This timely book presents a core framework for conducting high quality interdisciplinary research. It focuses on the opportunities rather than the challenges of interdisciplinary work and is written for those doing interdisciplinary work (rather than those studying it). It is designed to facilitate high quality interdisciplinary work and the author uses illustrative examples from student work and papers published in the environmental literature.
This book's lucid, problem-solving approach is framed in an accessible easy-to-read style and will be indispensable for anyone embarking on a research project involving interdisciplinary collaboration.
Readership: graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and researchers involved in the interface between human and natural environmental systems
Preface xi
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Challenges and opportunities 3
On quality 4
Background 5
A note on terminology 7
Notes 9
Chapter 2: Beyond CP Snow 11
Quantitative and qualitative studies 12
Improved understanding and quality 13
Drawing on commonalities 14
Context dependence and quantifi cation 18
Interpretation and context 21
Notes 23
Chapter 3: Questioning to learn and learning to question 24
Part I: Interdisciplinary expectations (Questions 1 to 3) 25
Part II: Transacademic aspirations (Questions 4 and 5) 26
Part III: Academic rigour (Questions 6 to 10) 27
Notes 29
Chapter 4: Why do you conduct interdisciplinary work? 30
Where do you position yourself on the refl ection scale? (Question 1) 30
To what end are you using knowledge from different disciplines? (Question 2) 37
What makes your work interdisciplinary? (Question 3) 42
Notes 46
Chapter 5: Why do you interact with society? 48
Academic knowledge and decision-making 48
Who participates in which part of the study and how? (Question 4) 51
Why do you interact with society? (Question 5) 56
A word of warning: Don’t be snobbish 58
Notes 59
Chapter 6: Rigorous but not rigid 61
On quality assessment 63
Confusing form and credibility – an example 64
Communication 67
Notes 73
Chapter 7: Marking your playground 74
Framing 75
Aim 79
Operationalizing the aim 82
Confusing interdisciplinarity with "Everything" 84
Notes 85
Chapter 8: Evidence that holds for scrutiny 86
How or why? 87
Common procedures 90
Mixing various types of empirical evidence 100
Notes 100
Chapter 9: Anchoring your canoe 101
Clarifying your sources 102
Anchoring your frame 103
Anchoring your method 106
Notes 110
Chapter 10: Analysis 111
Defi ning “analysis” 112
Clarifying the own, the new 115
Relevant literature – your canon 116
Common knowledge 119
Original research 119
Textbooks 122
The style of recognized scholars 124
Passive and active voice 126
Notes 129
Contents ix
Chapter 11: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 131
Headings 132
Where do I place the refl ections? 135
Where do I describe the context? 136
References 137
Notes 141
Chapter 12: Being interdisciplinary 142
Creating an open and respectful climate 143
Hierarchies that impair 144
Humbleness and courage 147
Outstanding studies 148
Dialogue, feedback and how to manage supervisors 149
Notes 150
References 152
Primary sources 152
Secondary sources 154
Index 158
