Interdisciplinary research stems from a comprehensive epistemological vision that addresses complex problems requiring multidimensional approaches through integrative interaction among disciplines. Such research provides a foundational pathway for understanding contemporary issues and delivering innovative solutions with broad scientific and societal impact. It integrates methodologies, perspectives, and tools from multiple fields, producing new knowledge that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries and drives tangible development and innovation.
Interdisciplinary research draws on diverse academic contributions rooted in two major domain clusters:
1. Humanities and Social Sciences, including education, social sciences, law, psychology, economics, and health sciences, which focus on human behavior and societal structures.
2. Applied and Technical Sciences, such as computer science, engineering and technological fields, life sciences, physical sciences, arts, and business management, which emphasize innovation, technical solutions, and applied development.
This disciplinary diversity enriches knowledge by combining distinct expertise and complementary methodologies from seemingly unrelated domains to achieve more holistic insights and solutions.
To ensure quality and impact, interdisciplinary research outputs should clearly reflect their collaborative and integrative nature through elements such as the research title, abstract, authors’ disciplinary affiliations, keywords, selected journal, references, and international collaboration. These elements should demonstrate methodological and disciplinary integration
Methodology of Interdisciplinary Scientific Research
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| Category | Elements |
Research Problem | -
|
Social and Human Sciences | Education – Social Sciences – Law – Psychology – Economics – Health Sciences |
Applied and Technical Sciences | Computer Science – Engineering and Technology – Life Sciences – Physical Sciences – Arts and Humanities – Business |
Core Academic Publishing Elements | Abstract – Scientific Journal – References |
Publication Metadata | Authors – Title – Keywords – International Collaboration
|
Criteria for Classifying Research as Interdisciplinary and its quality indicators
Modern scientific databases, supported by bibliometric analysis and artificial intelligence, employ specific conditions and quantitative indicators to assess the interdisciplinarity of research:
1. Multi-Subject Classification
A research study is deemed interdisciplinary if it is classified under more than one scientific field, according to standardized subject classification systems.
2. Citation Network Analysis
This involves analyzing the references cited by the study to determine if they originate from different disciplines—citations from varied scientific areas are strong evidence of interdisciplinarity.
3. Author and Institutional Collaboration Analysis
This assesses the academic backgrounds of authors and the extent of collaboration among research institutions or universities from different disciplines.
4. Journal Classification and Scope
If the journal itself is classified as interdisciplinary in scope, then publications within it are typically considered interdisciplinary.
5. Keyword and Abstract Analysis
Text mining tools are used to identify whether terminology from multiple fields appears in the abstract and keywords.
6. Research Output Metrics
This evaluates the study’s contribution to multiple fields and assesses whether it has generated scientific impact across disciplines.
| Mandatory
| Computer Science | Computer Science |
Engineering and Technology | General Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical, Civil, Chemical Engineering |
Life Sciences | Agriculture and Forestry, Biological Sciences, Veterinary Sciences, Mathematical Sciences |
Physical Sciences | Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences |
| Optional
| Health Sciences | Medicine and Dentistry, Other Health Specialties |
Social Sciences | Media and Communication, Politics and International Relations, Sociology, Geography |
Law
| Law |
Education | Education |
Psychology | Psychology |
| Excluded (per THE classification)
| Economics
| Economics and Econometrics |
Arts and Humanities | Arts, Languages and Literature, Philosophy, Architecture, Archaeology |
Business | Business, Management, Finance, Accounting |
Health Sciences | Translational Medicine
|
Key Notes on Interdisciplinary Research
1. Interdisciplinary research may involve integration between main disciplines (11 total) or sub-disciplines (31) within the same main field.
For instance, a study combining engineering and medicine is interdisciplinary at the main discipline level, while combining mechanical engineering with law reflects interdisciplinarity at the sub-discipline level.
2. According to the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Ranking, a study is not classified as interdisciplinary unless it includes one of the four mandatory disciplines (Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, or Physical Sciences), either at the main or sub-discipline level.
Research limited to Arts and Humanities, Business, or Translational Medicine is excluded from this classification.