Digital Research Report: Interdisciplinary Research - Methodologies for Identification and Assessment

The objective of the study behind this report was to compare the consistency of indicators of ‘interdisciplinarity’ and to identify a preferred methodology. The outcomes reveal that choice of data, methodology and indicators can produce seriously inconsistent results despite a common set of disciplines and countries.

This raises questions about how interdisciplinarity is identified and assessed. It reveals a disconnect between the research metadata analysts typically use and the research activity they assume they have analysed. The results highlight issues around the responsible use of ‘metrics’ and the importance of analysts clarifying the link between any quantitative proxy indicator and the assumed policy target.