An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Research

Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapter guides

Part 1: The Handbook – ‘The What’
1. Introduction
2 What is science? A brief philosophy of science
2.1 What is science?
2.2 Moving through the Science Cycle

3. The disciplines
3.1 Academic disciplines: A brief history
3.2 Our definition of a discipline
3.3 Classification of academic disciplines

4. Interdisciplinarity

5. Complexity: the main driving force behind interdisciplinarity
5.1 Complex (adaptive) systems
5.2 Complexity broken down into drivers of interdisciplinarity

6. Interdisciplinary integration
6.1 Communication as a first step to integration
6.2 Integration techniques

Part 2: The Manual – ‘The How’
7. The interdisciplinary research process
7.1 The IIS model of interdisciplinary research
7.2 Planning your research project

8. The problem
Step 1 Identify problem or topic
Step 2 Formulate preliminary research question

9. Theoretical framework and research question
Step 3 Develop theoretical framework
Step 4 Finalize research question
Step 5 Formulate sub-questions

10. How to collect and analyze your data
Step 6 Develop research methods and design
Step 7 Data collection and analysis

11 Discussion and conclusion(s)
Step 8 Interpret results, discuss research & draw conclusion(s)

Part 3: Interdisciplinary research in practice
12. Interdisciplinary research example: fogponics
Step 1 Identify problem or topic
Step 2 Formulate preliminary research question
Step 3 Develop theoretical framework
Step 4 Finalize research question
Step 5 Formulate sub-questions
Step 6 Develop research methods and design
Step 7 Data collection and analysis
Step 8 Interpret results, discuss research & draw conclusion(s)

13. Interdisciplinary careers

Further reading
References
References Research projects undertaken by IIS students