Abstract: The level of scientific research ability is an important evaluation index and direct reflection of the quality of doctoral students. Taking the doctoral students of humanities and social sciences in "double first-class" construction university as the research object, and on the basis of in-depth interviews, this paper discusses the factors that influence the increment of doctoral students' scientific research ability in humanities and social sciences. The results show that the increment of the scientific research ability of doctoral students in humanities and social sciences is influenced by subjective factors, interactive factors and environmental factors. Therefore, the tripartite efforts of training units, doctoral supervisors and individual doctoral students are required to jointly enhance the scientific research capabilities of doctoral students in humanities and social sciences. The study suggests that training institutions should further improve the relevant training system and actively create a strong academic atmosphere; doctoral supervisors should actively build high-quality teacher-student relationships and promote the effectiveness of communication and interaction; individual doctoral students should enhance the optimal flow experience and cultivate good internal identity recognition.