Interdisciplinary Research Journeys: Practical Strategies for Capturing Creativity

Description

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Interdisciplinarity' has become a rallying cry among funders and leaders of research. Yet, while the creative potential of interdisciplinary research is great, it poses many challenges. If you don't have disciplinary boundaries, how do you decide what to include or leave out? And what are the parameters for evaluating the research? This book provides a practical guide for researchers and research managers who are seeking to develop interdisciplinary research strategies at a personal, institutional and multi-institutional level. The book draws on examples from across the social and natural sciences but also offers valuable lessons for other combinations of more proximate disciplines. At a time when interdisciplinary research is increasingly centre stage in the research agenda, this book offers a crucial practical guide for researchers, research funders and managers from all backgrounds and contexts.

Catherine Lyall is Deputy Director of Innogen at The Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Together with her co-authors, Ann Bruce, Joyce Tait and Laura Meagher, their experience spans research centres, industry, NGOs and university contexts. Their work is devoted to advancing an understanding of science and technology policy formation and strategic decision-making.

This book is an essential guide for researchers and research managers in how to do interdisciplinary projects and programmes. Written by a team highly experienced in the conduct and evaluation of interdisciplinary work, the book is full of helpful tips and practical examples. -- Philip Lowe, Duke of Northumberland Professor of Rural Economy, Director of the UK Research Councils' Rural Economy and Land-Use (Relu) Programme This timely new book marks an important turning point in the literature. It brings together conceptual insights with wisdom of practice for capacity building. Overviews of key topics are enriched by short case studies, advice boxes, and reflective questions for individuals and teams at all levels and stages of design, development, management, and evaluation. Grounded in literature and hands-on experience, the volume provides a wide audience with informed and tested lessons about strategies both within and across institutional sectors. -- Julie Thompson Klein, Professor of Humanities, Department of English and Faculty Fellow in the Office for Teaching and Learning, Wayne State University Rigorously researched, clearly structured, and entertainingly written, Interdisciplinary Research Journeys will be essential reading for researchers, managers, and policy-makers alike. -- Andrew Barry, University of Oxford