Practice research PhDs and MPhils have been awarded at Goldsmiths for many years and there are numerous examples of practice research theses on GRO.
The advent of practice research PhDs and MPhils in the UK is a relatively recent one, with few such programmes in existence prior to 1990. Some of the earliest practice research PhDs were awarded at Goldsmiths and the institution has made a significant contribution to the development of the practice-based PhD in the UK.
Practice research theses can comprise a body of practice that is accompanied by a written dissertation offering a critical account of the research. Advice on effectively capturing all elements of a practice research PhD is included below.
Finding practice research theses on GRO
Detailed guidance on searching and finding practice research theses on GRO is available here.
Capturing practice research theses on GRO
Along with the written dissertation, practice research theses often include accompanying documentation of the body of practice. This accompanying documentation can be in the form of text, image, audio or video files.
Doctoral researchers have two options for capturing accompanying files on GRO.
They can embed links into the text of their dissertation of examples of their practice that are recorded on GRO as shown in the following two examples:
Christopher Hurrell’s 2019 thesis “Hear My Soul Speak” – Finding Prospero in the Verbal Music of Shakespeare’s The Tempest contains links to clips of various audio and video material that are available on GRO.
Slavko Zagorac’s 2024 thesis Networked Music Composition and Performance includes links to compositions, videos and software records on GRO.
Alternatively, GRO thesis records can contain the written dissertation alongside accompanying text, image, audio or video files. For example:
Halperin-Kaddari, Bnaya. 2024. Destabilised Composing - Re-thinking Instrumental Practices.
Jones, Elfyn. 2022. Sound design for the opera composer: concepts and methods.
Doctoral researchers producing practice research theses should consider the best approach for representing the practice component of their thesis on GRO at an early stage of their project. Doctoral researchers and their supervisors can contact gro@gold.ac.uk for further help and advice.