Dissertation Guidance Notes

UNIT 8: RESEARCH & PRACTICE
Dissertation Guidance Notes

Contents
Introduction2
Timeline3
What The Dissertation Is 5
Theory & Practice 6
Relationship of the Dissertation to your own Work 7
Framing & Focus 8
Research Sources 9
Models of Writing 10
Experimental Writing 11
The Scene of Writing 12
Suggested Reading 13
The Draft Dissertation 16
Getting (re)started 17
FAQs18
Referencing & Citation 20
Citation Examples 21
Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct 24
Appendices26
BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes
1
Introduction
This document is designed to help you think about
*
the Dissertation. It covers all the things you need
to consider along with examples and common
questions. It includes Appendices such as the Briefing This document
Document and Referencing Guidelines so that you concentrates on the
can have everything in one place. work of writing the
Dissertation. For
more information
As a task, the Dissertation is not something very
about Hand-in
different to what you will already have done on the dates, Academic
Course. In Stage 2 you wrote two essays of 3000 Support, ISAs,
words - the Dissertation is an equivalent amount, and Extenuating
Circumstances,
just combined into one form. In Stage 2 your first
please see the Unit
essay was written in response to assigned questions 8 Briefing document,
that came out of the Critical Studies seminar you which is attached to
attended. The second essay was your Research Plan this document as an
Appendix
where you started to lay the foundation for what you
will work on this year.
For the Dissertation, you will essentially be assigning

your own question/s and developing your own project
of critical writing, in dialogue with your Critical
Studies tutor and your Studio tutor. Your tutors will
help you to identify your interests, the critical issues
surrounding them, and their historical precedents.
These are important and interesting conversations
that will have a deep effect on your practice and the
direction of your development as an artist. !
The second component
of the Unit 8 submission
is the 500-1000 word
Critical Evaluation. This
will be briefed by your
Studio tutors and separate
information and guidance
will follow. For now, you
just need to focus on the
Dissertation.
2
Timeline
Weeks 1 & 2
• Unit 8 Briefing
• Library Services Dissertation Preparation Workshop
• Initial tutorials in groups of 3 per 1 hour slot with your CS tutor.

This will be a chance for you to share and discuss ideas, as well
as raise any questions not answered here.
• Academic Support Session with Christabel Harley: Writing Your

Draft Dissertation
Week 4
• Individual tutorials with your CS tutor. These tutorials will be

30 minutes long.
Week 6
• Draft Dissertation hand-in This is an outline

*
of the input and
support you will
have available.
Week 9 Academic Support
and Library
Services are
• Draft Dissertation feedback tutorial with your Critical Studies optional - briefings
tutor. These tutorials will be 30 minutes long. and tutorials are
mandatory and are
marked in bold
Week 11
• Group Tutorial session with your Critical Studies tutor - these

sessions are a space to discuss final points and questions. There
is a 3 hour slot for this, so there will be some time left over for
quick one to ones if needed.
Continued on
next page
3
Week 12
• Library Services: Referencing Drop in one-to-one tutorials with

Julia Flood (you need to book these via Academic Support)
• Dissertation final edit and Q&A session with Christabel Harley
Week 13
• DISSERTATION HAND-IN VIA TURNITIN
• Critical Evaluation Workshop with your Pathway Tutors
Week 15
• CRITICAL EVALUATION HAND-IN VIA TURNITIN
Week 20
!
Note that this is a
• Unit 8 Assessment Feedback released
simplified overview
- all dates and
times are in your
timetable. However
some of your
tutorials will be at
specific times so
you need to keep a
close eye on your
email & Moodle as
we will be sending
that information out
to you ahead of the
sessions
4
What The Dissertation Is
*
The dissertation is a self-motivated, researched
and focused piece of written work between 6000
to 6500 words in length (not including bibliography, Your dissertation is a
appendices, any footnotes etc). critical engagement with
the work and writing of
It may include visual material where appropriate others, in relation to your
own practice
and relevant. You should make sure to include
illustrations of any artworks/images you discuss so
that your reader can look and think alongside you.
The dissertation provides you with the opportunity
THE AIMS
to develop, examine and extend your thinking in an
area related to your studio work and its concerns.
This relationship may be thematically overt and • To create a focused inquiry which
direct, or it may be a latent or indirect connection. will enable you to extend and
deepen your understanding of the
Your Critical Studies tutor and your Studio tutor
issues and concerns which surround
will assist you in selecting and focusing your area
of research. You will need to think critically and in your studio practice
depth about the links between studio and critical
studies components of the course. • To research texts and visual works
to enable the development of your
In the initial stages of the research process you might
project
find it useful to think about the project in terms of a
discussion or an examination of a subject. However,
• To demonstrate awareness of the
as you do more and more research and write and
historical and theoretical contexts of
re-write your dissertation you may well find you do
develop a particular proposition, idea or argument. your inquiry
• To be able to discuss, develop,

question or contest the work and
ideas of others
• To develop a critical and an analytical

engagement with the material you
are working with/on
5
Theory & Practice
The relationship between art and language or art those shifts in meaning and to make the kind of
practice and art theory has a long and interesting work you want to make, and importantly to make
history. During this relationship there have been work that says the sort of things you want it to say
times when unfortunately art theory has tended you have to be aware of the ways the artworks make
to be seen as some kind of medicine or corrective meaning. The Stage 3 dissertation unit is designed to
which the artist must take/obey in order to be able enable you to get to grips with meaning in relation
to make interesting art work. At other times art to your work and therefore to be more confident
theory has been seen as extraneous to what has about knowing, and importantly, being able to speak
been considered the proper activity of making art to, how your work, works…
works.
At CSM we believe that neither of those

interpretations of the relationship between art and
theory or art and ideas is useful or tenable. Rather it
could be said that every art work is always already
‘in theory or ideas’.
To explain: when you make an art work – a painting

or an installation or a film or a sculpture - and
you show the work to others, you are by default
positioning that art work in the world and as such
it carries meanings and ideas. The work will carry
meanings that you have intended and meanings
*
which also exceed your intentions for the work (that
is, the meaning of a work is always both what you
intend and what the viewer intends it to mean).
To make the kind
of work you want
As such the meanings of your work shift and mutate to make, and to
according to context. In order for you to manage make it say and do
what you want it
to, you have to be
aware of the ways
that artworks make
meaning, and to
be able to manage
shifts in meaning
as your practice
develops
6
Relationship of the Dissertation

to your own Work
It is very hard to write about your own work with
critical distance, particularly when you are in the
process of making it. This is why you should not
make your own work the subject of the dissertation.
The dissertation is an opportunity to support the

!
Remember, the
development of your studio work in the light of the
Dissertation is
theoretical and contextual concerns that surround not about your
and contextualise it - the work and ideas of other own work, but is a
artists/thinkers whose work is acknowledged as critical engagement
with the work and
being part of established and shared conversations.
ideas of others in
There should be a body of scholarship and critical your field
writing surrounding your examples that you can
read, explore and respond to.
Of course it might make sense to write about your

own work in the introduction and conclusion of your
*
dissertation in order to set things up. For instance,
you might describe the concerns of your studio work
in order to explain what you are going to explore in The dissertation
the dissertation and why. But the idea is for you to provides you with
be exploring aspects of contemporary, recent - and the opportunity to
develop, examine
sometimes not so recent - art practice that relate to
and extend your
what you do, or want to do. thinking in an area
related to your
You could think of the dissertation process as studio work and
an analytical journey in which you dig into your its concerns. This
relationship may be
particular cultural inheritance and influences in
thematically overt
order to reflect on and question how and where you and direct, or it
speak from as an artist and a writer. may be a latent or
indirect connection
7
Framing & Focus
The dissertation should be viewed as a ‘writing

through’ of the research you have done into a
!
particular topic and set of concerns. The structure
of your writing should be determined by the points
you want to make. Think about key questions you
may want to ask, or a main proposition or argument. FOCUS
Consider the writing as a detailed discourse on your

