This study investigates how doctoral students perceive research work in the context of their own PhD projects. Thirty-two students from a Finnish university were interviewed, representing three disciplines: medicine, natural sciences and behavioural sciences. Their conceptions of research varied in terms of describing research as "a job to do," "obtaining qualifications and gaining accomplishments," "a personal journey," and "making a difference." The conceptions in each category differed in terms of how product-oriented vs. process-oriented and person-centred vs. community-centred they were. The four categories were not exclusive: the students often reported overlapping conceptions. The emphasis of conceptions was different in each discipline, and also varied according to the phase of studies.