INTRODUCTION: Doctoral training can be defined as the process by which an individual will learn to create theoretical and practical knowledge, in order to become a researcher with specialized knowledge and ready to enter different fields of work as a scientific research professional. The doctoral career reality is changing fast, and as result, the curriculum in doctoral programs needs to change with it. For this to be possible, it is first necessary to understand what the necessary learning for the development of the professional competences in research are. OBJECTIVES: Therefore, the present work aims to raise the necessary learning for the formation of the researcher presented by international community. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A systematic review was carried out using the PRISMA protocol, consulting the ERIC, Science Direct and EBSCO databases. As an inclusion criterion, it was limited by searching for articles that dealt with the training of researchers in doctoral programs specifically in Education, and to have been published in the 21st century, therefore, having the last 22 years as a temporal cutoff. The final study sample consisted of 15 articles, all in English, which were coded and analyzed using the ATLAS.ti Software. RESULTS: Thirty-five learnings necessary for the formation of the researcher were identified, through which cognitive, behavioral, and emotional skills will be developed. Not only does the literature point out what are the necessary learnings for the researcher formation in education, but it also indicates pedagogical strategies to enhance the learning process, reinforcing, as the main finding, the primacy of practice over theory. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Based on the findings of this study, it is concluded that although the literature points to what learning is necessary for training purposes, little is known about how to adapt the process of acquiring these learnings to the particular demands of each program. Therefore, it is recommended to investigate the students’ learning processes, understanding this as the next big question for the adaptation of doctoral programs in Education.
