Practice Research
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PRACTICE RESEARCH James Bulley & Özden Şahin Report 1 WHAT IS PRACTICE RESEARCH? Report 2 HOW CAN PRACTICE RESEARCH BE SHARED? First published in England (1 April 2021). Licensing CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 Images are copyrighted to their respective owners. Graphic design and typography: Penelope Jordan ISBN: 978-1-5272-8907-9 DOI: 10.23636/1347 With gratitude to the following funders for their support: UKRI (Research England) Goldsmiths, University of London The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London University of the Arts London The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE) How to cite these reports: Bulley, James and Şahin, Özden. Practice Research - Report 1: What is practice research? and Report 2: How can practice research be shared?. London: PRAG-UK, 2021. https://doi.org/10.23636/1347. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword · Steven Hill 1 Foreword · PRAG-UK Steering Committee 2 Foreword · Project Supervisors 2 Executive Summary 1 How did these reports come about? 2 What methods did we use? 3 What is the relationship between the two reports? 4 What does practice research offer? 5 What are the considerations for researchers and policymakers? 6 What are the considerations for funders? 8 What are the international opportunities of practice research? 9 References 10 Acknowledgements 11 List of interviewees and respondents 12 FOREWORDS FOREWORD · STEVEN HILL Research needs to become increasingly embedded in society, both as a practice and through its outcomes. The need to address the challenges we face represents a call to action for research of all types, in all academic disciplines, and across the full range of benefits that research can bring. All research involves some form of practice, but in recent decades the idea of practice as research has emerged in several disciplinary contexts. The endeavour is set apart by new ways of conceptualising the research process, often leading to an increased diversity in research outputs. In addition to textual works, more formats and artefacts are included as a matter of course. Research considered in this light is embodied in the world, with real and direct connections to society. Practice research is a new way of thinking about and engaging in research and so needs new structures and systems to maximise its impact within and outside the academy. The infrastructure for the communication and codification of research emerged with textual outputs in mind. Different approaches are needed to handle the richness and diversity of practice research. Responding to this need is essential not only for practice research but also for the potential enrichment of the whole research endeavour. Embracing a diversity of research outputs is something that all researchers should consider to maximise their work's reach and impact. Practice researchers are already used to working with diverse outputs, and there will surely be lessons for all research areas to learn. These reports are a seminal contribution that draws together current thinking relating to practice research in all its diversity. They provide consistent language to talk about practice research across multiple disciplinary contexts and clarify the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure the full potential of practice research. Notably, the reports span and provide linkages between the theoretical and practical. This range is essential. If there are to be better tools for hosting and communicating practice research, they need to align with the ways practice researchers conceptualise their work. For me, two central and linked challenges emerge: valuing practice research fully within the context of the research system as a whole and improving the codification and dissemination of practice research. Codification is vital because only when research insights are codified, can they contribute to the broader body of knowledge. And only through effectively communicating practice research can its value be appreciated by researchers outside of the practice research community. Based on the reports’ analysis, the authors provide thoughtful provocations about the future steps needed to enhance practice research. Running through these considerations for the future is the notion of bringing some consistency and standardisation to the complex and diverse world of practice research. The suggested steps seek to strike an appropriate balance between the undoubted benefits of standardisation and respect for the diversity and autonomy of practice researchers. I look forward to the debate and discussion that the reports should and will trigger not only among practice researchers but also within the research community as a whole. Steven Hill Director of Research at Research England PRACTICE RESEARCH 1 FOREWORDS FOREWORD · PRAG-UK STEERING COMMITTEE Since its establishment in 2017, PRAG-UK has worked to increase the visibility and accessibility of UK practice research, recognising the need to engage with researchers, subject associations and funding bodies. It set out to build an evidence base to support the development of a stronger, research-informed creative and cultural industries sector; to advise on rigorous, creative models for practice research and its impact; to stimulate discussion around sustainable frameworks for practice research; and to help develop and share best practice in the field. With the publication of these reports, we believe we are taking a significant step towards realising these aims, and we are delighted to present them to the research community. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the authors James and Öz and supervisors Maria, Mark and Sarah for their rigour and commitment in bringing the project to fruition; and to Research England, Goldsmiths, University of London, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London and University of the Arts London for their support. Oriana Baddeley Chair, PRAG-UK Steering Group, University of the Arts London Nick Fells Deputy Chair, PRAG-UK Steering Group, University of Glasgow PRACTICE RESEARCH 2 FOREWORDS FOREWORD · PROJECT SUPERVISORS How does practice research enrich our ways of knowing and understanding the world? And how can it be shared? These questions are at the core of these two reports, What is practice research? and How can practice research be shared? which have been commissioned by the Practice Research Advisory Group UK (PRAG-UK). From wide-ranging research across the field, the reports explore the innovative and effective ways in which practice researchers generate and share new ways of knowing. The sheer range of different disciplinary practices, histories and cultures that impact on practice research have contributed to a vibrant and challenging discourse surrounding its underlying principles, terminologies, methods and techniques for dissemination. These reports assess some of the different perspectives and contexts within which practice research takes place in England in the present day. As becomes apparent, consensus is not always possible, but by accepting this and moving the debate forward, the reports investigate the challenges and opportunities that practice research affords, establishing a clear foundation on which the practice research community and its stakeholders can come together to explore, discuss and advance the field. The commissioning of these reports emerged from the discussions, debates and lobbying supported and led by PRAG-UK to provide a way to articulate and advocate for the concerns of the practice research community. An award from Research England opened up the opportunity for two postdoctoral researchers to look at how we might move from a sense that ‘sharing practice research is just for REF’ to a clear and open stance where ‘practice research is for life’. In this view, outputs from practice research projects remain accessible in perpetuity to diverse audiences, are discoverable in the public domain, and practice research operates as a critical component of an open, contemporary and thriving research ecology. James Bulley and Özden Şahin, appointed following an open competitive process, approached the matter in hand with rigour, openness and sensitivity. The interviews, questionnaires and surveying they undertook captured a diversity of researchers from different disciplines, a range of research support professionals, and policymakers from across England, as well as those who navigate industry roles that often place them at the interface of the university. The reports are perhaps the first in-depth analysis of the field of practice research in England, and whilst any such resource-bounded work will never be truly comprehensive, the work is notable in its endeavour to cover the full life cycle of practice research, from conception to audience. It has been our pleasure to supervise the creation of these reports, and we want to acknowledge the extent to which Öz and James sought to bring an open, positive and inclusive ethos to such a heterogeneous field with such a plethora of different perspectives. The reports are published in the immediate aftermath of the 2021 REF submission as the sector awaits a new consultation on the future of REF. One of the key challenges is how practice research can emerge from what many see as the ‘REF graveyard,’ to become a key PRACTICE RESEARCH 3 FOREWORDS component of an open research culture. These reports provide the groundwork from which advocacy, guidance and support for practice researchers can grow into the future, despite a challenging economic climate. Practice research offers a way