Academic Peer Network Effects of Doctoral Students: An Empirical Research Based on Response‐Driven Sampling in China

This study used Response‐Driven Sampling (RDS) to construct an academic peer network for PhD students in China and conducted a questionnaire survey. After testing 639 valid samples that met the random recruitment assumption, empirical analysis was conducted on academic peer network effects on the research competence of PhD candidates (RCPC). The results show that RCPC is significantly influenced by academic peer network size, homogeneity, and peer competence. (1) Peer competence demonstrates the strongest positive effect on RCPC, particularly for those with low initial research competence. (2) In comparison, the effect of network homogeneity is relatively smaller and predominantly negative. The homogeneity between PhD students and their academic peers remains relatively low across the sample, with all values below 0.7. (3) The network size of weak ties does not significantly affect RCPC. However, among strong ties, the number of peers from other departments and universities exhibits an inverted U‐shaped relationship with self‐assessed competence, with the optimal network size being 16 peers. This study not only suggests PhD students strengthen their social connections with peers from different disciplines and institutions, aiming to maintain a moderate‐sized network within strong ties, thereby enhancing their own abilities and achieving long‐term development, but also indicates the applicability and generalizability of applying RDS to peer network surveys.