Examples of titles/framings
chosen topic/area and consider the relevance of that are unworkably broad:
the material you consult and use it to support your
points.
‘Conspiracy Theories and the
It is important that your research is deployed origin of Mankind’
in a focused and rigorous way rather than as a
generalised or overarching discussion or in a way
that tries to cover too many different aspects. You
‘The Essence of Painting’
are not writing an historical survey of an artist or a
work/works of art.
Rather you should focus on specific, clearly ‘The Horse in Art’
identified ideas and cultural practices rather than

broad-brush statements and list-like surveys.
Historical approaches and material are important
in terms of the sources you might consult, but
avoid attempting to write ‘a history’ or a survey or
a biography - you don’t have enough space for the
*
necessary detail to take that approach.
Be specific, and focus on

particular examples that
you can explore in depth -
particular artworks, texts and
so on. Things you can name
and point to so that your reader
knows not just what you think,
but what has made you have
the thoughts you do!
8
Research Sources
*
Fine Art intersects with a
dizzying array of disciplines -
but it is not a vacuum at the
centre of them, it has it’s own
knowledges, forms of expertise
and so on. Think of a topic or
issue and there will be people
in the field of contemporary
are exploring it as artists. The
*
goal is for you to not to be in
a bubble, but to join wider,
already existing conversations
Consider the relevance of the
material you consult - if your
bibliograpy is 90% sources
to do with neuroscience or
artificial intelligence then you
are not engaging with your own
field of study. Make sure you are
*
There should be a body of
not ignoring the vast number of
journals and books published
scholarship and critical writing

surrounding your examples
that you can read, explore and
respond to. In a broader sense
you will be influenced and
affected by a range of things
you see and people you come
into contact with. However, it
is important to be selective
in terms of what makes a
good example to focus on in a
!
dissertation - your examples
need to be researchable.
Your practice and writing need

intellectual fuel. If you only
look at superficial sources
you will only be able to make
superficial progress
9
Models of Writing
What writing ‘voice’ should you use?
Normally, the dissertation will conform to the properly contextualised in relation to the artistic and
generally understood academic conventions theoretical concerns of your dissertation. You will
of an essay, in which the main body of the text need to consider the relationship of subject matter
consists of a discussion and analysis of the topic in and the form or style of writing. The dissertation
question, preceded by an introduction and followed might include, for instance, fictional or diaristic
by a summary of the analysis. You also have the elements but these must be positioned within an
reference point of the written work you have appropriate theoretical, critical and analytical
already completed on the Course, and the feedback context of similar work. See the next section for
you have received on it - you might want to revisit further notes on experimental forms of writing.
that.
The principal models for your dissertation

(regarding selection of topic, conceptualisation
and form) should be the reading recommended
to you over the previous two years of the Critical
Studies and studio programme. These texts have
been recommended in order to stimulate thought
and critical engagement and, thereby, shape and
inform your writing.
Experimental or alternative forms of writing
Some of the texts that you will have been

recommended on the course use a range of different
forms to engage with historical and/or theoretical
issues. These might be combined with, or depart from
the more conventional forms mentioned above. In
this regard, alternatives to the standard essay format,
or experimental approaches to this conventional
format, have become much more common. Your
dissertation may combine or take other forms, if
it is appropriate or relevant to the dissertation
subject matter, taking into account contemporary
and historical examples of experimental writing
in the context of art. Whatever form is used it is
important that experimental forms of writing are
10
Experimental Writing
At CSM we have a reputation for experimental Austin makes the distinction between a constative
approaches to writing in the context of Fine Art. By and performative utterance - a constative utterance
experimental approaches we mean thinking about is descriptive - “the grass is green”, a performative
ways in which writing itself can be thought of as a utterance is productive - “I name this ship”, “I
practice, like painting or photography. We want sentence you to 10 years”; it ‘does’ what it ‘says’.
to foreground the important fact that you are on a
BA Fine Art course, not an art history or art theory The use of the term “performative writing” gained
course and as important as history or theory are momentum`in Performance Studies in the 1990’s
to the understanding of fine art – it is important – where the critic would use the performative
to remember that when you start to think about dimension to try to ‘re-create’ the experience of a
writing a dissertation you will most probably start performance that they had witnessed but was now
to think and write – as an artist. lost. Performative writing would try to reproduce
the affect, the feeling, the moment of that lost event.
For some of you this will make no difference at all.
It will simply mean that you write as you always
have done, in a conventional academic critical and
analytical voice and you will use writing as a method
*
to convey your research and critical analysis.
This is a perfectly good way of approaching the
writing of your dissertation. For others, writing as Of course, this
an artist will mean that you may want to be more is not as simple
as a stark
experimental about the way you approach the
binary between
form of the writing of your dissertation. ‘conventional’ and
‘experimental’
In recent decades new ways of thinking about writing - this is why
the form of the writing in relation to the content it is important that
of the writing have been developed and are you read as much
critical writing
sometimes grouped together under the heading of about art as you
‘Performative Writing’/Experimental Art Writing. can, so that you can
Performativity as a term has its origins in British get a sense of which
philosopher JL Austin’s work on the ‘performative approaches work
best for you
utterance’ (William James lectures 1955 Published
posthumously (JL Austin How to do Things with
Words, Clarendon Press, 1975).
11
The Scene of Writing
For this reason performative writing is thought of Basically put, performative writing in the context
as a kind of writing which does something at the of fine art is all about using the writing, both form
same time as it says something. Or as Yve Lomax has and content, to convey to the reader; your actual
said, “performative writing is a kind of writing which experience of art; the actual experience of writing;
implicates whilst it explicates. In other words the the place or position you write from; and most
form enables the content and the content enables importantly, how that place is productive of the
the form. The writing is not thought of as a neutral writing, itself.
vehicle for the conveyance of ideas but is meaningful
in its own right, that is, the way the text is written To do this well of course is much harder than you
actually works to enlarge or reinforce the content think! It is not a soft option, an easy stream of
referred to in the writing. consciousness writing or merely autobiographical/
confessional writing - but a careful and intellectually
For example, say you go to a gallery and experience a rigorous attempt to use writing (as a practice) to
feeling of euphoria in front of a piece of work, then if do double the work that it normally does. One to
you write performatively you would try to use your recount an event or a set of ideas and two to enable
writing to convey the same sense of euphoria to the the reader to see this event or set of ideas embodied
reader of your text (in real time, i.e., as they read the and reiterated in and through the writing itself.
text). You might encourage the writing to produce
the affect of the experience through the writing itself. That’s why people often talk about writing with
That is, the writing does not just say in a dull neutral art rather than writing about art if you write
voice that the art made you feel euphoric – but performatively. To do it well entails considerable
rather the way the writing is composed will attempt skill - therefore you should think really hard about
to reproduce the same feelings of euphoria for the using creative or performative writing in your
reader as if they were standing in the actual gallery. dissertation. But it is an option. And we do support
Performative writing is also about responding to it. So do think about it! See the suggested reading
the place or position or context of your thoughts, or on the next page if this interests you.
your voice on a personal/political level. Making sure
that what you might call the scene of writing - the
historical/political/meaningful context from which
you write –affects the way you write.
12
Suggested Reading
Anderson, L. (2001) Autobiography. London: Routledge.
Austin, J. (2009). How to Do Things with Words. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.
Barthes, R. (1986) The Rustle of Language, New York: Hill and Wang.
Butt, G. (2013). After Criticism. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
Cameron, S (2007). Impersonality: Seven Essays, Chicago: University of Chicago

Press.
Cardinal, M. (2001). The Words to Say It. London: Women’s Press Classics.
Cixous, H. (1991). Coming to Writing. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University

Press
Clark, T.J. (2006). The Sight of Death, an Experiment in Art Writing. New Haven,
Connecticut: Yale University Press.
Critchley, S. (2009). On Humour. London: Routledge.
Doyle, J. (2013). Hold It Against Me: Difficulty and Emotion in Contemporary Art.
Durham: Duke University Press.
Eakin, P.J. (1999). How Our Lives Become Stories. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University
Press.
Frank, A.W. (2007). The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics.
Chicago:University of Chicago Press.
Gallop, J. (2002). Anecdotal Theory. Durham: Duke University Press.
Hak Kyung Cha, T. (2009). Dictee. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Humphrey, N. (2006). Seeing Red, A Study in Consciousness. Cambridge,

Massachusetts, and London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Kipnis, L. (2011). How to Become a Scandal. New York: Picador.
Lomax, Y. (2009). Passionate Being: Language, Singularity and Perseverance.

