WHAT'S ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND HOW DO I DO IT?
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THE FOLLOWING PROVIDED BY CHAT GPT IN RESPONSE TO:
"I'm an illustration lecturer who runs an illustration degree programme at a small english university. The university is pushing to improve it's 'research' profile and I'm under pressure to undertake meaningful research. However, these ideas come from the expectation that courses/specialisms and research fit neatly into an existing academic framwork/language/box. My subject and own personal experitse (illustratoin and drawing in particular) simply don't. Can you help me to understand what 'research' in the context of practice based subjects - drawing/illustration specifically - might mean".
Understanding Practice-Based Research
  1. What Is Practice-Based Research?
    • Practice-based research is a mode of inquiry where creative practice is central to the research process. The knowledge generated arises from the act of making, and the outcomes may include both the creative works (e.g., illustrations, drawings) and a critical reflection or written analysis.
    • The research is often concerned with how the practice contributes to understanding, knowledge, or innovation in the field.
  2. What Makes It ‘Research’?
    • It must be systematic and rigorous: This means engaging with clear questions, methodologies, and critical frameworks.
    • It must generate new knowledge: This could involve new methods, insights into your practice, or addressing larger theoretical or societal questions through the lens of your practice.
    • It must be shared: To qualify as research, it needs to be documented and disseminated—through exhibitions, publications, or other formats—so others can engage with it.
  3. Forms of Practice-Based Research
    • Research through practice: Using your illustration or drawing practice to explore a question or concept. For example, creating a series of illustrations to interrogate visual storytelling techniques.
    • Research into practice: Analyzing or reflecting on the processes and outcomes of practice, such as examining the role of drawing in cognition or cultural heritage.
    • Research for practice: Exploring historical, cultural, or theoretical contexts that directly inform and advance your creative work.

Potential Research Questions in Illustration and DrawingConsider framing your work around some of these types of questions:
  1. Material and Process Exploration
    • How do different drawing tools, materials, or digital technologies shape the process and outcomes of illustration?
    • What is the role of "mistake-making" or improvisation in the creative process of drawing?
  2. Conceptual and Narrative Questions
    • How can sequential drawing practices (e.g., comics, graphic novels) push the boundaries of storytelling?
    • What visual strategies help communicate complex ideas or emotions through illustration?
  3. Social and Cultural Impact
    • How does illustration contribute to public understanding of global issues (e.g., climate change, mental health)?
    • What are the ethical considerations in the depiction of underrepresented communities in illustration?
  4. Educational and Pedagogical Contexts
    • How can drawing be used as a tool for thinking and learning in non-art disciplines?
    • How does illustration education need to adapt to evolving industry practices?
  5. Interdisciplinary Connections
    • How does drawing intersect with other fields, such as cognitive science, architecture, or virtual reality?

Developing a Research FrameworkTo structure your research, you can think about these key elements:
  1. Research Questions
    Frame questions that you want to explore through your practice. These should address gaps in knowledge or provoke inquiry.
  2. Methodologies
    • Practice-led methodologies might involve experimentation, iteration, and reflection. For example:
      • Creating a body of work while documenting and analyzing the decisions, processes, and outcomes.
      • Testing how audiences interpret or respond to specific visual strategies.
    • You might also use interviews, case studies, or archival research to contextualize your practice.
  3. Outputs
    Your research outputs could be:
    • Creative: A portfolio, exhibition, animation, or book.
    • Written: A reflective journal, critical essay, or research paper.
    • A combination of both, showing how the creative work and written analysis inform one another.
  4. Contextualization
    Situate your work within the broader field of illustration, drawing, or visual culture. Engage with existing theories and practitioners who align with your interests.

Examples of Practice-Based Research in Your FieldHere are a few examples of how others have conducted research in illustration or drawing:
  1. Illustration and Empathy
    A researcher creates illustrations addressing social issues and uses audience studies to analyze how visual language can foster empathy.
  2. Drawing as Thinking
    Exploring how drawing can function as a form of problem-solving or ideation in design and engineering fields.
  3. Archival Interventions
    Reinterpreting historical texts or imagery through drawing to reveal new narratives or insights.
  4. Experimental Approaches
    Using unusual materials or processes (e.g., drawing with AI tools or incorporating augmented reality) to test the boundaries of what constitutes "illustration."

Positioning Your ResearchTo reconcile the tension between your creative expertise and academic expectations:
  • Reframe Your Practice as Inquiry: Treat the creation of drawings and illustrations as experiments in which you investigate specific questions.
  • Articulate Its Value: Use the language of research to communicate how your work contributes to knowledge (e.g., cultural, technical, aesthetic, social).
  • Engage with Existing Research: Connect your work to existing discourses in art, design, education, or other relevant fields.
  • Start Small: Consider focusing on a specific project or question as a pilot study before expanding into larger-scale research.
Would you like help brainstorming specific research ideas, or framing one of your ongoing projects into a research proposal?

alt format

"​An Alternative Format PhD is a doctoral programme where the body of work to be assessed is in a format other than the traditional single volume thesis format".

"A candidate for the degree of PhD may submit, as an alternative to the standard PhD written thesis,
a project on a single research topic that has two components:
(a) a written thesis; and
(b) substantial practical work"

"A candidate for the degree of PhD may apply to submit the thesis in a format other than the
traditional single volume format (alternative format); one such example being a series of related
articles suitable for journal publication".

PHD ARTS

Guidance on the Research Proposal for the PhD by Arts Practice
The Research Proposal for the PhD by Arts Practice should follow the structure indicated below and
should address each of the following headings in turn – the applicant must comprehensively
explain each section with a Statement of Intent indicating the breadth and depth of research
territory.

Content of the proposal
o Name or Title of Project
o Proposed Project Outline (The subject of study)
o Aims and Objectives of Project
o Rationale (Why the proposal is appropriate and how it will contribute to the field)
o Research Sources (e.g. Galleries, museums, archives, individuals)
o Preferred Media/Strategies
o Resources that you will need
o Statement of Intent (max 1000 words) as a separate document (discussing the critical
context, subject, sources and methodology)
o References (Harvard, or other appropriate consistent referencing system)
o Bibliography (broader research area)
o Curriculum Vitae (Resumé)
o Exhibitions/Events List
o Any appropriate illustrations/diagrams/plans
o A portfolio of evidence that indicates a substantial practice in the discipline you intend to
pursue your research through.

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