Graphic design and research assessment: build the evidence trail early

Start a research project with an evidence ledger. For each research question, list the method, material produced, decision point, expected output, and limit. Update the ledger while the work develops.

Practice-based research often creates knowledge through making, but the finished artefact may not show how that knowledge was produced. Preserve tests, rejected options, protocols, annotations, participant terms, and reflective decisions. The record should explain why a design move matters to the question.

Do not wait for an assessment exercise to invent a narrative. A strong account can show changes in direction and unresolved findings. It distinguishes the quality of an artefact from the research claim supported by the process.

This is a general planning exercise. It does not represent any institution, assessment body, or former event organiser.