Inspiration practice : a mixed method investigation of reference practices in art

Abstract: Writing has a peculiar place within higher art education. Students in all three cycles are required to produce written thesis work alongside their artistic work in order to receive a diploma. However, there is no established style or methodological approach to the written thesis work and the information practices of art students are not well researched.  This thesis attempts to discover and explain the information practices of art students by studying master’s theses from two Swedish universities using a mixed method. A quantitative study provides data on the types and subject of the references of interest to art students. While a qualitative study of a smaller number of theses is conducted in order to better understand the reference practices in the context of the art field. Results are analysed using a theoretical framework composed of Richard Whitley’s theories on the social and intellectual organization of the scientific fields and Björn Hammarfelt’s writing on reference practices within the humanities.  Findings confirm the previously documented importance of non-art material and print books, but also highlight the importance of various digital sources to students. It was also discovered that art students are unlikely to strictly follow established references styles in their theses. Instead, reference practices are highly individualized and related to variables such as degree of specialization within the individual program and the stylistic construction theses.