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The many dimensions of laboratories’ interdisciplinarity

Author

Listed:
  • Pablo Jensen

    (UMR CNRS 5672, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon)

  • Katsiaryna Lutkouskaya

    (UMR CNRS 5672, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon)

Abstract

Interdisciplinarity is as trendy as it is difficult to define. Instead of trying to capture a multidimensional object with a single indicator, we propose six indicators, combining three different operationalizations of a discipline, two levels (article or laboratory) of integration of these disciplines and two measures of interdisciplinary diversity. This leads to a more meaningful characterization of the interdisciplinarity of laboratories’ publication practices. Thanks to a statistical analysis of these indicators on 600 CNRS laboratories, we suggest that, besides an average value of interdisciplinarity, different laboratories can be mainly distinguished by the “distance” between the disciplines in which they publish and by the scale at which interdisciplinary integration is achieved (article or laboratory).

Suggested Citation

  • Pablo Jensen & Katsiaryna Lutkouskaya, 2014. "The many dimensions of laboratories’ interdisciplinarity," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 98(1), pages 619-631, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:98:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-013-1129-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-013-1129-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andy Stirling, 2007. "A General Framework for Analysing Diversity in Science, Technology and Society," SPRU Working Paper Series 156, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
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    Cited by:

    1. Erin Leahey & Sondra N. Barringer & Misty Ring-Ramirez, 2019. "Universities’ structural commitment to interdisciplinary research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(3), pages 891-919, March.
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    3. Alfonso Ávila-Robinson & Cristian Mejia & Shintaro Sengoku, 2021. "Are bibliometric measures consistent with scientists’ perceptions? The case of interdisciplinarity in research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(9), pages 7477-7502, September.

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