The field of academics has forever been altered by the Digital Age. Interdisciplinary research, or IDR, is the new boss in town when it comes to academia. How educators approach their curriculum, how researchers approach questions and analysis, and how the boundaries of subjects have become more elastic than rigid have all shifted. The cognizant focus has become integrating research throughout an interdisciplinary lens to measure and guide academic impact. This powerful change has completely renovated how research methodology is performed and viewed.

Researchers of IDR have a lot of pressure on them. This approach is heralded as one that will transform education in ways never before seen. Scholars get to be imaginative in predicting the future of classrooms in a digital era that is constantly evolving. They can mix and match disciplines of study in limitless combinations to look for consistent data that shows an approach is relevant to use in schools and universities alike.

What is IDR, Exactly?

Looking at the methods of research as it is approached through the perspective of IDR is unique. Now, scholars and researchers, in teams or alone, assess information as they observe it to then compile the data from their analyses. The concepts or theories must encompass two or more subject areas and should be applicable to a real-world context to aid in problem-solving skills. The idea is that by overlapping disciplines that were once rigidly separated, entirely new solutions to long-standing issues might emerge. 

Once a researcher or team has used their preferred method of data collection to formulate consistent results, the data is then dispersed to other experts. From there, it is correlated to techniques that could be used in the classroom and then developed into tools that educators can access to apply the information. Various perspectives must be included to ensure relevancy throughout the student dataset.

IDR Sounds Great, But There Are Challenges

As with any other emerging theory or philosophy, there are challenges that go along with the interdisciplinary approach. How does one determine the quality of research when there has never been a topic broached about the combination of concepts previously. 

Because of the important role IDR is set to play in the field of academics currently and in the future, it is necessary to have a consistent method of evaluation for all resources. Without consistency, scholarly research can lean towards subjective instead of objective, which would then create challenges to its legitimacy.

IDR research is the new methodology, and thus it will be used in scholarly journals, expert books published by reputable publishers, and other reliable outputs. When the research isn’t held up to a consistent lens, it becomes contested, making the publishing outlet look less valid. This, in turn, calls the other content published by that source into question.

This challenge leads to a domino effect of sources then being questioned by companies offering research grants. Funding organizations must be cautious and thorough when it comes to providing grants to those who submit proposals. Currently, they have sources that have undergone rigorous screening processes through old methodology of validating scholarly reputation. That method is in flux and quickly becoming obsolete. Where do these organizations then turn to for validity of sources if the publishers that were once legitimate are being questioned?

Consistency of the validity of research methodology must be accepted universally so that these challenges can be resolved before they create a detrimental academic impact.

Using IDR to Move Into the Classroom and Beyond

The entire point of field research is to make it relevant to use in the discipline of study being analyzed. For academia, the information has to be applicable in the classroom.

Through mixed methodologies, equality between disciplines means the time and expense of an IDR approach is worth it because the results are used on a broader scale. The resources are accessed by multiple educators and the data is cross-curricular and consistent. Because of this widespread ability to deploy the results of the IDR, the academic impact is significant. 

These sources are now used to challenge the students’ higher-level thinking skills. The data encourages learners to engage in critical thinking, attempt to create solutions to societal problems, and engage with others around the world to use diverse perspectives to approach a final decision.

Presenting Research Professionally with Impactio

Whether you’re using interdisciplinary research data to present your findings to colleagues or students, your output must be professionally put together in order to be taken seriously. Obsolete methods like PowerPoints and Prezio are time-consuming and complicated. Impactio is the doctoral level of presentations, combining text, graph, and research access/citations in one simple program.

With Impactio, your information is easily inserted into the pre-formatted templates. Your citation data is turned into graphs and insightful analytics reports that can be accessed by other experts in the field.

When you want to make an impact on your audience, use Impactio to present your achievements.