Inadequate Supervision

 I had a meeting with a dissertation supervisee this afternoon which had echoes of my interactions with my PhD supervisor. He said he was not satisfied with his work and agreed with my criticism but did not know how to proceed. He seemed to imply that my feedback had pointed out the faults in his work but not given him enough guidance to improve. I remember feeling exactly the same way about my supervisor's feedback and struggling to understand what she expected from me. But, what I have come to realise is she didn't expect anything specific except rigorous research and carefully argued conclusions. Her job, and now my job, is not to issue specific directions but simply provide feedback on the rigour of the work and the presentation of its ideas. Research is a step (however tiny) into the unknown. Sometimes one lands on their feet, sometimes one falters or falls. In the latter cases, it is natural to try to pin blame, either on oneself or on others. But, the fact is that sometimes research does not go according to plan and/or to one's satisfaction, and one should have the humility to accept that.