Report of the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council
2013-2014
The Interdisciplinary Advisory Council (IAC) is chaired by Carolyn Haynes, associate provost, and it includes
representatives from each academic division and the University Libraries: Bob Applebaum, Michael Bailey-Van
Kuren, H. Louise Davis, Peg Faimon, Tim Greenlee, Katie Johnson, Kate Kuvalanka, Chris Myers, Glenn Platt, and
Jen Waller.
During the 2013-2014 academic year, the IAC met ten times.
Below are the Council mission, goals and progress steps since the data of the last report (November 2012).
Council Mission
The Interdisciplinary Advisory Council works with faculty members and administrators from Miami University’s
six academic divisions to instigate and facilitate interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and instruction.
The IAC is additionally responsible for:
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Advancing greater understanding of interdisciplinarity among faculty, students, staff and external partners;
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Promoting interdisciplinary approaches to the curriculum, pedagogy and scholarship, and actively seeking
new partners interested in interdisciplinary endeavors;
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Providing a forum for faculty and administrators interested in interdisciplinary activities to network, share
ideas and collaborate on projects of mutual interest
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Collaborating with deans, department chairs and program directors to overcome obstacles to
interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship
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Forging structural changes to advance and generate interdisciplinary collaborations and activities, including
new appointments, promotion, and tenure guidelines, rewards and recognition, evaluation and assessment
processes, appropriate data collection, hiring procedures, and resource allocations.
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Partnering with the university development office to create strategies for interdisciplinary program
fundraising.
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Advocating interdisciplinary programs to the Miami community and external organizations.
Goals and Accomplishments
IAC Goal
1) Develop the council mission, and identify a set of
responsibilities.
Progress Steps
Mission statement and responsibilities developed and
approved (see above).
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2) Create an inventory of existing interdisciplinary
programs, centers and other signature activities,
and identify a process or processes for accurately
recording the divisional, departmental and
individual faculty contributions for
interdisciplinary courses.
3) Communicate with the Miami Plan Redesign Team
and the leadership of the Top 25 initiative about
the possibility of including interdisciplinary
learning in the new general education program
and existing foundation courses.
4) Develop a consistent policy for the cross-listing of
courses and procedures for developing new
subject codes or prefixes for courses.
5) Define the various models of team-teaching, and
develop a rubric or some other mechanism for
appropriately assessing and recognizing the
contributions of instructors engaged in team
teaching.
6) Create a website for interdisciplinary teaching,
learning, and research at Miami.
7) Launch “i-Network” which is aimed at faculty and
administrators interested in interdisciplinary
teaching, learning and scholarship.
Questions related to interdisciplinary programs,
courses and other activities added to the Compliance
Assist Integrated Template.
Two IAC members served on the Miami Plan Redesign
team , and one member served on the Liberal
Education Council. They were able to encourage the
inclusion of the integrative learning competency as
well as a new experiential learning requirement in the
new Miami Plan redesign effort.
New guidelines developed, vetted with
interdisciplinary program directors, revised, and
approved by Academic Policy Committee, COAD and
Senate in fall 2013. See Appendix A.
Team-teaching guidelines developed, shared with
interdisciplinary program directors, revised, and
shared with individual deans. Revised guidelines were
submitted to and approved by COAD in fall 2013. See
Appendix B.
Purpose, goals, and intended audience for website
developed; content and site was launched in October
2013. See: www.miamioh.edu/oue
Kick-off event held in November 2013 with over 40
faculty members in attendance. A list of ideas,
barriers, and suggested steps for improving
interdisciplinary learning at Miami was developed.
See Appendix C for summary of ideas generated at the
event.
Workshop held in February 2014. See Appendix D for
workshop agenda.
8) Hold workshop for new and continuing faculty to
introduce them to resources for interdisciplinary
teaching and research and to forge crossdepartmental and cross-divisional partnerships.
9) Create suggestions for supporting interdisciplinary Four documents drafted in spring 2014:
faculty which can be used by department chairs
 Suggestions for supporting interdisciplinary
and deans.
tenure track faculty;
 Suggestions for supporting interdisciplinary
senior faculty;
 Suggestions for supporting interdisciplinary
LCPL faculty;
 Suggestions for publishing and evaluating
interdisciplinary scholarship.
See Appendices E-H.
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Appendix A: Cross-Listing Courses Policy
Rationale
A cross-listed course is the same course catalogued under two or more prefixes (also known as subject codes).