London and New York: I.B.Tauris. Continued on
next page
13
Continued
Lomax, Y. (2005). Sounding the Event, Escapades in Dialogue and Matters of Art
Nature and Time. London and New York: I.B.Tauris.
Mavor, C. (2007). Reading Boyishly. Durham: Duke University Press.
Miller, N.K. (1991). Getting personal : Feminist Occasions and other

Autobiographical Acts. New York: Routledge.
Miller, N.K. (2002). But Enough About Me: Why We Read Other People’s Lives.
New York: Columbia University Press.
Phelan. P (1997). Mourning Sex. London: Routledge.
Phelan, P. and Lane, J. (1998). The Ends of Performance, New York: New York
University Press.
[Esp. section 5 Della Pollock, Performative writing, pp.73-104 and section 6 Eve
Kosofsky Sedgwick, Teaching “Experimental Critical Writing”, pp 104-116. ]
Rifkin, A. (1999). Ingres Then, and Now. New York: Routledge.
Riviere, T. (2016). Notes on a Thesis. London: Jonathan Cape, 2016
[Graphic Novel about how hard it is to write a thesis]
Simpson, D. (2004). Situatedness, or, Why We Keep Saying Where We’re Coming
From. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
14
*
Whichever mode of writing you
ultimately use, it must take
into account contemporary
and historical examples in the
context of art. There is a very
rich body of experimental writing
about art. One example: Adrian
Rifkin’s book ‘Ingres, Then and
Now’, certain sections of which
take the form of an encounter/
dialogue about desire between
the characters ‘Brad’, ‘Scott’
and ‘Tyler’ in a gay leather bar.
This is then interwoven with
Rifkin’s close and meticulously
researched discussion of the
paintings of Ingres. So, you
might employ elements of the
poetic or fictional but this has to
be done in an informed, critically
rigorous way - you could not, for
example, simply decide to submit
a short story.
Peggy Phelan has written

*
“Performative writing is different
from personal criticism or
autobiographical essay, although
it owes a lot to both genres.
Rather than describing the
performance event in “direct
signification”, a task I believe to
be impossible and not terrifically
interesting, I want this writing
to enact the affective force of
the performance event again, as
it plays itself out in an ongoing
temporality… (Mourning Sex,
Routledge, 1997 p.11)
15
The Draft Dissertation
The Dissertation draft is expected at an interim

period of your study. The draft is a resolved piece
!
Start now! Writing and
of writing of 4,500 words. It should be properly research are to be
written, i.e. in grammatical sentences, and should be considered as a part
accompanied by a full bibliography and footnotes. of your practice, not
an adjunct to it - you
The draft should not be the presentation of a set of
should begin work on
loosely collected notes and quotations - if it were your Dissertation project
to be that underdeveloped your tutor would only immediately, just as you
be able to repeat the initial instructions and so will begin immediately in
the studio
you would not get the input you need. The more
you put into it the more we can engage with what
you’re doing.
The draft should present your ideas/arguments in

as clear and coherent a way as possible at this stage
in your work. Obviously you are not expected to
have everything worked out and finalised within
the draft - it may still be quite speculative in tone,
it may suggest outlined possibilities for further The draft should not be
*
the presentation of a
research still yet to be done. The main purpose of
set of loosely collected
writing the draft is so that you can develop the ideas notes and quotations.
that you began to set out in your Unit 6 Research If it were to be that
Plan. The idea is not that you have a finished underdeveloped your
tutor would only be able
Dissertation that will not change, but that you get
to repeat the initial
your ideas into the most resolved form possible at instructions and so you
this particular point. would not get the input
you need - the more you
put into it the more we
can engage with what
you’re doing
16
Getting (re)started
You have already begun the work of the Dissertation The draft is also an opportunity to grapple with the
in your Unit 6 Research Plan and can build on that in problems of writing, of organising and structuring
moving towards the Draft stage of your Dissertation. your ideas well in advance of final submission. It
Previously, in the Research Plan, you were asked: is very important that you complete the draft as
comprehensively as possible because it will give
• To consider the ideas and practices that you your tutors a more concrete idea of how your work
are interested in in relation to your own work is progressing and enable them to provide more
and to begin your research into these focused tutorial guidance from this point on.
• To develop a question or a proposition that

interests you in relation to your on-going
practice (studio and writing practice)
• To think about the structure and approach you

might take in your writing
These are useful pointers to help you re-start your

research and thinking for the Dissertation draft.
You may want to refresh yourself by returning to
the Research Plan, but also to other plans and notes,
new and old.
This will allow you to:
• Review and revise what you have already

researched and written
• To re-orientate yourself in relation to those

ideas, to build upon and develop them
• To address and re-think your focus and

approach, where necessary
• To add new insights and questions as your

research expands and deepens
17
FAQs
How many examples/case studies should I write How much is the dissertation worth in relation
about? to our final degree mark; what dissertation mark
would I need to get a first?
Many of the questions that come up regularly do not
have a set answer - it will very much depend on what Full information about Unit credits and how your
you are doing. There is a common sense element Degree Classification is calculated can be found in
insofar as if you write about only one example your Course Handbook
of, say, an artwork, you won’t be able to make any
comparisons. Conversely if you write about one Should I already have decided on my ‘question’?
hundred examples you won’t have much more than
Please do not feel great pressure to do this. In
a list! Which things you end up focussing on will
fact, what the ‘question’ or eventual title of your
depend on what is relevant, what matters to your
Dissertation turns out to be is something that you
project, rather than a calculation as to ‘how many’
will arrive at - in the same way that the eventual
to include. You will be discussing all of this with your
form an artwork takes is different from the initial
tutor, but remember also that this is not an area
idea/impulse you may have had. However, it will
of study where there is a universal template that
be important early on to identify a collection of key
you must follow, and you do need to use your own
terms, examples and issues to get your bearings.
judgement - just as you do when you are making
artworks. Is there a 10% leeway on the word count?
Can I see examples of previous students’ No. Or rather - this leeway is ‘built in’ by the word
Dissertations? count being specified as a ranging between 6000 -
6500 words. Obviously it would not make sense to
We are not able to provide these because of Data
give leeway on the leeway! (The word count does
Protection regulations. In any case - and following
not include bibliography, appendices, any footnotes
on from the last question - there is such a variety
etc)
in what people do on the Course that it would be
misleading to present particular examples as a Can I use the ‘I’ pronoun in my writing?
guide. Again it is akin to studio practice where, for
example, we would not show examples of what you As you will see from the notes on experimental
are ‘supposed’ to do for your Degree Show writing, there is no strict template to follow in terms
of your writerly voice. Whichever mode you use,
you need to be alert to it’s pros and cons.
18
Can I use writing from my Stage 2 Research Plan? If I do [insert thing], would that be OK?
Technically no - this is because Academic It is important to think about what input you want
Regulations stipulate that you can’t submit the same to get from us. If your question is too hypothetical,
work for Assessment more than once. However you too ‘what if’, then the answer will most likely be ‘it
should not need to directly reuse previous writing depends’. This is why you should try to prepare for
any more than you would present studio work from teaching sessions by organising your thoughts so
last year in a crit. The point is to extend and continue that you can talk about what you are currrently in
the work you have already begun the middle of and thinking about
Can you read a version of my draft before I hand it How many sources should I have in my bibliography?
in?
You may by now be noticing a pattern with these
It is not necessary to do this - the reason why we set ‘how many’/’how much’ questions - again this is a
you the task of writing a draft Dissertation is so that matter of judgement, but it should be clear to you
you can get the kind of feedback that this question what would not be enough. If your bibliography only
is asking for. It is, therefore ‘built in’ to the process. contains 12 web articles that someone could read
This also means that staff hours have been allocated in an afternoon then you should consider if that is
accordingly and so we cannot provide more input what your work deserves in terms of hours put in
than what has already been established in the and trouble gone to.
timetable. However, if during the process of working
on your Dissertation you feel you need some extra Can I choose which Tutor I have?
support, please make an appointment to see one
Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate
of the Academic Support tutors. In general, you
individual requests like this. Organising the tutorial
should assume that all feedback/input will happen
groups is already extremely complex logistically so
in the scheduled tutorial sessions. You s hould work
it is just not possible. However, we have a highly
toward these and come to the sessions properly
experienced team so you will be receiving excellent
prepared
input.
Do I need to include images?
What if my topic changes?
Again, this is a question of judgement. You should
It is very likely that it will - this is not something to
make sure to include illustrations of any artworks/
worry about. Rather, you should see it as part of
images you discuss so that your reader can look and
the critical narrative you are building. If what you
think alongside you.
are doing now is very different to what you were
doing before, there will be a relationship between
those things, a character to the difference. This is
important.
19
Referencing & Citation

