Interdisciplinarity in theory and practice
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
Nowadays, it is almost a truism to state that interdisciplinary research and collaboration are essential to finding solutions to pressing societal and global challenges. While it is now a given that research directed towards policy- and decision-making should rest on the integration of concepts, methods, and principles from disparate disciplines, it is also true that authentic interdisciplinarity does not merely happen by osmosis.
This collection is therefore concerned primarily with the theory and practice of interdisciplinarity. By practice we specifically refer to the ‘nuts and bolts’ of making interdisciplinarity happen in reality—that is, the mechanisms and processes utilised to bring different disciplinary methods and academic traditions together.
Perspectives are welcomed on a range of themes, including but not limited to:
- Evolving definitions of interdisciplinarity and related concepts
- Different perspectives on the value and urgency of interdisciplinary collaborations
- The place of interdisciplinarity in shaping policy, such as in relation to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs)
- The mechanics and processes required to make interdisciplinary research happen in ‘real world’ scenarios
- Structural drivers of interdisciplinarity, including educational institutions, assessment exercises and research funding
- The challenges, pitfalls and hurdles involved in integrating disparate disciplinary approaches, methodologies and communities
- Case studies of interdisciplinary research—lessons learnt and implications for future research
- Spotlights and future perspectives on new, emerging ‘interdisciplines’
- Perspectives on the unique features of bridging the gap between non-science and science disciplines
Note: Papers that report research that is inherently interdisciplinary, but which otherwise does not explicitly consider the theory and/or practice of ‘interdisciplinarity’ as a concept will be considered out of scope of this collection, and instead will be processed for potential publication in the general section of the journal.