Cross-listing of courses can provide faculty an opportunity to collaborate across disciplinary and departmental
lines, and it offers students the opportunity to engage in multidisciplinary, cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary
learning. Cross-listing may also benefit departments and programs through the sharing of resources and ideas.
Although Miami University has been cross-listing courses for many years, no policy or procedures have been
articulated to guide the creation and implementation of cross-listing. In this document, we offer suggested
guidelines for cross-listing courses which we hope will sustain its key benefits yet also address some of its
limitations.
Below are some of the challenges currently faced with cross-listing courses:
1. Not only has the number of cross-listed courses increased over time, but the various types of crosslistings have increased. For example, although the majority of courses carry two prefixes, other crosslisted courses have accumulated many more prefixes. One course, for example, holds ten different
prefixes. In courses when there are numerous prefixes, some of the cross-listed portions of the course
have few or no students. To complicate the situation further, some cross-listed courses carry not only
different prefixes but also different numbers, including different levels of numbers, such as a 200-level
course cross-listed with a 300-level course. This situation is confusing for students and cumbersome for
book-keeping purposes. Courses with different numbers diminish the message that different course
levels signify different levels of learning.
2. Because Banner only allows one portion of the cross-listed course (one prefix and number) when
students register, courses can appear full when they are not. Similarly, courses can appear underenrolled when they are not. This situation is confusing for students and challenging for administrators
who must handle queries relating to the enrollments of a cross-listed course.
3. With the addition of each prefix, the complexities of encoding the degree audit add significant
administrative workload for academic administrators, both within the academic divisions and the Office
of the Registrar. Significant time and energy are expended to: build each new course in Banner;
reconfigure the degree paths of all affected majors, minors, and thematic sequences; set enrollment
caps for each cross-listed section; and align the schedules from all participating departments and
programs. As the University continues to reduce the size of its staff and faculty, the need to advance
efficiency is even more imperative.
These challenges have propelled us to consider ways of improving the way that we cross-list courses. A new set
of recommended guidelines for cross-listing may also be benefited by two initiatives that are underway. First,
Miami is moving to the Responsibility Centered Management (RCM) budgeting approach. Under RCM, crosslisting and departmental designations of courses in general are not as relevant because the RCM revenuegeneration formula for courses is based upon the divisional location of the instructor’s salary line and the
division where the enrolled student’s “first or primary” major is located. It is not based upon the departmental
subject or designation(s) of the course. Thus, departments may not feel a need to have their subject code or
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prefix tied to as many courses as possible, since resources are not dependent upon the subject code of the
course.
Second, in the past, departments and programs may have wanted their prefix or subject code attached to a
course because it would make the course more visible to students when they registered for courses. Beginning
in 2013-2014, Miami students will have access to a new interactive degree-planning software program, called
u.Direct, which will enable them to more readily plan their path to graduation and to see all of the possible
courses (and descriptions of those courses) for meeting different degree requirements on a term-by-term basis.
u.Direct enables students to see major related courses, courses outside of their home department as well as
their relevance to their degree plans much more easily and all on one screen.
Recommended Guidelines for Cross-Listing Courses
The goal of this proposal to provide guidance for the cross-listing of courses and to address the challenges
articulated above. Cross-listing should be done more purposefully and sparingly to indicate a true overlap of
disciplinary foundations. Since Responsibility Centered Management policies imply that cross-listing no longer
has resource implications, the following policy is advanced both to clarify the interdisciplinary nature of course
content and to simplify the registration process.
1. Students may only earn credit for the same course under one prefix. If the course is repeatable for
credit, students may only retake the course under the same prefix as the previous attempt. Students
may sign up under any prefix of a cross-listed course (except if it is being repeated for credit), but they
may be advised according to academic program requirements (where applicable).
2. Cross-listed courses and proposals must be identical in title, prerequisites, description, credits, grading
practice, meeting times and days, and number of times a course may be taken for credit. When possible
the cross-listed courses should carry the same course number.
3. Permanent courses should not be cross-listed with special topics or temporary courses under other
prefixes.
4. Cross-listed courses should only be cross-listed with courses at the same level. For example, MTH 2XX
should not be cross-listed with PHY 3XX. The cross-listing of 400/500 courses is an obvious exception.
