Bridie Scott-Parker is one of 122 QUT PhD graduates, who this month will don their cap and gown, and add the official title of Doctor to their name.
But what makes Dr Scott-Parker different from 82 per cent of her QUT peers is that for the past three years she has built up an international research profile because of her decision to take the PhD path less travelled - a PhD by Publication.
"You really have no idea what a PhD is when you begin," the QUT Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) researcher said.
"You know that it is going to be a really big research project and you are going to have to produce a document at the end that is 100,000 words and 400 pages and you get to be called 'Doctor'."
But a PhD is not a one-size fits all prospect. At QUT there are three options for students: the PhD traditional thesis, the PhD by publication and the PhD by Creative Works.
Dr Scott-Parker's path to becoming a Doctor started when she was studying her Bachelor of Psychology at QUT. From there she undertook an Honours program looking at the risky behaviour of young drivers.
Armed with a degree and the RACQ Road Safety Prize for the most outstanding fourth-year thesis, Dr Scott-Parker said she thought: 'Wow this is great, I've started on this path and I would love to use this as groundwork for a PhD research project'."
Dr Scott-Parker, who was awarded The National Health and Medical Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship and the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) Top Up Scholarship to help support her PhD research, said her decision to choose a PhD by Publication was not made until about halfway through her research project.
"With my Honours research I published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal and I also presented a conference paper and that ended up being in a peer-reviewed publication as well," she said.
"So I had had some experience in publishing. I had also had people around the world - researchers, media, students - contact me based on those publications, asking if I would be interested in collaborating in their research projects.
"This signalled to me that publishing my findings, rather than waiting for three or four years after I'd finished my research, would be a better option for me."
With a PhD by Publication, just like a traditional thesis, you are required to tell a story but that story must include published papers.
"It is not simply writing three papers on disparate topics and then putting them in a book and saying ta-da, here is my thesis. With a thesis by publication you need to set the scene with an introductory chapter, literature review and theory chapter and then explain how all the papers fit together," Dr Scott-Parker said.
"It certainly isn't the easy option.
"Many people conduct their research and then spend the last year or so writing. With a PhD by Publication, you need to write from day one."
Dr Scott-Parker said you also "develop a bit of a thick skin" because as part of the peer-review process you are dealing with reviewers' comments and "they were not always polite".
"But that is okay, that is the real world," she said.
"I think this (constructive criticism) made me a better PhD candidate because I was already used to dealing with feedback, so when it came to the final examination of my thesis, I was able to use my skills to be able to respond to comments. That was definitely an advantage."
Dr Scott-Parker said she believed the challenges offered by the publication path had been worth the effort.
As an author of now 13 published papers, three about to be published and another five currently being written, Dr Scott-Parker said even though she had just finished her PhD, she already had an established academic profile.
"The PhD by Publication has definitely opened doors for me," she said.
"I am currently collaborating with researchers in Germany, who saw one of my publications in a former ERA A-star publication. That would never have happened otherwise, they would never have known about my research for another number of months yet, because my thesis is still not available in the public realm even though I do have my doctorate conferred."
But the decision to undertake a PhD, irrespective of the path followed, should not be taken lightly, she said.
"You have to really want to do a PhD, it is certainly not for everyone," she said.
"It is a huge commitment and it is not just the researcher that has to sacrifice. My husband, children family and friends have all made many sacrifices so that I can finish this for my own research interests but also for the greater good.
"I hope to improve young driver road safety, not just here in Brisbane, not just Australia but around the world, where my research is being read."
Dr Scott-Parker's passion for road safety research is continuing and she currently works at QUT's CARRS-Q and hopes to undertake further research in the future.
Bridie Scott-Parker's research:
Dr Scott-Parker examined the factors contributing to the increased crash risk of young drivers. These factors included individual characteristics like anxiety and sensation-seeking; driving behaviours such as speeding; the structural environment of Queensland's graduated driver licensing program; and social factors including the influence of parents, friends, and the police. The research highlighted the wide range of factors that do contribute to the risky driving among young drivers and how this behaviour can be better managed through improvements to the graduated driver licensing system. Other opportunities for improving the safety of young drivers were also identified, including encouraging continued parental involvement in the driving careers of their novice children.
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Sandra Hutchinson, QUT media officer, 07 3138 0358 (Tues-Wed) or media@qut.edu.au (Mon-Fri)
Rose Trapnell, QUT team leader, 07 3138 2361