Your dissertation is a critical engagement with
the work and writing of others, whom you will
need to reference and may want to quote from or
paraphrase. Quotations should be clearly shown in
Full referencing
*
your text, using inverted commas or indenting and guidelines are
single spacing longer quotations. attached as an
appendix to this
Keep your quotations (generally) short and make document - please
read these carefully
sure they are pertinent to the point you are making.
so that you
Try not to quote without unpacking what is said in understand what to
the quotation. Acknowledging the work and ideas do
of others is an important part of understanding
your own - doing so will strengthen your writing and
clarify your thinking.
All quotation must be referenced to a correctly

formatted bibliography. A full explanation of how to
reference correctly according to the recommended
Harvard style is available online from Library
!
Avoid ‘quote bombs’, where
Services, in a guide called ‘Cite them Right’, available you drop a quote in and move
via the Subject Guides page in Library Services, which on immediately without saying
anything about it
will take you directly to Harvard-style referencing:
https://arts.ac.libguides.com/citethemright (login
required). The general website is at http://www.
citethemrightonline.com/
Bibliography
The bibliography is the last item in the dissertation and

is a complete list of all your sources. Bibliographical
information is usually listed alphabetically by the
surname of the author. Often types of sources are
listed in separate sections of a bibliography (e.g.
filmography/videography for films and/or videos;
online material etc). You must follow the Harvard
style for citation (please consult ‘Cite them Right’ for
full details on all types of sources).

20
Citation Examples
The next 3 pages show examples of citation practice using the same quote from Donald Judd
Good Practice Example 1:
One of Barnett Newman’s most important paintings is ‘Shining Forth

(To George)’, 1961. Donald Judd provides a well known description:
“Shining Forth (To George), done in 1961, was shown in New York
this year. It’s nine and a half feet high and fourteen and a half long.
The rectangle is unprimed cotton canvas except for two stripes
*
and the edges of a third. Slightly to the left of the center there is
a vertical black stripe three inches wide.All of the stripes run to
the upper and lower edges. Slightly less than a foot in from the left Note that there is
a clear distinction
edge there is a black stripe an inch wide. This hasn’t been painted
between the essay
directly and evenly like the central stripe, but has been laid in writer’s words and the
between two stripes of masking tape.The paint has run under the words they are quoting,
tape some, making the stripe a little rough.A foot in from the right even in the formatting:
Judd’s words are in
edge there is another stripe an inch wide, but this is one of reserved
italics and, because
canvas, made by scraping black paint across a strip of masking tape it is a long quote, the
and then removing the tape.There isn’t much paint on either side of paragraph is indented
the white stripe; the two edges are sharp just against the stripe and to separate it from the
main body text
break into sharp palette-knife marks just away from it. Some of the
marks have been lightly brushed.The three stripes are fairly sharp
but none are perfectly even and straight. It’s a complex painting.”
Judd (2016)
Another painting I want to look at is ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Jackson

Pollock. There is a relationship between what Judd says about
Newman and...

21
Good Practice Example 2:
Here the essay writer

*
One of Barnett Newman’s most important paintings is ‘Shining Forth is paraphrasing Donald
Judd - borrowing his
(To George)’, 1961. It appears to consist just of simple vertical lines,
description of the
but in fact these present a lot of variety: some have been painted painting but integrating
directly, others have been painted in between two strips of masking into the flow of the
tape, with various bleeds and runs of paint resulting from this (Judd, text. However, note
that this is clearly
2006).
acknowledged with an
in-text citation.

22
WHAT NOT TO DO
! One of Barnett Newman’s most important paintings is ‘Shining Forth

It should be clear why
this is not right: there (To George)’, 1961 which is nine and a half feet high and fourteen
is no citation. There and a half long.The rectangle is unprimed cotton canvas except for
is no clear distinction
between the essay
two stripes and the edges of a third. Slightly to the left of the center
writer’s words and there is a vertical black stripe three inches wide. All of the stripes
those quoted - the final run to the upper and lower edges. Slightly less than a foot in from
sentence continues on the left edge there is a black stripe an inch wide. This hasn’t been
without acknowledging
any change. In
painted directly and evenly like the central stripe, but has been laid
effect, Donald Judd’s in between two stripes of masking tape. The paint has run under the
words have been tape some, making the stripe a little rough.A foot in from the right
mixed in with the edge there is another stripe an inch wide, but this is one of reserved
essay writer’s own
with no distinction/
canvas, made by scraping black paint across a strip of masking tape
acknowledgement and then removing the tape.There isn’t much paint on either side of
made. the white stripe; the two edges are sharp just against the stripe and
break into sharp palette-knife marks just away from it. Some of the
marks have been lightly brushed.The three stripes are fairly sharp
but none are perfectly even and straight. Another painting I want to
look at is ‘Autumn Leaves’ by Jackson Pollock.

23
Plagiarism & Academic Mis-

conduct
Plagiarism
It is important to acknowledge your sources so as
to properly credit the work of others, and not to
pass it off as your own. So, take care to study and
follow the referencing guidelines so that you do not
inadvertantly do this.
University Guidance
Please make sure you familiarise yourself with the
UAL information on Academic Misconduct and
plagiarism - this is also attached to this document in
the Appendices.
There is plenty of support to help
*
you with correct referencing.
Properly acknowledging your
Academic Support sources is simple, and something
you should already be familiar
If you would like some additional guidance and
with. If you do this then
support with things like referencing, or other aspects
Academic Misconduct/Plagiarism
of working on your Dissertation, please do make is nothing for you to worry about
an appointment with one of our Academic Support
tutors - one to one sessions are available, as well as
larger sessions covering general topics.
Deliberate Plagiarism
Properly acknowledging your sources is simple, and
something you should already be familiar with. If
you do this then Academic Misconduct/Plagiarism
is nothing for you do worry about. Deliberate
plagiarism is a more serious thing however, and is
addressed on the next page.

24
SERIOUS ACADEMIC
MISCONDUCT
This category shouldn’t be anything for you to
worry about since it concerns deliberate attempts • Submitting an assignment
to submit work that is not your own. This might purchased or downloaded
from the internet
include the examples the right. However, there has
been an increase in instances of this over the past • Comissioning another
few years and although rare, it does happen. Full person you know to
information with more detail can be found in the produce a piece of work
UAL guidance attached, but in particular it is worth
highlighting the following unacceptable practices:
PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!
!!!
As well as being unethical,
academic cheating will certainly
not serve you in the long run.
If doing any of these things
crosses your mind then it means
that something is not right:
please speak to us instead.
If you are experiencing any
difficulties that are impeding
your studies, support is
available. Remember that we
are here to help you and that the
Course is intended to enable you
to do YOUR best work

25
Conclusion
We hope that these guidelines have answered most

of your questions, but if not, that can be your starting
point for your first conversation with your Critical
Studies tutor.
The dissertations produced on this course are always

of impressive depth and variety so it is well worth
you engaging with the process as much as you can.
As artists it is rare to be able to have such detailed
conversations about our work and ideas so do make
the most of it!

