Identifying and Evaluating Disciplinary Insights
Any research project forms part of an ongoing academic conversation. Quality interdisciplinary research will be grounded in a critical appreciation of what has been said regarding the research question across disciplines (and interdisciplinary fields). Interdisciplinary researchers must then first identify relevant disciplines, theories, methods, phenomena, and (sometimes) other types of knowledge. They must search various literatures for relevant insights. And then these insights must be critically evaluated.
This step has several components:
Identifying Relevant Phenomena
Identifying Relevant Theories and Methods
Identifying Relevant Disciplines
Note: The tasks of identifying disciplines, and of identifying theories, methods, and phenomena, are mutually reinforcing. These tasks can be performed in any order and iteratively.
Identifying other Types of Knowledge