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The Digital Thesis:Recent Developments in Practice-Based Ph.D Research in Art & DesignAuthors: J. Malins and C. GrayCentre for Research in Art & DesignGray's School of Art, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland. AbstractThis paper describes the recent developments in the use of digital media in the research process. It concentrates on the use of this media in practice-based Ph.D research in Art & Design, drawing on the experience gained at the Centre for Research in Art & Design, Gray's School of Art. The digital thesis is now a reality . The features of two examples of a digital thesis are described. The paper discusses the key considerations in developing such a document: benefits and limitations; general issues concerning planning, structure, and content; specific considerations for the design of the digital thesis, including navigation, required technology and support, different formats and development time. The paper concludes by speculating on issues for future developments.Key Words:Digital Thesis, Ph.D., Practice-based Research, Multimedia, Interface Design1IntroductionPractice-based research in Art and Design undertaken for a higher degree can make use of digital media at all stages of the research process. This paper is intended to offer advice and recommendations to researchers working in Art and Design who wish to make use of digital media in their research. The issues discussed in this paper are based on first hand experience gained during the past five years of supervising research projects at the Centre for Research in Art and Design, Gray's School of Art, Aberdeen. Two particular research projects (supervised by the authors) have been documented in a digital format and stored and presented on CD. One project is in the process of being completed for Ph.D. submission; the other has been examined for the award of Ph.D. In terms of its physical dimensions, this latter thesis is probably the ‘thinnest’ Ph.D. ever produced! This thesis was constructed using a database system, which integrates a large number of visual images, video clips, and text. The thesis is accessed through a designed interface, which also provides an overview of the content. (These examples are described later.) Undertaking a research degree represents a major commitment of time and effort, and the acquisition of many new skills. For researchers adopting a practice-based methodology these skills may include the development of a suitable, often innovative, approach to the acquisition, recording, sorting and documentation of data. Digital media is increasingly becoming a vital tool for the practised-based researcher because of its ability to integrate different kinds of data/information.Practice-based research for a higher degree requires that the practitioner works within a formal framework (complying with institutional regulations and research degree time scales). This kind of research usually involves the researcher in a participatory role, engaged in observation and reflection, description of methods, evaluation and subsequent analysis, and finally dissemination of new knowledge. This revealing of methodology is intended to make knowledge widely accessible and transparent, and is essentially what distinguishes formal research from other forms of professional practice. Recording the research process using notes, drawings, photographs and video are well-established methods, and encourage communication of important decisions and developments. Transferring that information into the digital domain has a number of benefits for the researcher.Once in a digital form the data can be stored in a database, manipulated in a variety of computer applications, copied and transferred rapidly from one computer to another, and can be disseminated using CD s or via the Internet. Despite the availability of these useful functions examples of completed Ph.D. theses in digital format are somewhat rare. Because:•formal research in Art and Design has a relatively short history (Gray, 1998)2•changes in research practice may take several years to be validated and established across a discipline, in addition research projects usually take three years to complete•university regulations may not permit the submission of theses in anything other than a traditional paper-based format•the technologies are relatively new and developing rapidly, and access to the necessary equipment can often be a restricting factor•the technologies take time and determination to master, necessitating work which may be beyond the stated objectives of the researchprogramme.Despite these difficulties, the digital thesis has distinct benefits, which will increasingly become apparent.The information contained in the digital thesis may be stored either using a CD to produce a ‘stand alone’ document (navigable by an interface and independent of the original application used to create it), or a series of related documents directly converted from paper-based formats. The information may also be presented in the form of web pages stored on a server, which can then be accessed via the Internet.Examples of Digital ThesesThe following examples are drawn from the author’s own recent experience. There are other examples of conventional theses being stored as Acrobat documents or web sites however, examples of completed theses designed for digital formats are difficult to find. The authors would be grateful of any feedback on this point.Katie Bunnell’s digital thesis “The Integration of New Technology into Designer-Maker Practice” (1998) provides an example of the use of a database combined with a navigable interface (Figure 1). The main interface consists of icons representing the various sections of the thesis. When clicked