Source Note: This tentative framing has been adapted from Ravelli et al. (2013) who analysed the relationship between the creative and written components of visual and performing arts dissertations.
Parallel
Atypical or unconventional component(s) and written or conventional component(s) are treated as parallel processes with little textual connections created between them. For instance, there’s no explicit mention of the URL in the written component and asides from occasional mentions of “this site,” it’s easy to think you’re reading a print-based dissertation.
Influenced
The research undertaken through the written or conventional component(s) is positioned as contributing to the atypical or unconventional component(s) or vice versa, but emphasis here is on a unidirectional relationship. For instance, a policy brief is created in response to the research but is mentioned only briefly and found in the appendix, almost as an FYI.
Incorporated
Atypical or unconventional component(s) and written or conventional component(s) remain separate but are seen to influence each other. For instance, collages created in response to research findings are included throughout the dissertation but seem to stand separate or ‘beside’ the written components. Or the institutional copy of the dissertation serves as a record of the atypical or unconventional component but is positioned as “not” the dissertation. In these cases, a reference is usually made to the component that “is” the dissertation, such as a website for a digital dissertation.
Intermingled
There is a sense of interdependence between the atypical or unconventional and written or conventional component(s) and a distinct understanding that they are a part of the same project. For instance, comics are used to enact the arguments that are being made for the value of different knowledge making processes, or when a combination of audio and writing serves to highlight the multivocal nature of the research process.
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