Scholarly publication is a leading requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program. Publishing articles, therefore, has become an appealing expectation for early-stage doctoral researchers (ESDRs). However, little has been done to address the dynamic relationship between the PhD and the academic publication system. The purpose of this study is to understand the intricately intertwined structures of PhD study and to explore the challenges related to scholarly publication. A group discussion method was deployed for data collection by recruiting international ESDRs (n=15) from three different countries. Primary results indicate that common anxiety is associated with the requirement to publish in high impact factor journals as well as the publication process. Quality supervision is recognized as inevitable to improve a mentor-mentee relationship and was found helpful in reducing the barriers to scientific publication. Moreover, the dominant structural factors of PhD study determine the ESDRs’ decision-making. The study suggests that the PhD study should remain research-intensive rather than simply for the sake of obtaining a higher qualification.