The Practice-Based PhD

In this chapter, we look at practice-based research from the practical perspective. Our aim is to provide practical guidance to all practice-based researchers, whether as PhD candidates and advisers or those planning written proposals for funding, or academic teachers designing new curricula for practice-based research in any discipline. We start by introducing the PhD and the specific nature of a practice-based research PhD. The subsequent topics parallel the journey that a practitioner researcher will take from inception through to final dissemination or examination of the thesis. This includes how to develop a systematic approach to designing the research methodology. We describe the challenges of a practice-based PhD and the role of the supervisor followed by guidance on the purpose of a literature review, the structure and purpose of a thesis, and the examination. Throughout this chapter, we introduce the contributor's chapters that form the rest of the section by way of highlighting areas of significance that are the focus of these chapters.