Interdisciplinary Research Journeys: Practical Strategies for Capturing Creativity

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
List of Figures......Page 7
List of Tables......Page 8
List of Boxes......Page 9
List of Illustrations......Page 12
Acknowledgements......Page 13
List of Acronyms......Page 14
Introduction......Page 16
How to read this book......Page 17
Our approach......Page 19
Introduction......Page 22
New research journeys......Page 24
Disciplines and subject areas......Page 26
Beyond disciplines......Page 27
Interdisciplinary research......Page 28
Academically oriented interdisciplinary research......Page 29
Problem-focused interdisciplinary research......Page 32
The value of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research......Page 33
Integrative approaches......Page 34
Summary......Page 37
For research funders......Page 38
Introduction......Page 40
Deciding on the focus......Page 41
Identifying team members......Page 44
Methodological commitments......Page 45
The human dimension......Page 48
Interdisciplinary integrators......Page 50
Conceptualizing the problem......Page 51
Organizing the work......Page 54
Integration approaches......Page 55
Extra time and effort......Page 59
Summary......Page 63
For institutional leaders......Page 64
For research funders......Page 65
Introduction......Page 66
Shared vision......Page 67
Trust-building......Page 72
Communication and mutual understanding......Page 74
Roles, responsibilities and rewards......Page 77
Taking the extra time to prepare......Page 78
Managing the team......Page 79
Maintaining the team......Page 83
Key leadership roles and traits......Page 85
Continuing the journey......Page 91
For researchers......Page 93
For research funders......Page 94
Introduction......Page 95
Building capacity: Some challenges......Page 96
Our response to these challenges......Page 101
Reflecting on aptitudes for interdisciplinary research......Page 104
Supervising an interdisciplinary PhD......Page 108
Developing and maintaining a committed supervisory team......Page 109
Structuring and writing an interdisciplinary thesis......Page 110
Building an interdisciplinary network......Page 111
Mentoring and career guidance......Page 113
Summary......Page 114
For researchers......Page 116
For research funders......Page 117
Introduction......Page 118
Types of interdisciplinary careers......Page 119
Career risks and benefits......Page 121
Adding value to different career dimensions through interdisciplinarity......Page 125
Undergraduate teaching......Page 126
PhD supervision......Page 129
Synergistic collaborations......Page 130
Careers beyond academia......Page 132
Your personal career development strategy......Page 135
Summary......Page 150
For research funders......Page 151
Introduction......Page 152
Judging quality in interdisciplinary proposals and outcomes......Page 154
Judging interdisciplinary evaluation processes......Page 158
Evaluating interdisciplinary research proposals from early career researchers or small teams......Page 165
Evaluation of interdisciplinary programmes, centres and funding schemes......Page 168
Evaluation within institutions......Page 172
Self-evaluation......Page 175
For researchers......Page 177
For research funders and evaluators......Page 178
Introduction......Page 179
Knowledge goals......Page 180
Knowledge exchange......Page 181
Drivers for interdisciplinarity and impact......Page 183
A third wave of interdisciplinarity?......Page 187
Design issues......Page 188
Research management issues......Page 195
Working with non-academic partners......Page 198
Acknowledging the role of 'knowledge intermediaries'......Page 199
Contrasts with 'traditional' academic research......Page 200
Summary......Page 203
For researchers......Page 204
For research funders......Page 205
Introduction......Page 206
Building strategic visions......Page 209
Engaging partners in the strategy......Page 211
Networking for success?......Page 212
Making strategic use of interdisciplinarity......Page 213
Facilitating interdisciplinarity......Page 214
Protecting and rewarding interdisciplinary researchers......Page 215
The evolution of the future academic landscape......Page 216
Concluding remarks......Page 220
Appendix 1: The Authors' Own Interdisciplinary Research Journeys......Page 225
Appendix 2: Shaping Interdisciplinary Research Futures – Questions for Readers......Page 232
Notes......Page 239
Bibliography......Page 241
C......Page 250
G......Page 251
K......Page 252
P......Page 253
S......Page 254
Y......Page 255