Psychology and arts practice research

A new report has explored rigour in psychology and arts practice research. Produced by the BPS, UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN) and Practice as Research Advisory Group UK (PRAG-UK), the report looked at how different terms were understood and used among psychology researchers and arts practice researchers.

Its publication comes following a workshop where psychology and arts practice researchers discussed how the terms 'transparency', 'positionality' and 'reproducibility' are – or are not – used by researchers in different fields. It is hoped the report will inform future work including on how 'rigour' is understood among varied research fields.

Professor Andy Tolmie (UCL; pictured), Chair of the British Psychological Society's Research Board, said it was great to have the opportunity to discuss with, and learn from, researchers in the arts. 

'Being able to hear other perspectives on these issues is invaluable for stretching our thinking, and we hope that the reflections in the report will be useful for researchers in both fields in future. It was important to us all that the project sought to understand diversity – not to establish consensus – enabling participating researchers to learn from each other and identify topics of potential interest to the wider research community.'

Read the summary report, the joint report in full and the organisers' reflections.