The Importance of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Academia

Written by Grace Tarrant

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

Learning what is considered ‘good research’ and how it is achieved are some of the first steps to becoming a graduate student who intends to write a thesis. This may be the first time students think about research professionally, which can be a daunting experience. The journey can be short-term or lifelong, depending on the preferred career path chosen by the student. Regardless of the desired path, carefully considering the implications of research and its broader goals is essential.

Researchers may have different styles of research and ways that they prefer to conduct a project. The type of one’s research approach may depend on the field, focus, time, and financial constraints. However, at the macro level, the goal of research is generally to help make sense of the world, make meaningful contributions to knowledge, and help advance society based on findings and conclusions. One of the ways that research can be improved in this way is through interdisciplinary collaboration, which ensures that various perspectives are present when examining a problem. 

Interdisciplinary collaboration helps to increase nuance and complexity when conducting a research project. Collaboration amongst people of various backgrounds increases creativity and innovation capacities, leading to more comprehensive research, which would benefit society more than research from one viewpoint.

Many researchers from different backgrounds claim that we — as a society— are on the brink of a polycrisis, making collective problem-solving tools in research ever so crucial to practice. We also live in an increasingly divisive society, whereby people are coerced into more individualistic mindsets, which is not beneficial to the research world. To efficiently combat these multidimensional problems facing our society, it is vital that those in positions to benefit society with new knowledge do so alongside one another.

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There are too many examples where interdisciplinary research has been needed in the past but has yet to be practiced. The research world greatly influences society; however, if research is only conducted from one perspective, it will often only be considered from that perspective. Environmentalists worldwide have stressed the need for sustainable business practices for decades, particularly concerning the rate of carbon emissions. However, that perspective has yet to be included in much of the work of economists when advising the world on approaches to improve economic conditions. Collaboration between those two crucial disciplines could improve short-sighted, unsustainable solutions and create better-informed calls to action.

Interdisciplinary practices do not have to begin in graduate studies; departments in undergraduate universities could be considering how to introduce this earlier to increase comfort before the actual research occurs. If departments practiced interdisciplinary collaboration, it could help students practice seeing the world from multiple perspectives, introduce students to people outside their circles, and lead to more substantial and developed interests and perspectives.

There is not one best way to practice collaboration within academia. This approach does not suggest that people should not work diligently to become experts within their research fields. Interdisciplinary collaboration solely entails developing relationships with those from different backgrounds to ensure that the perspective is well-rounded and participating in collaborative activities when able. Additionally, not all fields can accommodate this based on the extent of specialization needed to do research within particular areas.

Some people's interests are naturally diverse. Some fields also naturally overlap, requiring interaction with people of different backgrounds. However, getting into the habit of involving more people in helping to answer substantial questions about the world will provide better solutions that will reach more of those looking for a solution.