Interdisciplinary Research
Process and Theory
5th Edition
Published on 11. July 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
424 pages
978-1-0718-8425-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book offers a comprehensive, systematic presentation of the interdisciplinary research process and the theory that informs it by drawing on student and professional work from a variety of fields. Examples have been updated in the Fifth Edition so most are more contemporary, new content has been added on mixed methods and team research to respond to the needs of graduate students, and content has been revised throughout to address the current thinking on interdisciplinarity and integration, and strategies for achieving common ground as an interdisciplinary research team.
More details
Edition
5th Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Thousand Oaks
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Edition type
Revised edition
Dimensions
Height: 186 mm
Width: 232 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
768 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-0718-8425-6 (9781071884256)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Book
02/2021
4th Edition
SAGE Publications Inc
€169.36
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Allen F. Repko, PhD, is the former director of the interdisciplinary studies program in the School of Urban and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he developed and taught the program's core curriculum for many years. The program is one of the largest in the United States. Repko has written extensively on all aspects of interdisciplinary studies, has twice served as coeditor of the interdisciplinary journal Issues in Integrative Studies, and has served on the board of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS).
Rick Szostak, PhD, is professor and chair of economics at the University of Alberta, where he has taught for 34 years. He is the author of a dozen books and 50 articles, all of an interdisciplinary nature. Several of his publications address how to do interdisciplinary research, teach interdisciplinary courses, administer interdisciplinary programs, or organize information in order to facilitate interdisciplinarity. As an associate dean, he created the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Alberta, the Science, Technology and Society program, an individualized major, and two courses about interdisciplinarity. He has twice served as coeditor of the interdisciplinary journal Issues in Integrative Studies. He was president of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) from 2011 to 2014. He can be contacted at rszostak@ualberta.ca.
Rick Szostak, PhD, is professor and chair of economics at the University of Alberta, where he has taught for 34 years. He is the author of a dozen books and 50 articles, all of an interdisciplinary nature. Several of his publications address how to do interdisciplinary research, teach interdisciplinary courses, administer interdisciplinary programs, or organize information in order to facilitate interdisciplinarity. As an associate dean, he created the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Alberta, the Science, Technology and Society program, an individualized major, and two courses about interdisciplinarity. He has twice served as coeditor of the interdisciplinary journal Issues in Integrative Studies. He was president of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) from 2011 to 2014. He can be contacted at rszostak@ualberta.ca.
Content
Preface
About the Authors
Part I: About Interdisciplinary Studies and Disciplines
Chapter 1: Introducing Interdisciplinary Studies
Defining Interdisciplinary Studies
The Intellectual Essence of Interdisciplinarity
Distinguishing Interdisciplinarity from Multidisciplinarity, Transdisciplinarity, and Integrative Studies
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 2: Introducing the Disciplines and Their Perspectives
Defining Disciplinary Perspective
How Knowledge Is Typically Reflected in the Organization of the Academy
Categories of Disciplines
Disciplinary Perspectives
Unpacking the Defining Elements of a Discipline's Perspective
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Part II: Drawing on Disciplinary Insights
Chapter 3: Beginning the Research Process
The Integrated Model of the Interdisciplinary Research Process
Key Characteristics of Interdisciplinary Research
STEP 1: Define the Problem or State the Research Question
Creativity and STEP 1
STEP 2: Justify Using an Interdisciplinary Approach
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 4: Identifying Relevant Disciplines
Select Potentially Relevant Disciplines
Map the Problem to Reveal Its Disciplinary Parts
Reduce the Number of Potentially Relevant Disciplines to Those That Are Most Relevant
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 5: Conducting the Literature Search
Meaning of Literature Search
Reasons for Conducting the Literature Search
Special Challenges Confronting Interdisciplinarians
The Initial Literature Search
The Full-Scale Literature Search
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 6: Developing Adequacy in Relevant Disciplines
The Meaning of Adequacy
Develop Adequacy in Theories
Develop Adequacy in Disciplinary Methods
Use and Evaluate Disciplinary Methods in Basic Research
Provide In-Text Evidence of Disciplinary Adequacy
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 7: Analyzing the Problem and Evaluating Insights
