Hopes, hiccups and aspirations of doctoral researchers doing participatory research: reflections from a creative and collaborative research project

Participatory research methods are increasingly prioritised, including by researchers at the start of their doctoral journeys. This article builds upon a project in a UK Russell Group university that focused on the experiences of doctoral/postgraduate researchers (PGRs) doing participatory research. Building upon collaborative workshops with 20 PGRs, we reflect upon the creative processes that gathered insights into the hopes, hiccups and aspirations of PGRs doing participatory research. Our findings indicate that while doctoral research remains positioned as an individual endeavour, PGRs are committed to participatory research but need time, space, resources and dialogue to enable them to pursue more equitable and inclusive research methodologies. We conclude with a call to action that enables PGRs to showcase the power of their participatory work. Our article contributes to understandings of doctoral researchers’ experiences by utilising our own creative and participatory agendas and provides novel approaches via our diverse, creative and lively methodologies.