The relevance of the study is due to the global digitalization and search for tools and practices fostering the process of doctoral students` training for independent quality research using the full range of available digital tools. Digital skills require continuous improvement. Thus, this article is aimed at identifying the possibilities of using mentoring for digital literacy development of British PhDs. Using comparison and terminological analysis the research considers the changing phenomenon of mentoring under the influence of information and digital transformations, identifies important digital skills being developed by doctoral students in the process of mastering the programs offered by UK university libraries. It is also justified that today librarians serve as mentors and can effectively develop digital literacy of doctoral students. The materials are valuable for doctoral students, teachers, mentors, academic librarians who provide professional development programs for researchers working with digital research tools.

Digitisation is a multidimensional phenomenon having direct and indirect impact on all aspects of human activity. The sphere of science and research, especially comparative education research, is being inevitably affected. The dizzying pace of socio-economic changes complicated by COVID-19 pandemic made it obvious that we are dealing with the digitisation of shock, rather than phased, character. The article states the lack of serious scientific reflection on the currently witnessed "shock digitisation" of science, complicated with growing digital illiteracy of researchers. The latter is demonstrated through rigorous literature review and SciVal Scopus analytics. The article is concluded with the idea that the field of comparative education research requires future profound rethinking of assumptions and agenda priorities in several aspects. They include general qualification requirements for modern comparative education researcher and comparative research procedures, functional and digital literacy of comparativists, changes in their research career potentials and prospects.

The paper aims at tracing rapid changes in Russian digital education landscape having been shaken by the pandemic of 2020. To this end the study deals with the bulk of publications contributed by the Russian language authors to the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) Database as the fullest national research representation source, which includes the most influential research journals in the educational domain. The main research question that potentiated this study was weather the “shock digitisation” faced by many teaching practitioners has been problematized in recent Russian educational discourse. We rely upon the proposition that quick and dramatic shifts can impede adequate scientific reconceptualization of digitisation phenomenon as practical needs stand first in the priority. To test the proposition, the method of content analysis targeting the titles and abstracts of the papers included into Russian Science Citation Index database has been used. Findings demonstrated insignificant increase in the number of pandemic related publications on education digitisation. The data obtained suggests that the influence of the pandemic is little observed in the issues addressed by the latest publications in the Russian educational journals. The study can be of certain prognostic value for international comparative educationalists and policy makers.

The article explores the links between functional foreign language literacy and opportunities for global research career development. The relevance of the study is due to the rising trends of labor market globalization and internationalization of science and education domain. The purpose of the paper is to clarify the extent to which foreign language literacy can shape would-be researchers' aspirations and career development plans. Phenomenological approach uderpins research procedures and reserch methodology. Standardized open-ended interview responses of 45 PhD students of Southern Federal University were analyzed to address the concepts of functional literacy and functional foreign language literacy from self-reflexive perspective. The present study also discusses acquisition of functional foreign language literacy in terms of positive and negative factors as well as the PhD students` perceptions of its role in developing global research career. The research findings are to inform educational policy and practice worldwide on the existing issues of concern in the area of researcher training.

The relevance of the study is due to the need for an objective picture of the Russian third level tertiary education transformation driven by internationalization issues and global trends in education. The article provides an analytical comparative review of the official documents related to the main phases of education reform in Russia and focuses on the system of PhD training which has undergone significant reorganization in recent years. A series of alterations introduced into the theory and practice of postgraduate education in Russia are traced in regulatory documents and interpreted in terms of growing internationalization demand. Possible implications for further development of the research human potential in Russia are being discussed. The method of comparative document analysis produces the best possible insight into the subject. The findings of the study contribute to the understanding of current challenges facing the system of doctoral studies in Russia and lead to certain conclusions on the transformation of educational policy in relation to PhD training under the influence of internationalization agenda.