with a mouse a link takes the reader to the relevant section. In this case the application used to store and collate the information for the thesis is the same as was used for the final document, namely Claris FileMaker Pro. The research described in the thesis employs a practice-based approach based on a naturalistic inquiry methodology. Icons indicate the sections of the thesis and are indicative of the content e.g. the introduction - a light bulb shedding light on the topic; methodology - a flower suggesting naturalistic inquiry; analysis -the 'sieve' as analytical sifting device. The imagery also reflects the researcher's personal approach to the methodology.3Figure 1. Main interface of Katie Bunnell’s thesis.Bunnell’s thesis includes substantial visual documentation of the designing and making processes involved in the production of ceramic objects. Visual elements of the process including drawing, maquettes, and work in progress and completed objects were presented at the Ph.D. viva voce examination, which allowed the tactile qualities of the work to be evaluated and discussed. (For further discussion of the nature of the viva in practice-based Art & Design research see Swift & Douglas, 1997). A digital record of the ceramic work presented for viva is included as part of the thesis.“I wanted to include a lot of visual material in the thesis. The relational system we developed allowed me to create a thesis in a way that seemed more empathetic with my design process than writing a traditional paper based document. Fundamentally I feel it was a useful way of approaching the thesis and that the final document is a better reflection of the type of practice based design research the project involved. FileMaker itself has quite a few inherent problems that sometimes seemed obstructive to the presentation of the‘argument’. In the end it was perhaps more useful as a tool for making the thesis than it is for reading it. If you are presenting an argument you need to have the freedom to construct as many layouts and links between them, in as many ways as you like. The field based structure of a database system restricts this. FileMaker didn’t allow me to make links in as freeform a fashion as I would have liked to have done You are restricted to certain types of scripting, and ways of creating relationships between documents / information. I think that using FileMaker is a good way of recording your data. Combining different types of data together into one or several related layouts was certainly an advantage. Visualising data in this way provoked new reflections on practice that was invaluable in the analysis of the research outcomes. I45would recommend using FileMaker for those aspects of the research.However, for presenting the thesis there are other pieces of software which might have been more suitable.”Katie BunnellMultimedia applications offer enormous potential for practice-based research,even though the time required learning and manipulating the software could be extensive. Iain Burt’s Ph.D., “The Use of Multimedia for Art and Design Practitioners", provides an example of the use of MacroMind Director as the application used for both the development of the content of the thesis and the presentation of it. An animated overview of the thesis (Figure 2) is used to give the reader a conceptual map of the content and help with navigation. All the 'generic' thesis sections are present. The interface is animated to show how the sections’ content can be ‘unpacked’ and ‘repacked’. Once theanimation stops the icons become clickable navigation buttons. Each section of the thesis is colour coded, and icons are repeated to assist the reader/viewer to identify sections. Animated visuals help to describe and explain concepts of interaction central to the research. This kind of overview is essential whenpresenting large amounts of work in a digital environment.Figure 2. Main interface of Iain Burt’s Ph.D. thesis.“My approach was to jump in with both feet, get in a muddle and then try to extricate myself if I could. I was taking the role, actually more than the role; I was a naive user. I was trying to teach myself to swim by jumping in at the deep end. The most difficult problem I encountered was the application itself.Just getting to grips with it. Finding out what aspects of it could best supportthe analysis and assembly of a multimedia thesis so that a structure could be devised, developed, simplified and that would be clear to the reader.The advantages of a program like Director are in the way it can be specialised. Techniques can be developed to cope with the type of material being input. It can be used as an analysis tool. Director is time-consuming to learn and to work with. However, the advantages in terms of its use for the presentation of material may outweigh these drawbacks depending on the type of material being used and how essential it might be that it is visual rather that textual. Although if something is in text form it may well be easier to express the idea as a visual metaphor. Running visual material alongside text can make the narrative much clearer.”Iain Burt Benefits of the Digital ThesisThe principal benefits of adopting a digital format for a research thesis are summarised in the following bullet points:•it provides the ability to incorporate a variety of multimedia information, which encourages sensory interactions and a richer experience of theinformation•hyperlinks can be incorporated for cross-referencing information within documents, and it is also possible to make links to external web sites(however, this raises other issues which may affect the permanence of the document e.g. transitory web-based information)•it is possible to incorporate the functionality of databases, spreadsheets and numerous