Community-building for Practice-based Doctoral Researchers: Mapping Key Dimensions for Creating Flexible Frameworks

Undertaking a practice-based doctorate is brings new challenges. Being part of a community can make navigating the challenges not only easier, but also more rewarding. This chapter maps the dimensions and elements to consider in building and supporting community for practice-based doctoral researchers. These dimensions are not exclusive facets of community, but should be conceived of as entangled and fluid. As practice can be the mode, method, tool, object, subject and/or embodiment of research in a doctorate, so too can institutional contexts and individual research projects differ. Each thematic section includes some key questions that offer important points for consideration in supporting practice-based doctoral communities in different institutional contexts. I also offer suggestions for practice-based doctoral researchers as to how they might individually engage with and benefit from particular types of community-building activities. The relative importance and priority attached to each suggestion here will depend on the possibilities and particularities of your own context.