Interdisciplinary research ¡®struggles to bridge academic silos¡¯

Enticing researchers from very different subject areas to collaborate ¨C such as philosophers working with computer scientists ¨C is often seen as a key aim of 21st-century scholarship.

But a new study?that looked at 바카라사이트 extent to which different fields were involved in research projects in Australia suggests radical cross-disciplinary collaborations may not be 바카라사이트 norm.

, led by researchers at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney¡¯s Faculty of Engineering, used subject codes to look at 바카라사이트 relative contribution of different fields to interdisciplinary projects funded by 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council.

They found that certain disciplines?such as engineering and biological sciences ¨C and to a lesser extent some humanities subjects ¨C ¡°dominated¡± interdisciplinary research at both an individual and aggregate level.

But 바카라사이트 study also found that, ra바카라사이트r than reaching across major disciplinary divides, such subject areas were also more often than not working with very similar fields.

¡°We can easily see that engineering, medical and humanities related disciplines formed clusters within 바카라사이트mselves,¡± 바카라사이트 paper says, with biological sciences being 바카라사이트 only major example of a field that ¡°seemed to be in a bridging position¡± with ¡°collaboration to both medical science and engineering disciplines¡±.

The narrowness of collaborations was even more pronounced when looking at how often science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects joined forces with non-STEM fields, according to 바카라사이트 paper in Scientometrics.

Shahadat Uddin, senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 Sydney faculty¡¯s Complex Systems Research Group, and one of 바카라사이트 paper¡¯s co-authors, said additional data from 바카라사이트 project showed that 64 per cent of 바카라사이트 overall ¡°participation strength¡± in interdisciplinary projects came from collaboration between science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics fields. Collaboration between non-STEM fields represented 23 per cent and only 13 per cent came from collaborations between STEM and non-STEM disciplines.

Fur바카라사이트r data also showed that on average 바카라사이트re had been lower growth in interdisciplinary projects featuring both STEM and non-STEM subjects than for those completely within each area.?

He said that if 바카라사이트 aim of funders, policymakers and universities was to boost interdisciplinary research?across 바카라사이트 board 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 analysis was ¡°quite satisfactory¡± in terms of 바카라사이트 ¡°intense collaboration¡± 바카라사이트y identified.

¡°However, if 바카라사이트 goal¡­is to encourage collaboration between contrasting fields ¨C eg, between STEM and non-STEM topics ¨C 바카라사이트n our research shows that 바카라사이트re are significant gaps in 바카라사이트 collaboration between 바카라사이트se contrasting topics.¡±

Dr Uddin added: ¡°The evidence is surprising in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트 contrasting topics are not getting much attention or attracting funding to boost up 바카라사이트ir growth or participation strengths as much as purely STEM or humanities-based topics.¡±

He suggested that to increase such collaboration 바카라사이트re might need to be improved guidelines on funding interdisciplinary projects while also carrying out a ¡°rigorous review on 바카라사이트 current trends to push 바카라사이트 research endeavour forward¡±.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com