Designing and Conducting Practice-Based Research Projects

Dr. Lyle Skains conducts practice-based research in Creative Digital Writing and Science Communication, exploring the processes of writing, reading/playing, publishing digital and transmedia narratives, and how these can be used for health and science communication. She has published a key resource on practice-based research in the Journal of Media Practice and Education.

List of Figures



List of Tables



Acknowledgements



List of Abbreviations



 



Chapter 1. Introduction

   Why this book 

   Who this book is for 

   How to use this book 

   Key elements of the book 

   Recommended approach 





PART I: PRACTICE AND KNOWLEDGE 





Chapter 2. Practice-Related Research: What Is It, Who Does It, and Why? 

   A brief history of research 

   Practice-related research: Definitions and approaches 

   Practice-as-research 

   Practice-and-research 

   Practice-led research 

   Practice-based research 

   Practice-based research knowledge 

   Explicit 

   Tacit (or Implicit) 

   Theoretical 

   Dialectical 

   Contextual 

   Conceptual 

   Conclusion 

   Exercise: Brainstorming a project 

   Brainstorming methods 





Chapter 3. Critical and Contextual Research: Your Artistic Domain and Field 

   Understanding and contextualizing research 

   Special contexts of creative research 

   Evaluating research resources 

   Primary sources 

   Secondary sources 

   Popular sources 

   Reliability checklist 

   Search strategies 

   Decolonizing research 

   Knowing your domain: Annotated bibliographies and literature reviews

   Annotated bibliography 

   Literature review 

   Points to include 

   How to set it out 

   What to avoid 

   Tips & tricks: Taking and organizing research notes 

   Tips & tricks: Reading academic texts with minimal weeping 

   Why bother? 

   What’s the point of SQ3R? 

   S is for scan 

   Q is for question 

   R1 is for read

   R2 is for recite

   R3 is for review 

   Conclusion 

   Exercise: Annotated bibliography 





Chapter 4. PBR-Relevant Methods 

   Empirical research 

   Social science methods 

   Reflection 

   Auto-ethnomethodology 

   Surveys 

   Interviews and focus groups 

   Qualitative analysis 

   Critical analysis 

   Textual analysis/close readings 

   Media-specific analysis 

   Literary analysis 

   Multimodal analysis 

   Discourse analysis 

   Interdisciplinary approaches 

   Conclusion 

   Exercise: Determining relevant research methods 

   Planned project methodology 

   Optional ethnographic methodology 





PART II: DOING YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT 





Chapter 5. Designing Your Research Project 

   An integrated approach to practice-based research 

   Establish the research problem 

   Conduct background research 

   Conduct empirical research 

   Continue contextual research 

   Analyze the creative artefact and research logs 

   Form argument/discussion 

   Write the exegesis 

   Planning your project 

   Formulating your research question 

   Troubleshooting: If you’re still stumped on a research question 

   Determining your research methodology 

   PBR area: Creator/practice/artefact 

   Analysis methods 

   Ethnographic methods 

   Creating a workplan 

   Tips and tricks: Keeping to your workplan 

   Tips and tricks: Creating a task list 

   Writing a research proposal 

   Proposal length 

   Parts of the proposal 

   Tips and tricks: Research proposals 

   Conclusion 

   Exercise: Define your research question 

   Exercise: Outlining your methodology 

   Exercise: Creating a project workplan 





Chapter 6. Conducting your research 

   Collect your data 

   Knowing when to move on from background research 

   Creative practice 

   Troubleshooting: Creative blocks 

   Keeping a research log 

   The role of exploration and serendipity 

   Continuing your contextual research 

   Project management 

   Time management 

   Stage 1: Determining your available time 

   Stage 2: Developing a study strategy 

   Stage 3: Defeating procrastination 

   Document management

   Resource management 

   Reference resources 

   Resources are people, too 

   Troubleshooting: Managing your supervisory relationship 

   Analysis 

   Tips and tricks: Recognizing research insights 

   Conclusion 

   Exercise: Keeping your research focused 

   Project aims and objectives 

   Aims 

   Objectives 

   Background and rationale 

   Methodology 

   Current state of project 

   Expected outline of project 

   Timetable of work to completion 

   Other notes 





Chapter 7. Writing your exegesis 

   Forming your argument 

   Outlining your thesis 

   What a practice-based thesis looks like 

   The abstract 

   The introduction: Six actions 

   Action 1: Subject 

   Action 2: Purpose 

   Action 3: Argument 

   Action 4: Background and context 

   Action 5: Justification and importance 

   Action 6: Forecast the content and structure 

   Additional consideration: Methodology 

   The body 

   Body patterns of arrangement 

   Body paragraphs 

   The conclusion 

   Action 1: Make an obvious transition 

   Action 2: Restate your main argument/thesis 

   Action 3: Summarize your key points/sub-arguments 

   Action 4: Restress the importance/significance of your argument

   Action 5: Look to the future 

   Back matter 

   Writing the exegesis 

   Integrating analysis into your thesis discussion 

   Description vs. analysis 

   Support for analysis 

   Writing effectively 

   Including research and quotations 

   When to reference 

   Integrating in-text citations 

   How to paraphrase properly 

   Conclusion 

   Exercise: Outline your exegesis 





Chapter 8. Conclusion 





Bibliography 



Appendices: Resources 

A. Useful research tools 

   Notetaking 

   Word processor/composing programs 

   Reference managers 

   Project management apps 

   Time management apps 

   Focus apps 

B. Glossary 

C. Further Reading 



Index