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Monodisciplinary Vs Pluridisciplinary Research - ILTER
Monodisciplinary Vs Pluridisciplinary Research - ILTER
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The history, science and politics of pluridisciplinary (often referred to as multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary) research have been the subject of
academic debates and inquiry. In addition to these two generic terminologies that have sometimes been used interchangeably, other delineations and
refinements of pluridisciplinary research have been suggested. [1]
For the purposes of fine-tuning and sharpening the process of review according to the scope of the studies, it may be of interest to categorize studies into
monodisciplinary and pluridisciplinary when appropriate. Research studies increasingly draw on knowledge and expertise outside of one main
discipline. In some fields, there are no specific modalities incorporated to deal with pluridisciplinary studies while other instruments may be designed to
specifically foster and manage these kinds of research.
Currently in the specialized literature there are ongoing discussions on the different types of pluridisciplinary research. The term pluridisciplinary may
be used in the widest sense, i.e., research studies that clearly and genuinely require expertise from a broad range of different disciplinary domains.
The need for academic attention and precision in characterizing and defining various types of pluridisciplinary research has been driven by the fact that
pioneering scientific discovery and scholarly achievements have increasingly occurred at the intersections of, or through the involvement of
collaborators from, more than one traditional discipline or field of study. Despite these developments, implications of the disciplinary character of
research topics on defining optimal peer review processes have not received equal attention within the interested scientific communities.
While recognizing the inherent heterogeneity of the different types of pluridisciplinary research, seven generic principles each with several key insights
that are aimed at creating a coherent framework for addressing evaluation. These are:
1. variability of goals,
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Defining effective and fit-for-purpose approaches of peer review applicable to multi-, inter-, cross- and trans-disciplinary studies is important. Despite
some apparent misalignments of scholarly and disciplinary outlooks on pluridisciplinary research (for example, going across the health sciences, to
engineering, to arts and humanities), it is hoped that the scheme proposed in this section will create a baseline point of reference including a set of
general recommendations for dealing with these variants in a consistent manner. Indeed, if the idea is to promote research collaboration across
geographical and disciplinary borders, a common point of reference would be of real value in reconciling or at least in contextualising the different
perspectives.
Next section illustrates the interaction of disciplines that give rise to research topics. The boundaries separating some of the four categories from each
other may be subject to interpretation when it comes to applying this scheme to real examples.
Multidisciplinarity
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Multidisciplinarity is concerned with the study of a research topic within one discipline, with support from other disciplines, bringing together multiple
dimensions, but always in the service of the driving discipline. Disciplinary elements retain their original identity. It fosters wider knowledge,
information and methods.
Example
Interdisciplinarity
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Interdisciplinarity is concerned with the study of a research topic within multiple disciplines, and with the transfer of methods from one discipline to
another. The research topic integrates different disciplinary approaches and methods.
Example
Crossdisciplinarity
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Crossdisciplinarity is concerned with the study of a research topic at the intersection of multiple disciplines, and with the commonalities among the
disciplines involved.
Example
Transdisciplinarity
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Transdisciplinarity is concerned at once with what is between, across and beyond all the disciplines with the goal of understanding the present world
under an imperative of unity of knowledge.
Example
References
1. For more information please see; European Peer Review Guide Integrating Policies and Practices into Coherent Procedures, 2011, http://www.esf.org
2. Graphics are redrawn by me, please check above reference item for original copies.
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