Practice research is a form of academic research which incorporates an element of practice in the methodology or research output.
Rather than seeing the relationship between practice and theory as a dichotomy, as has sometimes traditionally been the case (see academia: theory and practice heading), there is a growing body of practice research academics across a number of disciplines who use practice as part of their research. For example the practice-based research network (PBRN) within clinical medical research. Within arts and humanities departments there are ongoing debates about how to define this emerging research phenomenon, and there are a variety of models of practice research (practice-as-research, practice-based, practice-led, mixed-mode research practice and practice through research), see for example screen media practice research.
The UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council has a Steering Committee devoted to practice-led research and its report is to be completed in September 2007.