26
Appendices
Appended here are the following documents:
• Unit 8 Briefing document
• Unit 8 Key Unit Information (KUI) document
• Academic Referencing Guidelines introduced to you in Stage 2
• UAL Student guidelines on Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct
(These documents have all been made available to

you separately on Moodle, they are just appended
here again for convenience)

27
BA (Hons) Fine Art – Unit 8 briefing
27/9/2022 at 10:00 |
What We Will Cover
¢ Details of what the Assessment Submissions are
¢ The key dates for the Unit
¢ Information and guidance on the Unit
BAFA Unit 8 Briefing

2
Assessment
Assessment Submission
There are 2 components to this Assessment
To evidence your achievement of the Learning Outcomes for this Unit,

you are expected to Submit:
• A final written Dissertation of 6,000-6,500 words. Detailed Dissertation Guidance

Notes are available on Moodle
Your submission must be clearly

• A Critical Evaluation submission comprised of textual and visual material, the
labelled, including: full name,
text element being a report of between 500-1,000 words contextualising your
pathway and student ID, and the
studio practice as informed by your dissertation
word count of your written work
BAFA Unit 8 Briefing 4

Assessment Submission
• You will also submit a 4500 word draft version of your

dissertation in the Autumn Term – this is formatively
assessed, i.e ungraded but with written and verbal feedback to
help you progress
Your submission must be clearly

labelled, including: full name,
pathway and student ID, and the
word count of your written work

Assessment Dates
¢ Draft Dissertation (4500 words) submission deadline: 31st October by
12:00pm
(this is a formative assessment i.e. ungraded but with written and verbal
feedback to help your work)
¢ Dissertation submission deadline: 16th January 2023 by 12:00pm
¢ Critical Evaluation submission deadline: 2nd February 2023 by

12:00pm
¢ Assessment Feedback Released: 16th March 2023 by 5:00pm
Please see the KUI (Key Unit Information) document for further details

Method of Assessment submission
This submission will be made on Turnitin, via Moodle

The Art Programme Admin team will email you further instructions on where and how to submit your work in
advance of the submission deadline

Anonymous marking
Please note that this assessment will not be anonymously marked. This is because
marking a dissertation requires assessors to be familiar with student’s work.
Therefore the unit cannot be marked anonymously. This is consistent with the
research-led nature of the course.
Please be aware that the University has robust systems in place to make sure that
assessment is conducted fairly for all students. These processes begin as early as
in the stages of designing your course and they apply to all assessments that take
place at the University.

You are expected to
¢ Attend all teaching sessions punctually and well-prepared; your attendance*
will be logged.
¢ Engage actively with all teaching and learning processes and opportunities.
¢ Be willing to work supportively with your peers.
*More information about attendance can be found in the Attendance Policy.

9
Feedback and Exam Board
You will receive your feedback for this unit 3 term-time weeks after you have
submitted your work.
Your feedback and indicative grade will be accessible via Assessment
Feedback. You will receive an automatic email once they are released.
Feedback and indicative grades for this unit will be ready on:
¢ Thursday 16th March 2023 by 5:00 pm UK time
Please note that if you take an extension (based on your ISA and/or ECs), your feedback will be released at a later date.
Please see the KUI (Key Unit Information) Document for further detail
BA (Hons) Fine Art – Unit ??? briefing

What the Dissertation Is
¢ The dissertation is a self-motivated, researched and focused piece of written work between
6000 to 6500 words in length (not including bibliography, appendices, any footnotes etc).
¢ It may include visual material where appropriate and relevant. You should make sure to
include illustrations of any artworks/images you discuss so that your reader can look and
think alongside you. The dissertation provides you with the opportunity to develop, examine
and extend your thinking in an area related to your studio work and its concerns. This
relationship may be thematically overt and direct, or it may be a latent or indirect
connection.
¢ Your Critical Studies tutor and your Studio tutor will assist you in selecting and focusing your
area of research. You will need to think critically and in depth about the links between studio
and critical studies components of the course.
¢ In the initial stages of the research process you might find it useful to think about the project
in terms of a discussion or an examination of a subject. However, as you do more and more
research and write and re-write your dissertation you may well find you do develop a
particular proposition, idea or argument.

¢ As a task, the Dissertation is not something very different to what you will already have
done on the Course. In Stage 2 you wrote two essays of 3000 words - the Dissertation is an
equivalent amount, just combined into one form. In Stage 2 your first essay was written in
response to assigned questions that came out of the Critical Studies seminar you attended.
The second essay was your Research Plan where you started to lay the foundation for what
you will work on this year.
¢ For the Dissertation, you will essentially be assigning your own question/s and developing
your own project of critical writing, in dialogue with your Critical Studies tutor and your
Studio tutor. Your tutors will help you to identify your interests, the critical issues surrounding
them, and their historical precedents. These are important and interesting conversations
that will have a deep effect on your practice and the direction of your development as an
artist.

The Critical Evaluation
¢ Because this is written in response to/in light of your Dissertation, you do not need to think
about this at the outset. The Critical Evaluation will be briefed and taught by your studio
tutors, and you will receive specific guidance on this in due course.

Dissertation Guidelines
¢ We have prepared extensive Dissertation
Guidance notes for you, and this document is
available on Moodle – it is important that
you study this document carefully!

Dissertation Guidelines
¢ There is a lot of information in the guidance
notes but for this session we can look at
some frequently asked questions that you
may also have at this point

Dissertation Guidelines Should I already have decided on
my ‘question’?
notes but for this session we can look at Please do not feel great pressure to do
some frequently asked questions that you
this. In fact, what the ‘question’ or
may also have at this point
eventual title of your Dissertation turns
out to be is something that you will
arrive at - in the same way that the
eventual form an artwork takes is
different from the initial idea/impulse
you may have had. However, it will be
important early on to identify a
collection of key terms, examples and
issues to get your bearings.

Dissertation Guidelines What if my topic changes?
¢ There is a lot of information in the guidance It is very likely that it will - this is not
notes but for this session we can look at something to worry about. Rather, you
some frequently asked questions that you should see it as part of the critical
may also have at this point narrative you are building. If what you
are doing now is very different to what
you were doing before, there will be a
relationship between those things, a
character to the difference. This is
important.

Dissertation Guidelines Can I choose which Tutor I have?
¢ There is a lot of information in the guidance Unfortunately we are not able to

notes but for this session we can look at accommodate individual requests like
some frequently asked questions that you this. Organising the tutorial groups is
may also have at this point already extremely complex logistically
so it is just not possible. However, we
have a highly experienced team so
you will be receiving excellent input.

Dissertation Guidelines Can I see examples of previous
students’ Dissertations?
notes but for this session we can look at We are not able to provide these
some frequently asked questions that you because of Data Protection
may also have at this point regulations. In any case there is such
a variety in what people do on the
Course that it would be misleading to
present particular examples as a
guide. Again it is akin to studio practice
where, for example, we would not
show examples of what you are
‘supposed’ to do for your Degree Show

General Overview of Dates

Key Dates Overview
See timetable/Moodle for your specific dates and times – sessions in bold are mandatory
Weeks 1 & 2
• Unit 8 Briefing
Library Services Dissertation Preparation Workshop
• Initial tutorials in groups of 3 per 1 hour slot with your CS tutor. This will be a
chance for you to share and discuss ideas, as well as raise any questions not
answered here.
Academic Support Session with Christabel Harley: Writing Your Draft Dissertation

Key Dates Overview
See timetable/Moodle for specific dates and times
Week 4
• Individual tutorials with your CS tutor. These tutorials will be 30 minutes long.
Week 6
• Draft Dissertation hand-in
Week 9
• Draft Dissertation feedback tutorial with your Critical Studies tutor. These
tutorials will be 30 minutes long.

Key Dates Overview
Week 11
• Group Tutorial session with your Critical Studies tutor - these sessions are a
space to discuss final points and questions. There is a 3 hour slot for this, so
there will be some time left over for quick one to ones if needed.
Week 12
• Library Services: Referencing Drop in one-to-one tutorials with Julia Flood (you need
to book these via Academic Support)
• Dissertation final edit and Q&A session with Christabel Harley

Key Dates Overview
Week 13
• DISSERTATION HAND-IN VIA TURNITIN
• Critical Evaluation Workshop with your Pathway Tutors
Week 15
• CRITICAL EVALUATION HAND-IN VIA TURNITIN
Week 20
• Unit 8 Assessment Feedback released

What to do Next
¢ Read through the Dissertation Guidance
Notes thoroughly
¢ Note down any questions/thoughts you

might have so that you can ask your
Critical Studies tutor at your first session
¢ Prepare for your first session by

organising your thoughts so that you can
talk about where you are at with your
thinking
¢ Keep a close eye on your email & Moodle

– your specific tutorial times will be
released soon

Reading and resources
Further guidance and study material will be provided by the Unit Leaders and
posted on Moodle, as well as by your tutors in accordance with the needs of your
own practice and pathway.
Also, you have access to the Library Services where you will find bookable study
spaces with computers, photocopying and printing facilities. You can also borrow a
laptop and get help from the library staff to develop your research or digital skills.

