Subtopic Deep Dive

Arts-Based Research Methods
Research Guide

What is Arts-Based Research Methods?

Arts-Based Research Methods use artistic practices for data generation, analysis, and representation in qualitative social science inquiry.

This subtopic develops methods like a/r/tography, performative inquiry, and visual elicitation within artistic and creative research. Key works include Sullivan's 2005 book with 728 citations on visual arts inquiry and Barrett and Bolt's 2014 volume with 494 citations on practice-led approaches. Over 30 dissertations reviewed by Sinner et al. (2006, 155 citations) document arts-based practices in education.

Curated Papers

Key Challenges

Why It Matters

Arts-based methods enable nuanced exploration of human experiences beyond textual limits, as in Kershaw and Nicholson's 2011 handbook (159 citations) with theatre performance case studies. Belfiore and Bennett (2007, 261 citations) critique social impact assumptions, while Borgdorff (2012, 336 citations) connects artistic practice to academic knowledge. Candy and Edmonds (2017, 261 citations) highlight PhD-level knowledge generation in creative arts.

Key Research Challenges

Validating Artistic Knowledge

Artistic outputs challenge traditional validity criteria in academia. Borgdorff (2012, 336 citations) examines tensions between artistic and academic faculties. Sullivan (2005, 728 citations) addresses limitations of visual research methodologies.

Methodological Standardization

Lack of uniform protocols hinders reproducibility across arts practices. Barrett and Bolt (2014, 494 citations) guide practice-led doctorates but note variability. Sinner et al. (2006, 155 citations) review 30+ dissertations showing diverse implementations.

Interdisciplinary Acceptance

Social sciences resist arts integration due to perceived subjectivity. Belfiore (2009, 170 citations) critiques cultural policy bullshit obscuring impacts. Candy and Edmonds (2017, 261 citations) discuss foundations for creative arts PhDs.

Essential Papers

Art practice as research: inquiry in the visual arts

· 2005 · Choice Reviews Online · 728 citations

Acknowledgments Introduction: Reviewing Visual Arts Research - Graeme Sullivan Changing Demands of Visual Arts Theory and Practice - Graeme Sullivan Limitations of Current Visual Research Methodolo...

Practice as Research: Approaches to Creative Arts Enquiry

Estelle Barrett, Barbara Bolt · 2014 · 494 citations

Practice-led research is a burgeoning area across the creative arts, with studio-based doctorates now increasingly favored over traditional research. This new paperback edition of the first book to...

The Conflict of the Faculties. Perspectives on Artistic Research and Academia

Henk Borgdorff · 2012 · Leiden University Press eBooks · 336 citations

Artistic research is an endeavour in which the artistic and the academic are connected. In this emerging field of research artistic practices contribute as research to what we know and understand, ...

Practice-Based Research in the Creative Arts: Foundations and Futures from the Front Line

Linda Candy, Ernest Edmonds · 2017 · Leonardo · 261 citations

This article explores the subject of practice-based research, its application in the creative arts and its role in generating new forms of knowledge in the context of the PhD. Our aim is to provide...

RETHINKING THE SOCIAL IMPACTS OF THE ARTS

Eleonora Belfiore, Oliver Bennett · 2007 · International Journal of Cultural Policy · 261 citations

Abstract The paper presents a critical discussion of the current debate over the social impacts of the arts in the UK. It argues that the accepted understanding of the terms of the debate is rooted...

On bullshit in cultural policy practice and research: notes from the British case

Eleonora Belfiore · 2009 · International Journal of Cultural Policy · 170 citations

In 2005, Harry G. Frankfurt, a retired professor of moral philosophy at Princeton University, made it into the best‐sellers chart with his book On Bullshit. Taking his essay as its starting point, ...

Research Methods in Theatre and Performance

Baz Kershaw, Helen Nicholson · 2011 · Edinburgh University Press eBooks · 159 citations

Key Features Created in association with TaPRA, the leading UK Theatre and Performance Research organisation, with chapters produced by specialist groupings. Provides many detailed project case stu...

Reading Guide

Foundational Papers

Start with Sullivan (2005, 728 citations) for visual arts inquiry basics, then Barrett and Bolt (2014, 494 citations) for practice-led frameworks, followed by Borgdorff (2012, 336 citations) on academic tensions.

Recent Advances

Study Candy and Edmonds (2017, 261 citations) for PhD applications and Kershaw and Nicholson (2011, 159 citations) for theatre methods.

Core Methods

Core techniques encompass art practice as research (Sullivan 2005), practice-based PhDs (Candy 2017), and performance case studies (Kershaw 2011).

How PapersFlow Helps You Research Arts-Based Research Methods

Discover & Search

Research Agent uses searchPapers and citationGraph to map high-citation works like Sullivan (2005, 728 citations), then findSimilarPapers uncovers related performative inquiry papers. exaSearch reveals niche visual elicitation methods across 250M+ OpenAlex papers.

Analyze & Verify

Analysis Agent applies readPaperContent to Barrett and Bolt (2014), verifyResponse with CoVe checks claims against Sullivan (2005), and runPythonAnalysis computes citation networks via pandas for impact verification. GRADE grading scores methodological rigor in arts-based dissertations.

Synthesize & Write

Synthesis Agent detects gaps in practice-led validation using Borgdorff (2012), flags contradictions between Belfiore works. Writing Agent employs latexEditText for method descriptions, latexSyncCitations integrates 10+ references, latexCompile generates reports, exportMermaid visualizes inquiry flows.

Use Cases

"Analyze citation patterns in arts-based dissertations like Sinner et al."

Research Agent → searchPapers(Sinner 2006) → Analysis Agent → runPythonAnalysis(pandas citation graph) → matplotlib plot of 155-citation impact trends.

"Draft LaTeX section on a/r/tography from Barrett and Bolt."

Research Agent → readPaperContent(Barrett 2014) → Synthesis Agent → gap detection → Writing Agent → latexEditText + latexSyncCitations + latexCompile → formatted methods chapter.

"Find code for visual arts data analysis tools."

Research Agent → citationGraph(Candy 2017) → Code Discovery → paperExtractUrls → paperFindGithubRepo → githubRepoInspect → extract Python scripts for artistic data visualization.

Automated Workflows

Deep Research workflow scans 50+ papers from Sullivan (2005) onward for systematic review of visual inquiry, outputting structured reports with GRADE scores. DeepScan's 7-step chain verifies performative methods in Kershaw (2011) with CoVe checkpoints. Theorizer generates theory on arts-social science integration from Belfiore papers.

Try Doxa for Arts-Based Research Methods Research

Frequently Asked Questions

What defines Arts-Based Research Methods?

Arts-Based Research Methods integrate artistic creation into qualitative data processes, as defined in Sullivan (2005) for visual arts and Sinner et al. (2006) for educational dissertations.

What are core methods?

Key methods include a/r/tography, performative inquiry, and visual elicitation, detailed in Barrett and Bolt (2014, 494 citations) and Kershaw and Nicholson (2011, 159 citations).

What are influential papers?

Sullivan (2005, 728 citations) leads on visual arts research; Barrett and Bolt (2014, 494 citations) on practice-led enquiry; Borgdorff (2012, 336 citations) on academia integration.

What open problems exist?

Challenges persist in validating artistic knowledge academically (Borgdorff 2012) and standardizing methods (Candy and Edmonds 2017), with policy impacts critiqued (Belfiore 2009).