5. Each course description in the Bulletin and on u.Direct should end with: "Cross-listed with [prefix]."
There will be a limit of three or fewer prefixes for cross-listed courses.1 Exceptions to the three-prefix limit will
be made in unique circumstances where the petitioners can offer a compelling reason for additional prefixes
beyond three. For example, the foundations of four disciplines are all represented in a significant part the
1
A review of currently cross-listed courses indicates that 70% of cross-listed courses presently have only two
prefixes. Of the remaining 30%, a significant majority of those cross-listings were either from: a) the biological
sciences which recently merged to create a single prefix; b) graduate/undergraduate cross-listing (which is
exempt from this policy); or c) honors or other “modifiers” (which do not apply to this policy). We also reviewed
the cross-listing policies and practices of 30 other universities. Over 80% limit the number of prefixes to two,
and the remaining institutions limit cross-listing prefixes to three.
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course content and a rationale for why an existing or new single prefix (see below) would not be appropriate.
The litmus test for this exception is whether the course would have been offered in each of the cross-listing
programs, as written, without any participation from the other programs. The University Registrar, in
consultation with the Office of the Provost and the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council, will review petition
requests.
In general, new and existing interdisciplinary programs are encouraged to create (if they don’t have one) and
use (if they have one) their own subject code on courses they offer, rather than cross-list. (See proposed
guidelines for creating subject codes or prefixes.) Courses that are not part of an academic program but have
contributions from more than two departments or program may use the divisional prefix (e.g., CAS, EHS, EAS,
BUS, SCA) if they are drawing from perspectives within the division. For courses that are not part of any
academic program and draw from departments and programs in different schools or colleges, a new universitylevel prefix (such as MUI) should be created and used for that purpose. Cross-listed courses, including, but not
limited to those with more than three prefixes, are encouraged to adopt the university prefix for ease of course
registration and for clarification of the unique university-wide content.
Note: These guidelines will be instituted in AY2014-2015 to provide time for departments and programs to work
with the Registrar to adjust existing course prefixes and numbers accordingly and to alter appropriate University
publications and websites.
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Appendix B: MODELS OF TEAM-TEACHING
Katie Johnson and Peg Faimon on behalf of the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council
Revised March 29, 2013
Interdisciplinary, team-taught courses have for some time been lauded for their innovation and efficacy.
Scholars such as Carolyn Haynes, William Newell, Julie Klein, and Tanya Augsburg, among others, have
shown the power of advancing knowledge with team-taught pedagogies.i Given that research has
compellingly demonstrated that both students and faculty benefit from team-teaching, we recommend that
Miami supports team-teaching in various modes. The paths to interdisciplinary collaboration and team
teaching are many, as James Davis notes in Interdisciplinary Courses and Team Teaching.ii Indeed, there is a
continuum of collaboration in team teaching that involves various levels of engagement in the planning,
content integration, teaching, and evaluation of courses. To that end, we have identified eight possible
models for team teaching, but there certainly could be more. We offer this document as a way to invite
campus-wide pedagogical innovation. Suggestions for assessment and support can be found on the
attached grid.
1) Connected Team-Taught Courses in which two or more faculty teach two or more different
course numbers (e.g. Highwire Brand Studio, ART 453 & MKT 442) at the same time and in the
same room for the entire semester. The faculty and students collaborate on the same
content/project(s) for the entire semester, and the faculty collaboratively design and teach the
course content and evaluate student work.
2) Partially Connected Team-Taught Courses in which two or more faculty teach two or more
different course numbers [OR the same course numbers] that work together for a portion of the
semester. This arrangement may involve, for instance, a unit where classes come together to work
on a project or study a related topic.
3) Conventional Team-Taught Courses where two or more faculty teach the same course number
(IMS 440 or WST 301) together for the entire semester. The course is collaboratively designed,
taught, and graded, and both instructors are physically present in the classroom for the entire term.
The instructors collaborate on all of the work for the course.
4) Relay-Race Team-Taught Courses in which two or more faculty teach the same course, but they
are not physically in the classroom together at the same time. Instead, one instructor hands off
leading the course to another, much like passing a baton in a relay-race. Faculty still must
coordinate their content to make sure it is cohesive and complementary within the structure of the
course, but they do not actually share the teaching or grading.
5) Splash Team Teaching with Lead Faculty with Supplemental Instructors in which one or more
“lead” faculty has primary responsibility for teaching the course, and supplemental faculty teach
one or two class sessions and/or act as support or resource instructors for such targeted activities
as critiques, workshops, or juries.
