One outstanding example is not much in the way of a proof.
A masters thesis is a few month's work from an untrained student going through an idea that's already being explored by the school's research group. A PhD typically involves far more deep independent work that's deemed relevant by at least one research institution.
I don't know what you need to be huffing to consider a master student at the final stages "untrained". A master is basically the highest form of schooling there is.
... except for a PhD. A master's is typically an admission requirement to a PhD - at least, around here.
In my experience, a master student's final project typically constitute their first foray into / encounter with academic research. So yes, untrained in that sense.
Around here, a training and education plan is required. Some institutions have a requirement on ECTS or another form of "study points" a PhD student must have gathered before defence.
The fact that you are paid doesn't preclude it being a traineeship.
> PhD is not schooling. It's a research job. You get paid to do a PhD.
No not really. A PhD student at most receives a scholarship, and currently at least in Europe has to undergo a curricular part comprised of a dozen or so courses. How does that not count as schooling?
If I'm not mistaken the only exception to the schooling requirement is if a student is able to publish a few research papers on a topic that are coherent and related to a concrete research topic that could support their thesis.
This is not the way it is in the Netherlands. You get a full salary and don't have any courses. You after all already did all relevant courses during your masters.
>>I don't know what you need to be huffing to consider a master student at the final stages "untrained".
I don't know what could possibly lead you to believe that someone just starting off his master's thesis has any experience whatsoever in research, and has any contact with any academic topic beyond the standard curriculum that every single one has to go through to get a degree.
No, not experienced. But a master degree generally includes research as part of the curriculum. There is a world of difference between trained and experienced.
A masters thesis is a few month's work from an untrained student going through an idea that's already being explored by the school's research group. A PhD typically involves far more deep independent work that's deemed relevant by at least one research institution.