Assessment Criteria
Enquiry Knowledge Process Communication Realisation
Enquiry is about Knowledge is about Process is about your Communication is Realisation is about
active learning and gathering information journey of learning. about telling the story the work you create
reflection. It’s how and enhancing It’s how you take risks of your learning and and how this reveals
you explore, research understanding. It’s and experiment. And making. It’s how you what you’ve learned.
and learn about your how you inform your how you keep the share your learning It’s taking a look back
subject. Enquiry is work, explore diverse creative momentum with an audience, and evaluating the
central to all creative cultures and going — developing presenting and work you’ve
learning at UAL. connections and ideas from start to explaining your work produced.
appreciate what you finish. to different people.
do in a wider context.

27
More info
¢ UAL Assessment Criteria | 1’35” on Youtube
¢ Fair Assessment
¢ Assessment Regulations:
£ Types of assessment on your course
£ The role of the Exam Board
£ What will happen if you fail a piece of work
The regulations also describe the ways in which the

University ensures that marking is fair and accurate
through internal and external moderation.

Academic Plagiarism is the form of cheating you may hear
referred to most often. It is defined as stealing another
Misconduct person's ideas and presenting them as though they
were your own. Examples include:
¢ Submitting assignments downloaded from the internet
¢ Commissioning another person to produce a piece of work without
acknowledgement
¢ Cheating in examinations
¢ Copying from a text-book, journal article, thesis, essay or website without providing
adequate reference to the author
¢ Reproducing original artwork, designs, film, sound or performance and presenting
them as though they were your own
¢ Copying someone else’s programme, database, web-page or multimedia
presentation without acknowledging their work
More information can be found in the Course Regulations.

Extenuating Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) are defined as
circumstances which are unexpected, significantly
Circumstances disruptive and beyond your control, and which may
have affected your ability to meet an assessment
deadline or the level of your performance at
assessment.
If you are having difficulties, you may be able to submit an Extenuating Circumstances
claim.
¢ Extenuating Circumstances Claims need to be submitted a minimum of 2 weeks
before the Exam Board.
¢ Please see the KUI (Key Unit Information) document for information about
deadlines for applying for ECs
¢ Guidance on how to apply and FAQs can be found on the UAL website.

Individual Individual Support Agreement (ISA) provides practical
Support information to staff about your access requirements.
ISAs communicate reasonable adjustments that are
Agreement necessary to reduce or eliminate any barriers to a
student’s participation in academic activities.
If you think you may have a disability, you should seek advice from the Disability team.
Adjusted deadlines must be:
¢ Negotiated and agreed with your Disability Advisor and with your Course Team.
¢ Confirmed at least 14 days in advance, including extensions.
¢ Having an ISA does not give you additional time automatically, you must request
this extension to the Art Admin team (artstudent@csm.arts.ac.uk).
¢ Please see the KUI (Key Unit Information) document for information about
deadlines extensions for students with ISAs
¢ It is not always beneficial to request an extension and advice can be sought from
your disability advisor.

Academic If you would like to improve your research and writing
Support skills or have a better understanding of the unit briefs,
feedback or anything else, please check the Academic
Support website.
You will find additional tutorials, workshops and other

resources.
Quick links:
¢ Find all your Academic Support online.
¢ Book an Academic Support tutorial.
¢ Cancel an Academic Support tutorial.
If you still have questions, please contact the Study Support team at Central Saint
Martins (studysupport@csm.arts.ac.uk).

Student
Our Student Services offer help and advice on different
Services topics such as:
¢ Funding, immigration and visas.
¢ Get health and mental health advice
¢ Disability and dyslexia support
You can also talk to a counsellor or a chaplain.

Support is given in-person, by video call, phone and/or
email. More information can be found on the Student
Services website.

Thank you
artstudent@csm.arts.ac.uk
arts.ac.uk
Art Programme
Key Unit Information
BA (Hons) Fine Art

Unit title Unit 8: Research and Practice
Unit leader Stuart Elliot
Administration
Irene Molina Santo, Maddy Austin, Mariann Joo-Szabo, Witold Borowski:
Team / Submission
artstudent@csm.arts.ac.uk
support
Submissions and key dates

• A final written dissertation of 6,000-6,500 words
• A critical evaluation submission comprised of textual and visual material, the text element being a report of
between 500-1,000 words contextualising your studio practice as informed by your dissertation.
Submission method: Turnitin via Moodle
Dissertation
Standard deadline: Monday 16 January 2023 by 12:00pm (12:00) UK time
Adjusted Assessment deadline: If you have an Individual Support Agreement (ISA), please contact the
Admin support team to request the following deadline: Monday 30
January 2023 by 12:00pm (12:00) UK time
Critical Evaluation
Standard deadline: Thursday 2 February 2023 by 12:00pm (12:00) UK time
Adjusted Assessment deadline: If you have an Individual Support Agreement (ISA), please contact the
Admin support team to request the following deadline: Thursday 16
February 2023 by 12:00pm (12:00) UK time
Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) Assessment Feedback
Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) are circumstances All feedback will be published in Assessment Feedback,
which are unexpected, significantly disruptive and beyond which you can also access via Moodle, through "my
your control, and which may have affected your ability to assessments".
meet an assessment deadline or the quality of your work.
Please note that these grades will not be confirmed until the
Deadline to submit your EC claim in your student portal Exam Board is held, which will then be published in your
for this unit is: student portal.
Thursday 9 March 2023 by 5:00pm (17:00) UK time
If you submitted by the Standard submission deadline, your
feedback will be released by:
If your EC claim is approved, your EC submission
deadline will be: Thursday 16 March 2023 by 5:00pm (17:00) UK time
Dissertation:
Monday 23 January 2023 by 12:00pm (12:00) UK time If you submitted by the Adjusted Assessment (ISA), and/or
the EC submission deadlines, your feedback will be released
within three weeks, in line with UAL's Assessment Policy.
Critical Evaluation:
Thursday 9 February 2023 by 12:00pm (12:00) UK time
Page 1 of 2
Costs associated with this Unit and its assessment
Work submitted will be evaluated against unit learning outcomes using UAL’s Assessment criteria. Increased expenditure on
materials will not necessarily lead to increased grades in your assessment.
The college provides a broad range of resources to support your studies and to produce work for assessment. However the
additional costs you might incur whilst studying this unit, depending on personal choice, could include materials for making
your work. The focus is on developing practice and not high spec production values.
In some cases additional specialist software may be used by students, where they wish to develop work outside of college
resources.
You can discuss your choices and likely costs with your unit leader prior to starting your work.
Help & Support for Students

Press the CTRL button on your keyboard and click on the links below for more help:
Student Disability and Academic Language Students’ Union
Services Dyslexia Support Support Advice Service
Assessment Policies
Your course handbook can be accessed via your course page in Moodle. This contains the following information:
• Unit Overview • Assessment Requirements

• Unit Learning Outcomes and Assessment • Suggested readings and
Criteria resources
This unit is assessed on a graded basis. You will be assessed against UAL Assessment Criteria and your tutor(s)
will make a judgement on whether you have passed or failed the unit. You will not receive a grade for this unit but
will still be provided with written feedback.
Work presented for assessment will be evaluated against unit learning outcomes using UAL’s Assessment criteria.
Increased expenditure on materials to realise your assignment will not equate to increased grades in your
assessment.
The college provides a broad range of resources to support your studies and to produce work for assessment.
However the additional costs you might incur whilst studying this unit. You can discuss your choices and likely
costs with your unit leader prior to starting your work.
Please note that this assessment will not be anonymously marked.
This is because the nature of studio practice requires assessors to be familiar with work developed over the course
of the entire unit. The writing component can therefore not be marked anonymously, as the presentation and written
work are assessed holistically.
Please be aware that the University has robust systems in place to make sure that assessment is conducted fairly
for all students. These processes begin as early as in the stages of designing your course and they apply to all
assessments that take place at the University. For more information on these processes and the University’s
approach to ensuring fair assessment for all students please visit the Fair Assessment webpage.
Late Submission of Work