6) On and Off Multiple Sections. In this case, multiple instructors teach multiple sections of the same
course, and they might come together for parts of the course to share guest speakers, presentations,
or projects.
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7) Team Teaching with a Faculty from Another Institution. In this case, you might have various
arrangements, depending on the needs and situation.
8) Nontraditional Team Teaching which may occur outside the classroom, in learning communities,
in spaces and places not yet imagined. For example, Miami could initiate a learning experience like
Evergreen College’s “Fields of Study,” which are team-taught, interdisciplinary “programs” in
Coordinated Study that last an entire semester. http://admissions.evergreen.edu/curriculum
i
See, for example: Augsburg, Tanya. Becoming interdisciplinary: An introduction to interdisciplinary studies.
Kendall/Hunt Pub., 2006; Haynes, Carolyn, ed. Innovations in Interdisciplinary Teaching. Westport, CT:
Oryx/Greenwood Press, 2003; Klein, Julie T. Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory, and Practice. Detroit: Wayne
State University Press, 1990; Newell, William H. , “Powerful pedagogies.” In Reinventing Ourselves:
Interdisciplinary Education, Collaborative Learning, and Experimentation in Higher Education, ed. B.L. Smith and
J. McCann, 196–211. Bolton, MA: Anker Press, 2001.
ii
Davis, James. R. 1995. Interdisciplinary courses and team teaching: New arrangements for learning. Phoenix, AZ: Anker.
Appendix C: i-Network Kickoff Meeting
November 4, 2013; 5:30 – 7:00 pm; Marcum Conference Center
The Interdisciplinary Advisory Council hosted a kick-off reception and event for all faculty interested in pursuing
interdisciplinary teaching and learning opportunities. Participants were asked to discuss the following three
topics in small groups:
1. What is your vision for a highly integrative, interdisciplinary learning environment? What are the key
elements?
2. What do you see as some of the challenges and barriers that we face which might prevent or impede
this vision?
3. What are some next steps that the IAC could take to move toward this vision?
Below is a summary of the responses generated to the above questions.
Vision of a Highly Integrative, Interdisciplinary University
 Flexible and open spaces for shared learning and collaborations; problem-based spaces that are not
controlled by a program or department
 Mutual respect and understanding across divisions, departments, disciplines, fields
 Ongoing interdisciplinary conversations
 Broad perspectives, such as being in the Grand Canyon and not focusing only on the bug you are
crushing
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Willingness to look outward
Focus on coordinated, flexible, integrative learning versus traditional silos
Promotion of studio model learning
Advancement of student-centered learning over teacher-centered learning
Faculty offices not assigned by department or discipline but by interest area; or randomly assigned
faculty offices to encourage unexpected results
Open lines of communication
“Idea Kitchens” that are open to all
Technology leveraged to advance cross-disciplinary inquiries and communications
More focus on integrative learning and less focus on specialization of knowledge
Interdisciplinary scholarship, experiential learning, and risk-taking are encouraged and rewarded.
Faculty café time or faculty club; gathering spaces that allow cohesion
Finding time for building networks and relationships and experimenting with new ways of thinking
Playfulness and happenstance
Students navigate multiple disciplinary cultures every semester
Culture where we embrace borrowing, stealing, appropriating ideas
Coordinated studies and open time blocks for learning
Learning communities
Problem-based networks
Focus on methodologies rather than disciplines and departments
Cross-divisional partnerships and work
Cross-listing
Heterogeneous learning outcomes
Team teaching across disciplines
Integrative projects that are experiential, research-oriented, community based
Self-defined degree paths
Students are exposed and excited by interdisciplinary thinking early in their undergraduate experience
Multiple models of liberal education
Barriers & Challenges
 Physical spaces that isolate students and faculty by department or division
 Few clear rewards for interdisciplinary activity
 Exam based culture and standardized assessment instruments
 Fear of change and the unknown
 Inadequate funding and resources
 RCM budgeting model that can be divisive and breed “silos” and turf wars among divisions
 Over emphasis of budgetary matters over intellectual ideas
 Inability to see connections among global understanding, interdisciplinary studies and
community/service learning
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Worries about one’s ability to do interdisciplinarity: Can we teach interdisciplinary courses without
knowing interdisciplinary theory? How easy is it to teach interdisciplinary skills and outcomes? What
does the map toward interdisciplinarity look like? Is it too difficult to foster interdisciplinary work among
undergraduates since they don’t have the disciplinary knowledge base yet?