other free applications e.g. Java applets, for animateddescriptions and explanations, allowing the viewer/reader to interact and evaluate the information, and a greater flexibility in terms of how theresults of research can be expressed•it is possible to incorporate three-dimensional information about objects and environments; these might take the form of a QTVR movie of an object or installation which can then be viewed from all angles andperspectives•improved access via the Internet will lead to an increase in the use of the thesis as a resource, and assist with the dissemination of information back into the global research community•there should also be an enhancement of transferable IT skills as a result of having to prepare the research in a digital format6•the cost of producing a digital thesis is very much less than that of a conventional thesis (e.g. printing, binding and copying costs), andamendments to the thesis can easily be made ensuring that theinformation is as up-to date as possibleConsiderations and Limitations of the Digital ThesisThe digital thesis has certain limitations, and the following considerations should be borne in mind when a digital thesis is being planned:•university regulations may simply not permit an electronic submission •the research student may require additional IT support and training to produce a thesis in an electronic format•if inadequate support is available or experimental formats are being used, considerable research time may be used without benefit to the primary objectives of the research•care must be exercised to ensure that copyright is not being infringed; this was not such an important issue for conventional theses, which usually have a very limited circulation; for on-line theses all copyrightpermissions must be obtained•reading from a computer display can be tiring on the eyes; care should be taken to choose a screen font design for the purpose such as Geneva or Verdana (and other design considerations - discussed later)•additional time and thought is needed to provide a suitable interface for the reader/viewer; this may involve the development of an appropriate interface metaphor•supervisors and examiners may have difficulty annotating and commenting on the material. We found the incorporation of 'comments' boxes very useful. It was possible to add comments directly into thecomputer and to see other comments made by other readers. Thecomments are removed before the final ‘stand alone’ version is produced.•access to appropriate computer equipment is required to view a thesis in an electronic format; this could be a disadvantage as IT standards develop and change and equipment becomes obsolete.7General Considerations for Planning, Structure and Content of the Digital ThesisPlanningDigital media offer the practice-based researcher some very useful research tools. Having used these tools in the research the logical conclusion might be to present the findings in digital format. However modest the use of digital media in the research process, its inclusion should be planned from the start of the project as much as possible. Many issues need to be addressed at the planning stage of the research. Perhaps the most important thing to establish is whether or not the content of the research demands a digital presentation format. Any research, which requires the presentation of large volumes of information in a variety of media, is an obvious candidate for a digital thesis. It may be appropriate to include the intention of adopting a digital format as one of the project objectives listed on the research proposal form at registration for a higher degree. Any potential conflicts with institutional regulations are best discovered early. Not least the research student should have some prior familiarity and skills with digital media, and supervisors should be aware of the implications for supervision and examination. StructureInformation management is a crucial part of undertaking formal research. Collecting and storing data in a digital form can greatly assist with the process of organising it. Consideration should be given to the ways in which data is acquired, ‘tagged’ and organised. Where possible data should be initially captured in digital form, rather than converted from analogue. Where possible data should be ‘tagged’ (given descriptions, references, codes – meta data – to aid organisation and retrieval). This initial data can then be organised in a database structure. Many databases are capable of handling multimedia as well as text based data. Some databases can be linked together and data stored in them shared. This type of application is known as a‘relational’ database. Only when the data has been organised and analysed can information be derived from it. This may lead to new relationships, which in turn generate further data. The building of the thesis may however be an essential part of the development of the argument reflecting the use of an emergent methodology. Once the digital information has been assembled it can be presented in a number of formats e.g. CD, web pages, paper-based publications. Once published, the results may be used by others to raise further research questions.Figure 1 attempts to show this process diagrammatically.89Figure 1Stage 1. Capturing data by digitising images video, etc.Stage 2. Adding meta-data or ‘tagging’Stage 3. Organising the data into meaningful structuresStage 4. Analysis of data generating meaningful informationStage 5. Adding an interface to access the content of the thesisStage 6. Publishing the thesis in an appropriate format; once publishedfeedback on the information can provide a source of new data forfurther researchContentIn the digital thesis content could be derived from a range of different media. This must be presented