If you think you are going to miss a summative assessment hand-in deadline you are advised to discuss this with
your course tutor immediately. The University’s Late Submission Policy explains what you can expect to happen
should you miss an assessment hand-in deadline.
The Academic Misconduct Regulations cover the University’s policy and procedures for preventing and
addressing cheating and plagiarism. You can find more information here.
Page 2 of 2
CSM Study Support
BAFA Stage 2 Unit 6 Referencing
Tutor: Christabel Harley
academicsuppportonline@arts.ac.uk
Elements of the session:
1. Principles of referencing
2. Keeping citation information when you take notes
3. Harvard - the author-date system
4. Referencing images
5. Your bibliography
a. Use citations constructively to substantiate your argument
b. Use citations creatively to advance your argument
c. Argue the case of your argument in the explicit narrative.
“External sources support the argument. External support for the argument
cannot replace the author’s argument. Do not confuse the two.” (Friedman,
2015, p.21)
Adapted from 10 Principles of Citation John Miers on academicsupportonline

a. Use citations constructively to substantiate your argument

- Mention who you have read that connects to your point
b. Use citations creatively to advance your argument

-Select and include a central idea from their text that supports what you are
saying, choose an idea that will help you go further.
c. Argue the case of your argument in the explicit narrative.

- Say how, in your own words, the idea supports your point. How will it take
you argument further? Always explain any ideas you bring across from
another writer’s text in your own words.
“External sources support the argument. External support for the argument
cannot replace the author’s argument. Do not confuse the two.” (Friedman,
2015, p.21)
Never use loose or vague references.
Each item cited in the text must appear in the reference list.
Every item in the reference list must appear in the text.
All citations and all references must use the same style. We ask you to use
Harvard style at UAL.
All citations and references must be complete and consistent to be correct.
Adapted from 10 Principles of Citation John Miers on academicsupportonline

It’s really time consuming to have to track back to find something if you didn’t
capture the citation information so…always note down the:
Author surname and initials (if there isn’t one use the organization or publisher
of the media that the evidence is ‘on’. Eg website etc.)
Date of publication
Title of chapter, essay, article
Title of the book
URL and date you accessed it
Title and edition of the journal
Page numbers (pp2-50)
You could use Refworks or Zotero to help store the citation info
Library guides to searching
Library guides to referencing
When you find something that you think is worth

reading in more detail, add it to your LIST in the
library. How to save items to 'lists' in library
3. Harvard - the author date system
This author-date system, is made up of:

An intext citation (Ahmed, 2007, p. 6)
A full reference at the end in an alphabetical–by-
surname list:
Ahmed, S. (2007) 'A phenomenology of
whiteness', Feminist Theory, 8(2), pp. 149-168
List the works you have referenced citethemright.com

3. Harvard - the author date system Paraphrase, summary, quotation
a) Paraphrase is when you put a writer’s words into your own but keep the
meaning as closely as possible . Put a citation at the end of the paraphrase
(or at the end of a group of them in your annotation because its obvious
where they are from):
Ahmed says that whiteness is not an ahistorical category (Ahmed, 2007, p. 1)
b) Summary is when you condense a number of important ideas into a

sentence or two. Put a citation at the end of a summary
Ahmed’s approach is based on, but also critical of, phenomenology (Ahmed,
2014, 2007)
c) Quotation is when you choose a few words or a sentence and include them
exactly as they are in ”” or ‘’ mark and is always cited:
Ahmed states; “In this paper, I re-pose the question of whiteness as a
phenomenological issue“ (Ahmed, 2007, p. 1) cite the quote always.
4. Referencing Illustrations
Illustrations are evidence too. Use illustrations in the body of

the text; refer to them directly in your writing, ‘ this process is
apparent in Jeff Wall’s photograph Untangling (1994)… (see
fig. 1)’.
Link aspects of the illustration to points
in your argument like this
“the coils of cable on the floor of the

workshop have no end and no
beginning; this can be compared to the
digital photo that may not have an origin
in a ‘real’ object”. (see fig. 1) Mitchell
expands on this when he writes “……….”
(Mitchell, 2007, p. 6)
You have to make sure it supports your

point, maybe advances it even. Always
Fig. 1. Wall, J (1994) Untangling. explain how it supports what you are
saying.
Don’t put the citations for illustrations in

with your reference list. Keep them
separate.
You can either include the full

bibliographic information under each
image in your text like this…
Fig. 1. Wall, J (1994) Untangling, Available at: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/jeff-

wall-untangling-1994 (Accessed on; March 23rd 2021)
4. Referencing Illustrations-
…OR you can just do a shortened version under the image - Fig.
1. Wall, J (1994) Untangling - but then you must include a list of
the full reference at the end like this:
Illustrations
Fig. 1 Wall, J (1994) Untangling, Available at:
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/jeff-wall-untangling-1994
(Accessed on; March 23rd 2021)
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
To recap:
3. Harvard - the author-date system
4. Referencing images
USEFUL LINKS & INFORMATION
• Academic Support Online check for relevant workshops this term

• IT Software downloads
• Helpful apps and tech
• UAL Library
• Cite them Right
• Credo reference database
• Box of Broadcasts
• Kanopy
• Referencing help on ASO
Useful reference books
Bennett, Tony, Grossberg, Lawrence, Morris, Meaghan (2005),

