Advisor-advisee relationship and the organizational culture of doctoral programs on doctoral students’ mental health and academic performance: A scoping review protocol

Abstract

Doctoral students’ mental health is increasingly recognized as a critical issue in academia, with advisor-advisee relationships playing a key role in both well-being and academic performance. The organizational culture of doctoral programs may also influence these outcomes, but existing literature has not fully addressed the interplay between these factors. This scoping review aims to identify elements within the advisor-advisee relationship and supervision process that are associated with doctoral students’ mental health and academic performance, and to examine how the organizational culture of doctoral programs relates to these dynamics. The review will include both empirical studies and literature reviews focusing on these relationships. The following databases will be searched: Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ERIC, PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and PsycInfo (APA). Studies will be screened by two independent researchers, with duplicates removed. There will be no restrictions on publication date or language. Data extraction will be conducted using a standardized spreadsheet, and findings will be synthesized using thematic analysis, with results presented in both narrative form and summary tables.