through a navigable interface, which typically could be a map or overview of the content, hyperlinked to other levels of content. Typically this content could relate to what might be called the generic sections of a Ph.D. thesis:• introduction and rationale for the research• contextual review• description of methodology and specific methods• analysis and interpretation• discussion and conclusionsPresenting a thesis in a digital format does not require a re-invention of the thesis structure, although alternative structures could be generated as a result. Specific Considerations for Design, Navigation, Technologies, Development Time, and Formats of the Digital ThesisThesis Design and NavigationThe digital thesis must be designed from the outset of the research programme. It is not appropriate to leave this until the commonly labelled'writing up' stage. The structure of the document into suitable sections (e.g. introduction, contextual review, etc) actually helps to organise and manage information efficiently, but still allows flexibility.The design of the main interface should reflect the content and structure of the thesis. Suitable metaphors for the research or sections of information can be devised. The main interface should function as an overview of the research and could indicate the relative sizes and relationships of sections in the thesis.Navigation devices are usually added after the content has been assembled. There are several conventions that may be used. For example, information, which is clickable, may be highlighted or change colour when the mouse arrow moves over it. Adding navigation means that documents can be read in an ‘authored’ sequence or browsed in non-linear ways. As a result of this additional facility it may be necessary to include a guide to the content and a description of navigation features.Metaphors, icons and visual tags can all be used to assist the reader/viewer. Colour coding the document is also an important way of assisting thereader/viewer to orientate themselves and navigate the document. In an10electronic document there is no restriction on the use of colour or white space. White space is an important way of reducing visual clutter and encouraging reflection.Page layout should allow for text and images to be viewed simultaneously. If possible a way of annotating the document should be included. This might be in the form of a text box, which allows the reader/viewer to add comments. This is particularly useful for the supervisors when they wish to comment on the content in progress. It also allows several reader/viewers to see other comments, thus developing discussion.Technologies and Formats, Equipment Requirements and Development TimeThe most straightforward form of a digital thesis can be produced by converting a desktop published version of the document (prepared for example in Microsoft Word, Aldus PageMaker or Quark Express) into a PDF (Portable Document Format) version. This can be done using Adobe Acrobat. Once converted to a PDF document, navigation can be added using the programme’s hyper link tool. The tool allows the user to hot-link an area of the screen to another part of the document or part of the thesis page. Thus the researcher can set up a table of contents with hot links to each section of the thesis. Beryl Graham’s thesis (1997) provides a good example of this type of electronic document, which also includes video clips - essential to describe the nature of the topic, impossible in a paper-based format.Format: Theses on CDCDs offer a convenient way of storing large quantities of information, typically around 650 megabytes on a disk. This is roughly equivalent to100,000 typed sheets of A4 or about 100 high-resolution still images. 'Stand alone' versions of applications may be put on the CD, and so-called ‘kiosk’versions of software can be used to distribute the thesis without infringing the software licence. The principle advantage with using a CD as the vehicle for the thesis, is the speed of data transfer between the CD and the computer. If the thesis is on CD it should also be cross-platform. This is liable to become less of a problem in the future as different computer operating systems converge and more programmes become cross-platform. One advantage with adopting a web-based format is that the document will already be cross-platform. Caution is required regarding copyright. Owners of copyright have traditionally ignored images, which appear in unpublished theses. However, with greater possibilities for dissemination and utilisation beyond academia permissions and photographic attributions become essential.11Format: Web Sites - Global Dissemination for the Ph.D.Producing a web-based document may be a preferable option. The facilities that can be incorporated into a web site are changing rapidly. It is now possible to build interactive web sites that allow the user to enter information or to search database, view video or virtual reality applications such as QTVR. Video, animation and navigation can all be added to a web page. There are a number of programmes available to help convert conventional pages into web pages. In addition many new versions of word processors and desktop publishing packages give the option of saving the document as an HTML file. Examples of web based theses are more common in the United States. Virginia Tech’s web site (http//:/) provides examples of this type of digital document. All submissions for postgraduate degrees at Virginia Tech are required to be in a web-ready format.The main limitation of using a web site as the vehicle for the thesis is the current poor speed of access. This situation may improve in time provided that more is invested in the Internet infrastructure. Currently however, the Internet is getting slower