‘Challenging from the start’: novice doctoral co-supervisors’ experiences of supervision culture and practice

There is a widespread interest in doctoral supervision, yet novice co-supervisors’ experiences remain understudied. The aim of this qualitative study to explore how supervision culture and practice are experienced by novices. This thematic analysis based on focus groups in-depth interviews with 23 co-supervisors from two Swedish research-intensive universities. reveals three dimensions related the challenging experience culture, namely closedness, dependence competition. Moreover, proves that practices embedded within ‘hidden curriculum’, here defined as unplanned implicit support outside formal meetings activities. Novice bridge gap between main supervisors students make path degree smoother when engaging emotional, intellectual, practical mediation support. has implications suggests improvements for co-supervision would also benefit students.