Searching the Existing Literature

Interdisciplinarians face much greater difficulties here than disciplinarians. First, the scope of the literature search is generally greater because of the interest in complex problems. Second, library and online catalogues are organized around disciplines, and thus interdisciplinarians will need to master the terminology employed within each relevant discipline if they are not to miss important works. Perhaps the best advice to give the interdisciplinarian here is that no search strategy is perfect. The use of multiple strategies is thus recommended:

· Subject searching is highly recommended, but requires the researcher to identify appropriate subject headings. These may differ by discipline. Since books are usually only identified in terms of a handful of subjects at most, subject searching will not identify all relevant works.

· Keyword searching is easier, but there is a greater risk that important works will be missed simply because different terminology is employed in certain disciplines.

· The above strategies work best for books. For articles, there are various online databases that can be searched. Some are general, others specific to disciplines. Most university libraries will provide an overview of the databases that can be searched.

· Full text searching is increasingly possible. The advantage is that one can find works that address one’s topic in the text but not at such length that the topic is reflected in title, abstract or subject headings. While some view full text searching as a panacea for the challenges of interdisciplinary literature searches, the problem of different terminology in different disciplines still remains.

· Consulting experts in disciplines not represented in the research team is time-consuming but can not only identify works that other strategies might miss but aid in placing these in context

· Consulting experts outside the academy will be crucial if the research process will embrace non-academic insights, for these are often difficult or impossible to identify through library search strategies.

· Browsing the shelves near works that have been identified by other strategies will often uncover new works that are relevant.

· Following citation trails (backward through the work’s list of references, or forward by consulting citation indices) can also be valuable. In doing so we have access to the results of other scholars’ search strategies. But important works may have been missed by others.

When the interdisciplinarian proceeds to reading works, it is important to keep track not only of the insights generated by a work, but also of its disciplinary perspective, theories and methods employed, data utilized, concepts employed, and phenomena and relationships studied. This will facilitate evaluation of these insights. The researcher will find that some authors are less clear than they should be about some of these elements.

Joan Fiscella, ”Access to Interdisciplinary Information: Setting the Problem,” Issues in Integrative Studies 7 (1989), 73-92.

• Joan Fiscella (ed.) Special volume of Issues in Integrative Studies 10 (1992) on Interdisciplinarity and Information: Issues of Access, (with articles by Searing, Hubbard, Witthus, Beck, Carp, Sebberson, and Hayles).

• William Newell, “Distinctive Challenges of Library-based Interdisciplinary Research and Writing: A Guide,” Issues in Integrative Studies 25 (2007), 84-110.