Articulating Practice-based and Practice-led Research,
Practice-based and practice-led research has become an increasingly significant component of the Arts and Humanities, focused by the emphasis on creative disciplines and partnerships within the AHRC’s doctoral training consortia. While this has enriched the creative component of the Humanities and served to expand academic horizons, it also poses some challenges. Where does this kind of work stand in relation to established scholarly criteria for research, when it comes to examination, publishing, or evaluation by research funders? How can the creative-critical hybrid of practice-based and practice-led research best be accommodated in these frameworks, and what is required for this work to flourish and succeed in academia?
The central issue here concerns the articulation of creative work as research. This is a challenge not only felt by doctoral researchers, as witnessed in the proportion of creative submissions to the Arts and Humanities panel of the Research Excellence Framework which were disqualified for not meeting the criteria. Assessors’ reports have highlighted the importance of clear articulation of the research imperative, methodological rigour, advances gained in knowledge and insight, and the resulting benefits to others. These learning points can be applied more widely to the challenges involved in the successful presentation and dissemination of creative research at all levels. This interactive workshop is designed to help doctoral students working on practice-based and practice-led projects to understand the criteria for research applied by UKRI and others, to stimulate discussion of the challenges involved, and provide constructive exercises to help define, articulate and present the research dimension of their work, developing vital skills for writing up and dissemination.
Workshop tutor: Josie Dixon is a Publishing and Research Training Consultant with 15 years’ experience as an academic publisher and 20 years spent working with researchers in the Humanities in universities across the UK, Europe and USA. In addition to her training work with PhD students, postdocs and staff on publishing, presentation and dissemination, engagement and impact, she has undertaken consultancy projects on research evaluation frameworks and developing research for funding bids.
The central issue here concerns the articulation of creative work as research. This is a challenge not only felt by doctoral researchers, as witnessed in the proportion of creative submissions to the Arts and Humanities panel of the Research Excellence Framework which were disqualified for not meeting the criteria. Assessors’ reports have highlighted the importance of clear articulation of the research imperative, methodological rigour, advances gained in knowledge and insight, and the resulting benefits to others. These learning points can be applied more widely to the challenges involved in the successful presentation and dissemination of creative research at all levels. This interactive workshop is designed to help doctoral students working on practice-based and practice-led projects to understand the criteria for research applied by UKRI and others, to stimulate discussion of the challenges involved, and provide constructive exercises to help define, articulate and present the research dimension of their work, developing vital skills for writing up and dissemination.
Workshop tutor: Josie Dixon is a Publishing and Research Training Consultant with 15 years’ experience as an academic publisher and 20 years spent working with researchers in the Humanities in universities across the UK, Europe and USA. In addition to her training work with PhD students, postdocs and staff on publishing, presentation and dissemination, engagement and impact, she has undertaken consultancy projects on research evaluation frameworks and developing research for funding bids.