (CHE)’s report on the doctoral programme review states   that offering postgraduate programmes seems to be a challenge to some South African universities. Amongst others, the report expresses that postgraduate supervision at universities suffers from many challenges, some of which result in students being delayed or not completing their studies. Underpinned by Archer’s (1998) theory of the interplay between structure, culture, and agency (support programmes), the study seeks to examine factors that hinder postgraduate students’ completion of their dissertations and theses. The study adopted narrative research where the qualitative design was used. Postgraduate students (Master and Doctoral) who have registered for these programmes repeatedly in the university served as participants in the study. The purposive sample was used to sample eight postgraduate students who have frequently registered for more than the required residency period. Semi-structured questions were formulated to guide data collection. Data was collected through a focus group of eight Master and Doctoral students. Collected data were analysed using the content analysis method. The study found that the university does not have adequate (or weak) supporting structures for students to complete their degrees in record time.

The complex application process at the postgraduate level became a major blamer for poor doctorate enrolments. The complexity in the communication messages made it difficult for prospective postgraduate students to absorb information effectively. The proposal by the government to increase masters' and doctorate enrolments at universities requires universities to cater to the needs of customers whose preferences and expectations change continuously. The research upon which this paper was based was aimed at identifying the information needs of prospective postgraduates at public universities. The study design is quantitative, employing a descriptive technique and cross-sectional method. For the empirical study, a non-probability sampling method was utilized to obtain data from a sample of 116 masters’ and doctorate students. Descriptive statistics described the main features of the collected data through frequencies, tables, and bar charts. Inferential statistics were used to determine relationships between variables and test the significance, and reliability of the findings. Emphasis on university processes and specific aspects of the expected and augmented product were found. Interestingly, the importance attached to getting information about economic incentives significantly outweighs the importance attached to receiving information about the actual product. The results of this study affirm the assertion that the postgraduate market is unique and has unique information needs. The results provide universities with a guideline to identify the information needs of prospective postgraduate students applying for master's and doctorate studies at public universities.  The study limitation is that it encompasses only a small number of registered master’s and doctoral students in KwaZulu-Natal, limiting the possibility of generalizing the results to all prospective postgraduate students in South Africa.