Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity
Rhoten and Pfirman (2006) identify a common theme that interdisciplinarity is the "integration or synthesis of two or more disparate disciplines, bodies of knowledge, or modes of thinking to produce a meaning, explanation, or product that is more extensive and powerful than its constituent parts." Authors variously attribute four key dimensions to interdisciplinary activity: cross-fertilisation, team work and social goal orientation, but the defining characteristic of interdisciplinary research is field-creation, which is where the breaking of boundaries of different fields of expertise leads to a new discipline. Example: Bioinformatics, which is the use of applied mathematics, statistics, computer science, artificial intelligence and biochemistry to solve biological problems at the molecular level.
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