Miami Plan does not encourage interdisciplinarity; CAS requirements also do not encourage
interdisciplinarity
Parents, students, employers may not see relationship of interdisciplinarity to employment and
professional success
Lots of myths surround interdisciplinarity. For example, some people think that one person cannot be
interdisciplinary or that interdisciplinarity can only be done via team teaching.
Mental and Physical Silos
Finding balance between depth of learning (disciplines) and breadth (interdisciplinarity)
University system privileges uniformity
Professional accreditation (e.g., ABET) privileges disciplinarity
Scaling interdisciplinarity is challenging
Different discourses among departments, disciplines make finding common ground challenging
We are in the “habit” of disciplinary thinking and ways of operating
The competing perceptions that interdisciplinarity always leads to cost-saving or that it is too costly
The idea that interdisciplinarity is opposed to disciplinarity when in fact the relationship is synergistic
Doing good interdisciplinary work is time-consuming and can be more difficult for faculty
Faculty workload is high, leaving little time for experimentation
Next Steps
 Create incentives in the form of rewards and recognition for faculty, programs and “frontier” or
pioneering activities—e.g., team-teaching, interdisciplinary projects, newly designed pioneering
interdisciplinary courses
 Create “safe zones” that allow or even encourage risks and failure, such as new evaluation mechanisms
that reward risk-taking and innovation
 Find ways to ease cross-divisional enrollment barriers
 Facilitate teaching and research clusters of faculty; clusters could focus on common themes, rather than
disciplines
 Create grants for interdisciplinary work
 Advocate for physical spaces that encourage interdisciplinary learning—perhaps in the library
 Review P&T and merit evaluation criteria, and revise to support interdisciplinary work. For example,
create a committee of “experts” who understand interdisciplinary work and who can provide external
reviews on P&T dossiers
 Create an option for team office suites where faculty may be grouped for a period of time by a common
interest area.
 Educate faculty on interdisciplinarity and its relationship to other pedagogical and curricular approaches.
Work toward a more common understanding of interdisciplinary (term is often used too loosely and
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confused with other terms such as multidisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, cross-disciplinarity, etc.);
promote the idea of interdisciplinarity as a means to addressing questions or solving problems rather
than an end in itself
Set up Intra-Miami Google or Facebook Group
Provost and Provost could send messages about importance of interdisciplinarity
Design exciting interdisciplinary programs which are attractive to students
Establish problem-based networks
Launch faculty cluster hires around themes, common interests
Encourage or require interdisciplinary and team-taught capstones and first-year seminars
Review teaching evaluations and revise to encourage interdisciplinarity, risk-taking, creativity
Dedicate part of e-news to faculty ideas to encourage connections
Set aside one time period when no classes are held to foster common activities and collaborations
Revise activity reports to include categories related to interdisciplinarity, risk-taking, etc.
Incorporate intentional interdisciplinary learning in Miami Plan (team teaching, etc.)
Clearly explain RCM and its implications for interdisciplinarity to faculty so that people are informed
Hold more networking events to develop strategic partnerships
Appendix D: Agenda for Workshop on Interdisciplinary Teaching &
Scholarship for New Faculty
February 6, 2014; Marcum Conference Center, 5:00-7:00 pm
5:00 pm
Meet & Greet
5:20 pm
Welcome
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Brief Explanation of IAC and Introduction of Members (Carolyn Haynes)
Overview of Goals of the Workshop
Promotion & tenure and interdisciplinarity (Kimberly Hamlin)
5:50 pm
Interdisciplinary Teaching or Research Activity Guidelines
Interdisciplinary Teaching Activity
Your group will engage in some boundary-crossing curricular brainstorming. Try to suspend your particular
teaching concerns and to involve yourself in some intellectual bridge-building with your colleagues.
Your group should appoint one person to serve as a facilitator who will act as the “scribe” and “timekeeper.”
INTRODUCTIONS
Move around the table and introduce yourself. Introductions should include:
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Name
Department/Program
Disciplinary/Interdisciplinary Degrees
Teaching and Research Interests
Other Interests (Hobbies, Side Interests)
CHOOSING A COURSE FOCUS
Imagine that your group must come together to develop an interdisciplinary course that incorporates the
knowledge, interests or side interests of the people at this table. See if you can come to consensus on any
common theme, question, or topic that could conceivably be the organizing idea for the course.
