On doctoral degrees, polluting ships, Richard Holbrooke, British pubs

SIR – We would like to challenge many of the assertions and “research” presented as evidence in your argument that “doing a PhD is often a waste of time” (“The disposable academic”, December 18th). Although some poor practices still exist, monitoring and mentoring systems have swept away much of the abuse that did undoubtedly occur in the past. Most institutions now monitor submission times, career destinations and earnings. The lack of permanent contracts is a trend throughout the professional world, not just in academia.

The PhD at research-intensive universities is a strong foundation for developing and managing the information society. Society needs highly trained critical thinkers to tackle complex problems with rigour and research skills. PhD graduates seek employment in academia, but also in research in the public, voluntary or private sectors and in a range of non-research jobs where they must analyse large amounts of evidence for complex decision-making. In Britain, less than 50% of researchers become academics. Hence there is no point in using manpower planning in the academic sector as the sole guide for PhD recruitment.