Disciplinary, Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary - Concepts and Indicators
Paper for the 8th conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics – ISSI2001, Sydney. Australia, July 16-20, 2001, (2001)Abstract
The production of knowledge is dominantly organized in disciplines. At the same time, multidisciplinary and
interdisciplinary research is developing at the boundaries of the scientific disciplines. In this paper we compare
disciplinary and non-disciplinary forms of knowledge production in terms of communication patterns. We will suggest
an indicator for measuring the degree of interdisciplinarity, and this allows us to evaluate the development of
interdisciplinary fields. The indicator is based on the patterns and intensity of the knowledge streams between research
fields. The communication of knowledge within a disciplinary field is expected to differ from the communication of
knowledge within a non-disciplinary field. The same holds for the communication between a disciplinary and a nondisciplinary
research field with their respective scientific environments. Clarifying these patterns of knowledge
communication improves our understanding of the nature and dynamics of non-disciplinary research, and we will
illustrate that interdisciplinary fields develop towards disciplinary patterns.
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