Analyze the Problem from Each Discipline's Perspective
Evaluate the Insights Produced by Each Discipline
Checklist for Evaluating Previous Research
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Part III: Integrating Insights
Chapter 8: Understanding Integration
What Interdisciplinary Integration Is
The Controversy Concerning Integration
Integration in the Broad Model
Questions Raised by This Discussion of Integration
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 9: Identifying Conflicts Among Insights and Their Sources
Identify Conflicting Insights
Locate Sources of Conflict Among Insights
Communicate Your Research to the Appropriate Audience
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 10: Creating Common Ground Among Insights: Concepts
About Interdisciplinary Common Ground
Create Common Ground
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 11: Creating Common Ground Among Insights: Causal Relationships
Causal Arguments
Create Common Ground Among Different Causal Explanations
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 12: Constructing a More Comprehensive Understanding
Definition of "More Comprehensive Understanding"
Be Creative
Construct the More Comprehensive Understanding from Modified Concepts
Construct a More Comprehensive Understanding from Causal Relationships
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 13: Reflecting on, Evaluating, and Communicating the Understanding
Reflect on the More Comprehensive Understanding
Evaluate the Quality of Interdisciplinary Work
Evaluate the More Comprehensive Understanding
Communicate the Results of Integration
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Conclusion: Interdisciplinarity for the New Century
Appendix: Interdisciplinary Resources
Glossary of Key Terms
References
Index
About the Authors
Part I: About Interdisciplinary Studies and Disciplines
Chapter 1: Introducing Interdisciplinary Studies
Defining Interdisciplinary Studies
The Intellectual Essence of Interdisciplinarity
Distinguishing Interdisciplinarity from Multidisciplinarity, Transdisciplinarity, and Integrative Studies
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 2: Introducing the Disciplines and Their Perspectives
Defining Disciplinary Perspective
How Knowledge Is Typically Reflected in the Organization of the Academy
Categories of Disciplines
Disciplinary Perspectives
Unpacking the Defining Elements of a Discipline's Perspective
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Part II: Drawing on Disciplinary Insights
Chapter 3: Beginning the Research Process
The Integrated Model of the Interdisciplinary Research Process
Key Characteristics of Interdisciplinary Research
STEP 1: Define the Problem or State the Research Question
Creativity and STEP 1
STEP 2: Justify Using an Interdisciplinary Approach
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 4: Identifying Relevant Disciplines
Select Potentially Relevant Disciplines
Map the Problem to Reveal Its Disciplinary Parts
Reduce the Number of Potentially Relevant Disciplines to Those That Are Most Relevant
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 5: Conducting the Literature Search
Meaning of Literature Search
Reasons for Conducting the Literature Search
Special Challenges Confronting Interdisciplinarians
The Initial Literature Search
The Full-Scale Literature Search
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 6: Developing Adequacy in Relevant Disciplines
The Meaning of Adequacy
Develop Adequacy in Theories
Develop Adequacy in Disciplinary Methods
Use and Evaluate Disciplinary Methods in Basic Research
Provide In-Text Evidence of Disciplinary Adequacy
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 7: Analyzing the Problem and Evaluating Insights
Analyze the Problem from Each Discipline's Perspective
Evaluate the Insights Produced by Each Discipline
Checklist for Evaluating Previous Research
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Part III: Integrating Insights
Chapter 8: Understanding Integration
What Interdisciplinary Integration Is
The Controversy Concerning Integration
Integration in the Broad Model
Questions Raised by This Discussion of Integration
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 9: Identifying Conflicts Among Insights and Their Sources
Identify Conflicting Insights
Locate Sources of Conflict Among Insights
Communicate Your Research to the Appropriate Audience
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 10: Creating Common Ground Among Insights: Concepts
About Interdisciplinary Common Ground
Create Common Ground
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 11: Creating Common Ground Among Insights: Causal Relationships
Causal Arguments
Create Common Ground Among Different Causal Explanations
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 12: Constructing a More Comprehensive Understanding
Definition of "More Comprehensive Understanding"
Be Creative
Construct the More Comprehensive Understanding from Modified Concepts
Construct a More Comprehensive Understanding from Causal Relationships
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Chapter 13: Reflecting on, Evaluating, and Communicating the Understanding
Reflect on the More Comprehensive Understanding
Evaluate the Quality of Interdisciplinary Work
Evaluate the More Comprehensive Understanding
Communicate the Results of Integration
Chapter Summary
Exercises
Conclusion: Interdisciplinarity for the New Century
Appendix: Interdisciplinary Resources
Glossary of Key Terms
References
Index