Leslie Gelling and Maria Aurora Rodríguez-Borrego discuss the complexities and challenges students face

ORIGINALITY IS a major ingredient of doctoral research in every discipline. Doctoral students are required to demonstrate how they have contributed new knowledge to their discipline and will use their doctoral theses and, in some countries, oral examinations to demonstrate originality to their examiners. If originality is not present, the doctorate cannot be awarded. In this edition of Nurse Researcher two authors consider originality in doctoral research from two very different perspectives.