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Should we discipline interdisciplinarity?

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  • Gabriele Bammer

    (National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University)

Abstract

Could we overcome the challenges of embedding interdisciplinarity in the academic mainstream if relevant expertise were defined and recognised as a new discipline? Such expertise includes the ability to combine knowledge from different disciplines, as well as to assess which disciplines and stakeholders have relevant perspectives, figure out how elements of problems are interconnected, decide how to deal with critical unknowns, and use research to support evidence-based change. A new discipline of integration and implementation sciences (I2S) would codify such knowledge and skills, especially for dealing with complex societal and environmental problems. It would operate in an analogous way to the discipline of statistics, as a: (1) collaborative hub within teams, (2) focus for dedicated methods journals and (3) lobby group for effective application. Key initial tasks are to develop a repository of currently hard-to-access methods, and an identifiable academic community; both guided by a unifying and motivating vision of where disciplining interdisciplinarity will lead.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriele Bammer, 2017. "Should we discipline interdisciplinarity?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(1), pages 1-4, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:3:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-017-0039-7
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-017-0039-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Klein, Julie Thompson & Falk-Krzesinski, Holly J., 2017. "Interdisciplinary and collaborative work: Framing promotion and tenure practices and policies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(6), pages 1055-1061.
    2. Gabriele Bammer, 2016. "What constitutes appropriate peer review for interdisciplinary research?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 2(1), pages 1-5, December.
    3. Lindell Bromham & Russell Dinnage & Xia Hua, 2016. "Interdisciplinary research has consistently lower funding success," Nature, Nature, vol. 534(7609), pages 684-687, June.
    4. repec:pal:palcom:v:2016:y:2016:i:palcomms201617:p:16017- is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

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    2. Cyrille Rigolot, 2020. "Transdisciplinarity as a discipline and a way of being: complementarities and creative tensions," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-5, December.
    3. Sabine Hoffmann & Lisa Deutsch & Julie Thompson Klein & Michael O’Rourke, 2022. "Integrate the integrators! A call for establishing academic careers for integration experts," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Desmond Ng & Kerry Litzenberg, 2019. "Overcoming disciplinary divides in higher education: the case of agricultural economics," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, December.
    5. Amanda E. Cravens & Megan S. Jones & Courtney Ngai & Jill Zarestky & Hannah B. Love, 2022. "Science facilitation: navigating the intersection of intellectual and interpersonal expertise in scientific collaboration," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Cyrille Rigolot, 2021. "Organizing and better understanding transdisciplinarity in the context of artificial intelligence expansion: a crucial role for the new alliance between economics and engineering," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 48(4), pages 615-620, December.
    7. Hannah Howland & Vadim Keyser, 2023. "Built environment as interface: a relation-based framework for the intersections between built, biotic, social, and health processes during COVID-19 and beyond," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-20, December.
    8. Louise Freebairn & Jo-An Atkinson & Nathaniel D Osgood & Paul M Kelly & Geoff McDonnell & Lucie Rychetnik, 2019. "Turning conceptual systems maps into dynamic simulation models: An Australian case study for diabetes in pregnancy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(6), pages 1-27, June.

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