“Written component” in the context of this guide refers to a concise study that presents knowledge according to an acknowledged structure, such as the much-used IMRAD framework (introduction, methods, results, and discussion). This skeletal structure works as a good basis for any thesis irrespective of its eventual form. A written component that follows this model is a monograph. A written component can also consist of one or several articles and an introduction linking them together (known technically as an “article-based dissertation”). Doctoral students must always plan the eventual form for their written component together with their supervisor. The written component can also take the form of an exposition (see the section What is a Written Component?)
What? Why? Who is this for? How?
As we have made clear earlier, planning is seminal to the whole process of writing a written component (and for that matter, the whole degree). Defining the research task is an integral part of the doctoral degree plan. It answers the questions of precisely what it is that is being studied and what the purpose behind this undertaking is. Once the topic is clear, the actual research task can start taking shape. If you have already defined the task at the planning stage, it will be much easier to make sense of the work that needs to be done and where to start. At this stage, the questions need only to guide your work, and it is normal for the questions to evolve as the process proceeds. It is important to keep updating the research plan in collaboration with the supervisor / advisory group. This will help you keep track of your progress and of the changes that indicate developments in the learning process.
Being aware of previous research related to your own topic is important, because this enables you to link your research to a certain paradigm. Artistic research is nevertheless a fairly new field, so often there is no previous research. This can mean that defining the research task and questions might prove difficult. Material supporting your work (such as background literature) can however often be found on the outskirts of your topic, or in research that has at least posed similar questions – even if it was with regard to quite a different topic. Previous research allows you to better position yourself within the field of artistic research.
Just how big the task is of knowing the subject area for your topic varies depending on the topic itself. Boundaries must be clearly drawn so that the written component does not merely become a background coverage of the whole area. Researchers must be looking for information (if necessary by taking relevant courses) to understand the extent of existing research pertinent to their own topic – at least in essence. Students will receive guidance in finding, collecting, and reviewing material. A perspective from outside the research context, based on only one piece of research, or on that which is now obsolete will not do. The assumption is that the written component is being prepared as part of the whole degree process. Any available material is used only in terms of how it relates to the project itself and no further.
Key words used to describe methods (or methodology) used in the written component, as well as its theoretical framework, are important. Seminars plus support from your supervisor are crucial for working on this. The writer’s background must be made clear to the reader to enhance understanding. This means that the written component should have a substantial and clearly set out section explaining the methods and theoretical forms used. These clearly differ according to the community.
The concepts used in the written component must always be clear and explainable. The basic idea is that the research text can only be interpreted in one way. The researcher must therefore make the key concepts very clear – that is, those closely related to the topic, and those that recur frequently – and this is often done by clarifying how you do not want the key terms interpreted.