Researcher training in academic master's and doctoral programs a protocol for a scoping review of empirical studies.

Abstract Researcher training in academic graduate education involves developing the knowledge, competencies, practices, and identities required to produce scientific knowledge autonomously. However, empirical evidence on how this process is conceptualized and investigated remains dispersed across disciplines and educational contexts. This protocol outlines a scoping review designed to map empirical research on researcher training in academic or research-oriented master's and doctoral programs. The review will include peer-reviewed empirical articles published from January 2019 through the final search in 2026, without restrictions on language, country, or field of knowledge. Searches will be conducted in Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, SciELO, and PsycNET. Two independent reviewers will screen records and full texts. Data will be extracted using a structured form and synthesized through descriptive mapping and qualitative content analysis. Findings will identify conceptual approaches, training competencies, formative practices, research contexts, and gaps to inform future investigations and graduate education. Keywords: researcher training, graduate education, master’s programs, doctoral programs, scoping review