If group members’ views are widely divergent, after a few minutes, take a leap of faith and settle on one of
the focal ideas with which everyone feels somewhat comfortable working in this setting.
BRAINSTORMING NEW IDEAS
Note: The facilitator should write down ideas on the flip chart paper so that everyone can see them.
Given an imaginary semester in which your group members were teaching collaboratively around this theme,
what might you and your students do? What might be some of the subthemes and learning objectives?
Assignments? Texts and/or authors? Films or videos? Field or other experiential activities?
Generate as many ideas for this course as you can. Try not to pause to judge or discuss the fine points or
merits of each suggestion. Resist the temptation to discuss whether such a course is feasible in our
university setting. Instead generate as many ideas as you can.
Interdisciplinary Research Activity
Your group will engage in some boundary-crossing scholarly brainstorming. Try to suspend your particular
scholarly or research concerns and to involve yourself in some intellectual bridge-building with your colleagues.
Your group should appoint one person to serve as a facilitator who will act as the “scribe” and “timekeeper.”
INTRODUCTIONS
Move around the table and introduce yourself. Introductions should include:
 Name
 Department/Program
 Disciplinary/Interdisciplinary Degrees
 Teaching and Research Interests
 Other Interests (Hobbies, Side Interests)
CHOOSING A RESEARCH FOCUS
Decide as a group to generate a proposal to conduct a pioneering interdisciplinary research or creative
project that draws upon the expertise and interests of the people at your table. See if you can come to
consensus on any common problem, question, or topic that could conceivably be the organizing idea for the
project.
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If group members’ views are widely divergent, after a few minutes, take a leap of faith and settle on one of
the focal ideas with which everyone feels somewhat comfortable working in this setting.
BRAINSTORMING NEW IDEAS
Note: The facilitator should write down ideas on the flip chart paper so that everyone can see them.
What interdisciplinary question or problem would your project be addressing? Which disciplines or
subdisciplines would you draw upon? What method or methods might you use to address the question or
problem? Where would you go to find the data or information you need? What challenges might you face in
working across these different disciplines and fields? What strategies might you use to reach common ground
among the different disciplines/fields or synthesize information and knowledge? What outcomes might you
anticipate from this project?
Generate as many ideas for this project as you can. Try not to pause to judge or discuss the fine points or
merits of each suggestion. Resist the temptation to discuss whether such a project is feasible in our
university setting. Instead generate as many ideas as you can.
6: 20 pm
Sharing of Course and Project Ideas
6:40 pm
Interdisciplinary Opportunities and Resources at Miami (Guest Panel)
Facilitator will encourage faculty to utilize the website and brochure for additional information.
Facilitator will introduce a panel consisting of administrators who can offer insights on how to become more
involved in their center/program. Examples:
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Jim Oris to explain grant opportunities (Get similar person on regional campus)
Cecilia Shore to explain CELTUA opportunities (Get similar person on regional campus)
Interdisciplinary center directors (1-2) (will vary depending on campus)
Interdisciplinary program directors (2-3) (will vary depending on campus)
Appendix E: Suggestions for Advancing the Success of Interdisciplinary
Tenure-Track Faculty
NOTE: THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT EXISTING MIAMI UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND INFORMATION . NONE OF THE
SUGGESTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT SUPERSEDE UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
Introduction
This document provides suggestions for probationary tenure-track faculty interested in pursuing
interdisciplinary work and for administrators (department chairs, program directors, deans) working with faculty
who are pursuing interdisciplinary teaching and research. It provides suggestions for better ensuring the
professional success and retention of interdisciplinary faculty. It includes ideas for faculty who were originally
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hired to do interdisciplinary work as well as faculty who might have developed an interest in interdisciplinary
work after being hired.
Since 1997, three ad hoc committees have been developed which offered specific and similar recommendations
on advancing an interdisciplinary culture at Miami University: the 1997 “Ways to Encourage Interdisciplinary
Teaching”; the 2006 “Report of the First in 2009 Coordinating Council Sub-Committee on Interdisciplinarity at
Miami University”; and the 2011 Interdisciplinary Enhancement Committee Report. Each report identified the
barriers to interdisciplinary work, the landscape of interdisciplinary activity at Miami at the time, perspectives
from various stakeholders around campus, and key recommendations for how to enhance and encourage
interdisciplinarity. The cornerstone of the 2006 report was a campus-wide survey that gathered data about
barriers to interdisciplinary teaching and research. An open meeting for Miami faculty and administrators,
which was held in November 2013 and sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council, also yielded similar
recommendations on fostering an interdisciplinary teaching and research environment at Miami.