New Keywords; A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society,
John Wiley & Sons E Book
Barker, Chris, (2004), Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies, Open
University, London, Sage E Book
Edgar A. & Sedgwick P. (Eds.), (2002), Cultural Theory: The Key
Concepts, London, UK: Routledge,
Payne, Michael, (2010) Dictionary of Cultural and Critical Theory,
2nd ed. Open University Press, Philidelphia and UK
Sandywell, B., (2011) Dictionary of visual discourse: a dialectical
lexicon of terms Burlington, Vintage, Ashgate
Academic Misconduct & Plagiarism The University of the Arts
London takes all cases of
Academic Misconduct refers to any form of academic cheating. Plagiarism is the form cheating very seriously.
of cheating you may hear referred to most often. It is defined as stealing another person's
ideas and presenting them as though they were your own. Examples include: Such an offence is likely to lead
to failure of that assignment
∗ Submitting assignments downloaded from the internet and/ or unit and serious or
∗ Commissioning another person to produce a piece of work without repeated offences may lead to
acknowledgement failure of the whole stage of the
∗ Cheating in examinations course, suspension or even
∗ Copying from a text-book, journal article, thesis, essay or website without expulsion. In addition, a breach
providing adequate reference to the author of copyright may lead to legal
∗ Reproducing original artwork, designs, film, sound or performance and action.
presenting them as though they were your own
∗ Copying someone else’s essay, programme, database, web-page or multimedia The table at the back of this
presentation without acknowledging their work leaflet gives examples of the
severity of different offences
Throughout your studies, you will be encouraged to reference the work of other artists, and the penalty that you could
writers, designers or performers in your work. Tutors will expect to find reference to the receive.
sources of your ideas in supporting documentation such as sketchbooks or initial
drafts. This is an essential and valuable part of your education. As long as the source The full Academic Misconduct
of the ideas is acknowledged, this is not plagiarism. Procedures and Guidelines are
available on the Course
How to avoid Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism Regulations website:
Make sure that, for any assignment, you refer to the University’s guidance on accepted Go to www.arts.ac.uk and
and acceptable forms of referencing: Cite Them Right Online available from search for ‘Academic
www.citethemrightonline.com. This lists the correct way to reference any source, Misconduct’.
from books, journals and essays to works of art, computer programmes and web pages.
If you are concerned that your work may have been plagiarised by another student you
should contact your tutor or Course Leader.
What will happen if I am suspected
Quick Guide to Referencing: of Academic Misconduct?
Always acknowledge anyone else's ideas that you use in
your work by quoting the source of the information. If your tutor suspects cheating in an assignment, s/he
will make a report to your Course Leader, who will
∗ In an essay or assignment, when quoting another determine how serious the offence is. If the
person's words "put their words in quotation marks" and misconduct is moderate or serious, you will be asked
properly reference the author within the text and in the to meet with your Course Leader to discuss the
bibliography. Go to www.citethemrightonline.com for allegation.
detailed guidance.
You will then be invited to attend a misconduct
∗ If inserting images into an essay or dissertation, put a hearing. You may take a friend along with you for
caption underneath e.g. “Sunflowers by Vincent Van support. The panel is made up of 3-4 members of
Gogh, 1888, Oil on Canvas”. staff who have experience of dealing with Academic
Misconduct cases. A representative from the
∗ When using an artefact, put a caption against the object, Students’ Union will also be there, and a clerk will
e.g. "original photograph by Cartier-Bresson". record the meeting. The panel will ask you questions
about your work and its authenticity, and you will also
∗ If presenting an original piece of work based on an be able to bring evidence for the panel to consider.
existing design or work of art, quote the source, e.g.
"after Rodin", "after Eckersley". The Panel must come to one of two conclusions: The
Panel is satisfied that misconduct has taken place or
∗ If using a strategy of `appropriation' (i.e. the deliberate the Panel is not satisfied that misconduct has taken
and conscious use of the style and images of another place. If the Panel is not satisfied, you will be sent a
artist) make sure you tell your tutors what you are doing letter confirming that your case is closed.
and why and acknowledge the strategy when submitting
work for assessment. If the Panel is satisfied that misconduct has taken
place, the Board of Examiners will agree the level of
∗ In a group project make sure all the members of the the offence and an appropriate penalty. Depending
group are listed. If individuals undertake specific work on the severity of the offence, you may be asked to
within the project, make sure that this is acknowledged. resubmit the work, repeat the unit or even the whole
year. All resubmissions and repeats will be capped at
∗ In examinations do not copy another person's work. Do D-. A repeat unit or year requires payment of full
not quote passages from a text-book or journal without fees.
acknowledging the source.
Academic Misconduct Categories and Penalties
Category Examples Key Indicators Action
CATEGORY A • Reproducing an existing concept or idea • The student has not yet learnt • Tutorial support and guidance to
unintentionally. about the importance of help the student understand what is
• Failure to adequately reference sources, referencing or has misunderstood and is not acceptable and
Minor including incomplete or incorrectly cited the referencing or paraphrasing • Written advice for the student on
Misconduct bibliographies, footnotes and/ or quotations. principles. where they can seek help (such as
• Several sentences of direct copying without • The student’s behaviour appears Language Centre or College Study/
acknowledging the source. unintentional. Learning Support).
• Several instances of inappropriate or • The student’s behaviour might be
unacknowledged paraphrasing. intentional, but is on an
• Unacknowledged proof-reading by another insignificant scale.
person. • The student is in the 1st year of
• Unacknowledged help with English language university education.
accuracy. • The student is not used to UK
academic culture.
CATEGORY B • Several paragraphs of direct copying without • The student’s behaviour appears • Normally a mark of F- for that unit
acknowledging the source. intentional, but is on a small scale. with the opportunity to resubmit the
• Several paragraphs of unacknowledged • The student’s behaviour will not affected assignment. All
Moderate paraphrasing of another person’s thoughts, have a significant impact on their resubmissions will be capped at D-.
Misconduct ideas or text. final award (e.g. the student is in • Where the student has already
• An assignment which has been translated into the 1st year). been given the opportunity to
English by another person. resubmit, the Board will normally
• An assignment which has been edited by adjust the penalty to F- for that unit
another person. with the opportunity to retake the
• Deliberately submitting the same piece of work unit. All retaken units will be
for assessment for more than one assignment. capped at D- and charged full fees.
• Repeated Minor Misconduct, particularly if the
student has been previously reprimanded.
Category Examples Key Indicators Action
CATEGORY C • Submitting an assignment purchased or • The student’s behaviour is • Normally a mark of F- for that unit
downloaded from the internet. intentional and on a significant with the opportunity to retake the
• Commissioning another person to produce a scale. unit. All retaken units will be
Serious piece of work. • The student has intended to charged full fees.
Misconduct • Large sections of text that have been copied deceive the person marking the
from another author, without acknowledgement. work. Or, for the most serious misconduct:
• Large sections of unacknowledged paraphrasing • The student would benefit
of another person’s thoughts, ideas or text. substantially from the offence. • A mark of F- for that level/ stage
• Presentation of the work of other students • The student’s behaviour would with the opportunity to retake the
without acknowledgement. significantly compromise the stage. All retaken units will be
• Presentation of the work of commercial or integrity of the University’s awards. charged full fees.
industry practitioners without acknowledgement. • The student may have been • Exceptionally, the Board may, at its
• Conspiring or colluding with others to commit warned and/ or reprimanded for discretion and for reasonable
any of the above. previous attempts to deceive. cause, decide that a candidate may
• Repeated Moderate and/or Serious Misconduct, not be reassessed.
particularly if the student has been previously
reprimanded.
CATEGORY D • Theft of the work of other students. • Any offence, including allegations • Immediate suspension from the
• Theft of the work of commercial or industry of criminal behaviour, in which the course.
practitioners. offender commits physical • Expulsion.
Disciplinary • Copyright Theft. violence, malicious abuse, theft, • Revoking a previously awarded
Offences • Fraud, including Impersonation and fraud or other fundamental breach degree.
(Gross Misrepresentation of Identity of trust or negligently endangers
Misconduct) • Acts of violence or vandalism. staff or students or visitors, will be
• Conspiring or colluding with others to commit regarded as gross misconduct and
any of the above. may therefore lead to immediate
suspension pending a disciplinary
hearing and possible expulsion.
All cases sit on a sliding scale of severity. There will be occasions when the misconduct is normally considered minor, but the extent
of the deliberation and intention to deceive is such that it fits the criteria of serious misconduct. As a result, the examples given
should be used as a guide to help staff identify procedures, but there will always be an element of academic judgement in determining
the level of misconduct.

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UNIT 8: RESEARCH & PRACTICE

What The Dissertation Is  5

Theory & Practice 6

Relationship of the Dissertation to your own Work 7

Framing & Focus 8

The Scene of Writing 12

The Draft Dissertation 16

Referencing & Citation 20

Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct  24

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

This document is designed to help you think about

For the Dissertation, you will essentially be assigning

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

• Library Services Dissertation Preparation Workshop

• Initial tutorials in groups of 3 per 1 hour slot with your CS tutor.

• Academic Support Session with Christabel Harley: Writing Your

• Individual tutorials with your CS tutor. These tutorials will be

• Draft Dissertation hand-in This is an outline

• Group Tutorial session with your Critical Studies tutor - these

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

• Library Services: Referencing Drop in one-to-one tutorials with

• Dissertation final edit and Q&A session with Christabel Harley

• DISSERTATION HAND-IN VIA TURNITIN

• Critical Evaluation Workshop with your Pathway Tutors

• CRITICAL EVALUATION HAND-IN VIA TURNITIN

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

What The Dissertation Is

• To be able to discuss, develop,

• To develop a critical and an analytical

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

Theory & Practice

At CSM we believe that neither of those

To explain: when you make an art work – a painting

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

Relationship of the Dissertation

The dissertation is an opportunity to support the

Of course it might make sense to write about your

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

Framing & Focus

The dissertation should be viewed as a ‘writing

Consider the writing as a detailed discourse on your

Rather you should focus on specific, clearly ‘The Horse in Art’

identified ideas and cultural practices rather than

Be specific, and focus on

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

scholarship and critical writing

Your practice and writing need

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

What writing ‘voice’ should you use?

The principal models for your dissertation

Experimental or alternative forms of writing

Some of the texts that you will have been

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

The Scene of Writing

BAFA Critical Studies Dissertation Guidance Notes

What The Dissertation Is 5

Theory & Practice 6

Relationship of the Dissertation to your own Work 7

Framing & Focus 8

The Scene of Writing 12

The Draft Dissertation 16

Referencing & Citation 20

Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct 24