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Creative Research Methods in Practice

Series Editor: Helen Kara, We Research It Ltd.

This dynamic new series presents short practical books by and for researchers around the world on how to use creative and innovative research methods from apps to zines.  It is the first series to provide guidance on using creative research methods across all disciplines.

Interest in creative research methods has grown in recent decades due to increasing dissatisfaction with the limits of conventional methods and use of multi-modal research. This interest accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic which highlighted the urgent need for innovative methods that are transformational and aim to achieve change. Another influence is the decolonial turn which sees the potential for creative methods to help challenge power dynamics inherent in Western knowledge production.

The series is edited by the world-renowned Helen Kara, author of Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide and many other books. Textbooks in the series provide students and researchers at all levels with all the information needed to understand and use specific methods.

The list of potential topics includes (but is not limited to):

  • animation
  • vignettes
  • working creatively with theory
  • creative analytic methods such as multi-modal analysis
  • mapping
  • creating infographics
  • using diagrams in research
  • embodied methods
  • mobile methods
  • textile arts in research
  • online ethnography
  • compressed ethnography
  • sensory methods
  • performative methods
  • innovative combinations such as queer statistics or feminist soundscapes
  • asset-based or strengths-based research
  • creative and innovative work with fieldnotes
  • installations
  • creative and innovative presentation of research findings
  • cultural probes


The series is also open to more conceptual and theoretical topics, such as the role of imagination, empathy, or emotion in research, as long as each book has a practical emphasis.

If you are thinking of proposing a book and would like an informal chat, please contact Helen KaraDownload the proposal guidelines.

On the Transforming Society blog: 
How to bring creativity to your research