Interdisciplinary Work at the Frontier: An Empirical Examination of Expert Epistemologies

Abstract

At the frontier of knowledge production, boundary-crossing takes place at a variety of disciplinary crossroads. This paper reports the results of an empirical study of work carried out at five major research institutions. The study is based of in-depth interview data (N = 55), complemented by samples of published work and institutional documentation. At least three approaches to interdisciplinary inquiry are identified: conceptual-bridging, comprehensive, and pragmatic. Each approach embodies preferred epistemological mechanisms for disciplinary integration and favors particular validation criteria by which interdisciplinary insights are assessed.