at an alarming rate due to the massive increase in the number of people using it.Equipment Requirements and Development TimeThe main requirement for equipment is a reasonably powerful computer e.g.a Power PC, Pentium II or better. The bigger, in terms of memory and processing speed, the better. Memory is always a problem when dealing with large amounts of visual and multimedia material. Some computers are equipped with their own CD writer which is a great asset, as the cost of blank CDs is now very cheap (less than £1 each at the time of writing).For most researchers considerable technical support and backup will be required, especially if the intention is to put the document on-line. This type of development requires a suitable university infrastructure and central support. This has implications for future research degree frameworks and for research funding.Producing a digital thesis is very time consuming. Even if the researcher is familiar with the various software applications it will take just as long as producing a conventional thesis, with the additional requirement of designing a suitable interface for navigating the content. As the number of examples of digital theses increase it will become less of an epic struggle to produce one. Others may adopt examples of good practice and share growing expertise, thus reducing the time required. This paper attempts to suggest useful guidelines for production.12ConclusionClearly the digital thesis provides many opportunities for describing and disseminating research. It is particularly pertinent for externalising practice-based research methodologies, which by their multi-method nature involve information in a range of different media, predominantly visual and increasingly interactive. Although contemporary technology gives us this opportunity, and could be seductive, researchers should not underestimate the complexity involved in developing a digital thesis. The commitment required from the student, the supervisory team, the host institution and collaborators is substantial, and the digital thesis should not be a fashionable bandwagon onto which researchers jump. However, as the number of different examples grow it will become easier and less time consuming for others, and those involved should be encouraged to publish and share their experiences. A multimedia research methodology could be developed, which could take advantage of all the opportunities offered by digital media. Protocols could be developed and standards established, including supervisory and examination guidelines.An intermediate phase in the development of the digital thesis, and something that could be achieved fairly quickly would be for all institutions to publish completed Ph.D. theses on the web. As technologies converge the research ideal of complete accessibility and efficient transfer of new knowledge will be realised - from the comfort of your own home via a TV set. As technologies advance an 'any time, any place, any how' model of accessing information could become the norm, and research would be liberated from its academic shackles into the real world.ReferencesBunnell, K.“The Integration of New Technology into Ceramic Designer-Maker Practice”Published Ph.D. The Robert Gordon University, 1998Burt, I.“The Use of Multimedia for Art and Design Practitioners"Ph.D. The Robert Gordon University, 1994-98 (completing)Graham, B."A Study of Audience Relationships with Interactive Computer-based Visual Art Works in Gallery Settings, through Observation, Art Practice, and Curation." Ph.D. University of Sunderland, 1997Gray, C. ‘Inquiry through Practice: developing appropriate strategies',"No Guru, No Method?: discussion of art and design research"13ed. Pekka Korvenmaa, University of Art and Design, UIAH, 1998ISBN 951-558-020-XISSN 0782-1778Swift, J. & Douglas, A."The viva voce: a research guide",Research Training Initiative, Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, University of Central England, 1997ISBN 1-90088113-07-6AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank Dr Katie Bunnel and Mr Iain Burt for their assistance with this paper and for providing illustrations taken from their Ph.D. theses.Dr Julian MalinsDr Malins is a Senior Research Fellow in Design based at The Centre for Research in Art and Design at Gray's School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. His role includes the supervision of research projects concerned with design issues and with initiating and conducting his own research. His principle research interests are the use of CAD/CAM technologies as tools for artists and designers, appropriate research methodologies for artists and designers and multimedia for the documentation of A & D research. In addition to his research he is currently working with colleagues to develop a new postgraduate course (Research Masters in Art and Design, M.Res). Professor Carole GrayProfessor Carole Gray is Reader in Art & Design and Research Co-ordinator for Gray’s School of Art. She has supervised and examined a number of practice-based research degrees. Carole has been a visiting lecturer at various UK and European institutions, and has numerous research publications, most of which focus on developing appropriate practice-based research methodologies for artists and designers. She is currently working with colleagues to develop a Research Masters in Art and Design (M.Res.) course. Carole has been a practising artist for almost twenty years, her work ranging from small-scale ‘domestic’ constructions to larger site-specific exterior artwork. She considers herself to be an ‘object maker’, and is interested in using industrial materials and technologies. Her latest work, with the research group Artesign, questions the notions of function, presence and context.14。