Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right

The document is a reflective account of Lynn P. Nygaard's journey through a Doctor of Education (EdD) programme. The author describes the tension between being a 'seasoned professional' in academic writing and a novice researcher, detailing challenges such as impostor syndrome, the difficulty of developing an original academic voice, and the struggle to process critical feedback. The author argues that their decision to extend their doctoral studies to focus on publishing was an act of agency to build a legitimate academic identity. Additionally, the text discusses how a combination of financial security, supervisor support, and intrinsic motivation enabled the author to complete the degree following a severe personal crisis involving their husband's critical injury.

• The author experienced a conflict between their professional identity as an expert writing coach and their role as a doctoral student, which led to feelings of impostor syndrome and difficulty accepting critical feedback.
• The author deliberately delayed their doctoral completion to prioritize publishing academic articles and books, viewing this slow progress as a result of personal agency rather than failure.
• Transitioning from a practitioner to a researcher revealed that professional expertise in the 'end product' of academic writing did not translate to ease in conducting the research process itself.
• The author identifies several internal and external factors that prevented them from dropping out of the programme after a major personal crisis, including financial stability, supervisor assistance with administrative interruptions, and a strong intrinsic motivation to validate their professional competence.
• For the author, the definitive milestone of becoming a legitimate scholar was not the receipt of the degree, but the first time their work was cited by another researcher.

APA

Nygaard, L. P. (n.d.). Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/43fa8d73-79dd-431e-81a3-dccbb7ec88e5/Into the fray becoming an academic in my own right.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Nygaard, Lynn P. Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/43fa8d73-79dd-431e-81a3-dccbb7ec88e5/Into the fray becoming an academic in my own right.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nygaard |first1=Lynn P. |title=Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/43fa8d73-79dd-431e-81a3-dccbb7ec88e5/Into the fray becoming an academic in my own right.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nygaardndinto, author = {Nygaard, Lynn P.}, title = {{Into the fray: becoming an academic in my own right}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/43fa8d73-79dd-431e-81a3-dccbb7ec88e5/Into the fray becoming an academic in my own right.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }