Defining and assessing research quality in a transdisciplinary context

Belcher, B.; Rasmussen, Katherine E.; Kemshaw, Matthew; Zornes, Deborah

doi:10.1093/reseval/rvv025

Cited by 213 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…In our case, the TD process was successful in the four aspects Belcher et al (2016) identified for assessing the quality of TD research: (1) relevance, (2) credibility, (3) legitimacy, and (4) effectiveness. (1) The participants became aware of additional problem owners ("colleagues") from other thought-styles and consequently were more convinced about the relevance of the issue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

How transdisciplinary projects influence participants’ ways of thinking: a case study on future landscape development

2018

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Transdisciplinary (TD) approaches have increasingly been promoted in the field of land-use research. However, the theoretical discourse about transdisciplinarity is far more advanced than its implementation in practice. In particular, empirical studies about the effects of concrete TD projects on the participants are rare. We evaluated joint knowledge generation among researchers and non-academics in a TD research programme on urban and landscape development. For the assessment we used standardised questionnaires, our own observations, and a simplified implementation of the 'most significant change' method. The evaluation revealed that the participants gained considerable TD knowledge through encountering different thought-styles and problem owners. They together developed a feeling of companionship, broadened their views on the issue and, consequently, attributed increased legitimacy to it. The following aspects of TD research were found to be successful as the programme: offered opportunities for enthusiasm; used a form of communication that promotes mutual trust; and provided boundary objects. Similar to other studies, we observed the creation of hybrid spaces and communities of research and practice where the participants could build up mutual trust, interact with other thought-styles, and jointly develop their TD knowledge.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

How transdisciplinary projects influence participants’ ways of thinking: a case study on future landscape development

2018

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“…Building on existing literature, the survey consisted of 33 questions, spanning credibility, salience, legitimacy, and capacity building as criteria or principles to bridge the divide of science and nonscience (Cash et al 2002, Hegger et al 2012, Chaudhury et al 2013, Belcher et al 2016. Credibility describes the technical quality and adequacy of information, salience its relevance for decision making, and legitimacy whether the whole process was fair and respectful of stakeholders (Clark et al 2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic evaluation of scenario assessments supporting sustainable integrated natural resources management: evidence from four case studies in Africa

Reinhardt¹,

Liersch²,

Abdeladhim³

et al. 2018

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Scenarios have become a key tool for supporting sustainability research on regional and global change. In this study we evaluate four regional scenario assessments: first, to explore a number of research challenges related to sustainability science and, second, to contribute to sustainability research in the specific case studies. The four case studies used commonly applied scenario approaches that are (i) a story and simulation approach with stakeholder participation in the Oum Zessar watershed, Tunisia, (ii) a participatory scenario exploration in the Rwenzori region, Uganda, (iii) a model-based prepolicy study in the Inner Niger Delta, Mali, and (iv) a model coupling-based scenario analysis in upper Thukela basin, South Africa. The scenario assessments are evaluated against a set of known challenges in sustainability science, with each challenge represented by two indicators, complemented by a survey carried out on the perception of the scenario assessments within the case study regions. The results show that all types of scenario assessments address many sustainability challenges, but that the more complex ones based on story and simulation and model coupling are the most comprehensive. The study highlights the need to investigate abrupt system changes as well as governmental and political factors as important sources of uncertainty. For an in-depth analysis of these issues, the use of qualitative approaches and an active engagement of local stakeholders are suggested. Studying ecological thresholds for the regional scale is recommended to support research on regional sustainability. The evaluation of the scenario processes and outcomes by local researchers indicates the most transparent scenario assessments as the most useful. Focused, straightforward, yet iterative scenario assessments can be very relevant by contributing information to selected sustainability problems.

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“…Once again, the ability of a team leader to manage any resulting tension in teams with academic and non-academic members, is critical to the successful outcome of the review. Indeed, producing knowledge combined with getting things done underpin good transdisciplinary research, which is commonly assessed in terms of relevance, credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness in problem solving or social change [41].…”

Section: Practical Challenges and Ultimate Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transdisciplinary working to shape systematic reviews and interpret the findings: commentary

Oliver¹,

Garner

Heywood

et al. 2017

Environ Evid

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Important policy questions tend to span a range of academic disciplines, and the relevant research is often carried out in a variety of social, economic and geographic contexts. In efforts to synthesise research to help inform decisions arising from the policy questions, systematic reviews need conceptual frameworks and ways of thinking that combine knowledge drawn from different academic traditions and contexts; in other words, transdisciplinary research. This paper considers how transdisciplinary working can be achieved with: conceptual frameworks that span traditional academic boundaries; methods for shaping review questions and conceptual frameworks; and methods for interpreting the relevance of findings to different contexts. It also discusses the practical challenges and ultimate benefits of transdisciplinary working for systematic reviews.

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Defining and assessing research quality in a transdisciplinary context

Cited by 213 publications

References 41 publications

How transdisciplinary projects influence participants’ ways of thinking: a case study on future landscape development

How transdisciplinary projects influence participants’ ways of thinking: a case study on future landscape development

Systematic evaluation of scenario assessments supporting sustainable integrated natural resources management: evidence from four case studies in Africa

Transdisciplinary working to shape systematic reviews and interpret the findings: commentary

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