Findings from the November 2013 meeting and the previous committee reports as well as best practices
gleaned from the professional literature have shaped the recommendations and ideas embedded in this
document.
Interdisciplinary Studies Today
Colleges and universities are experiencing a marked increase in interdisciplinary research and education. As one
researcher noted, for the past ten years, “interdisciplinary programs have multiplied at a dizzying pace”
(Nowacek, 2009, 493), with “over half of current general education reforms includ[ing] interdisciplinary
programs or courses” (494). Likewise, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering,
the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Medicine have extolled the benefits of interdisciplinary
research and taken steps to promote its expansion (National Academies Press, 2004; see also
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/additional_resources/interdisciplinary_research/). Similarly, the National
Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Social Science Research
Council have also recently developed and prioritized prominent interdisciplinary initiatives.ii
Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Faculty
As summarized in the table below, faculty who engage actively in interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship, and
service opportunities provide significant benefits and challenges for the University.
Benefits
Challenges
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Teaching
 Focuses on exciting and cutting-edge
subjects or topics
 Thematic focus can be appealing to
students
 Team-teaching can promote faculty
development, teaching excellence, and
collaborations
 Often involves experiential learning (e.g.,
field experiences, service learning,
collaborative learning)
Research
 Can be ground-breaking, pioneering
 Encourages a more holistic or
comprehensive approach to learning
 Can appeal to major funding agencies
 Often involves collaborations across
departments, divisions, or institutions
 Often involves social issues
Service
 Fosters community connections
 Builds bridges between disciplines,
departments, divisions
 Enables faculty to become known on
campus
Promotion &
Tenure
 Broadens network for reviewers and for
the department and University
 No or few textbooks
 Lack of sample syllabi or longstanding
models to follow
 No clear body of knowledge to cover
 Team-teaching, due to its collaborative
nature and the need for the instructors to
learn new disciplines, can be more timeconsuming
 Students and parents may not
immediately perceive value
 Assessment methods may be unique
 Lack of recognition by established scholars
 Lack of sustained funding opportunities
 Lack of familiarity with reputable journals
and publication outlets
 Lack of peer reviewers and mentors
 Career trajectory less clear
 Extended start-up time
 Not as many honors as in disciplinary fields
 Can wrongly be considered less rigorous
 Requires time to cultivate and maintain
 Multiple and competing demands and
priorities
 Jointly appointed faculty serve two or
more academic departments or programs;
each department may not recognize the
service demands required from the other
 Procedures & criteria may be biased
toward disciplines
 Reviewers may assume disciplinary norms
or standards
Robert Clark, Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, writes, It is clear that research and
teaching “at the boundaries of traditional . . . disciplines [are] yielding tremendous gains. . . The simple act of
brainstorming in a group of faculty having different backgrounds is tremendously exciting and stimulating. Such
groups diminish the fear associated with suggesting ideas that are outside the accepted ‘dogma’ of a particular
researcher’s discipline. There is less risk of being criticized by colleagues that understand when you approach
the problem with a different background and perspective. As a result, this kind of brainstorming among
colleagues from different disciplines can stimulate creativity, sometimes leading to radically unique ideas or
approaches.”ii
Although supporting interdisciplinary research and teaching comes with challenges-- including ensuring
administrative flexibility and support, seed funding, and constant exposure to faculty in other disciplines to
expand the vocabulary, which can vary greatly from discipline to discipline—it is worth the effort.
15
Considerations for Interdisciplinary Faculty
The scholarship and/or teaching of interdisciplinary faculty may not fit with established norms, criteria,
resources, and rewards. Interdisciplinary faculty members approach their research and teaching in different
ways, and each approach has somewhat different implications.
Considerations Related to Interdisciplinary Research
Interdisciplinary faculty can work on interdisciplinary questions individually, bringing together information from
different fields, or they can work in teams. Their projects frequently cross departments, and often involve
applied problems with unusual stakeholders, outside of the academy.
Interdisciplinary work comes in a variety of forms (Rhoten and Pfirman, 2007):
(1) Cross-fertilization –adapting and using ideas, approaches and information from different fields and/or
disciplines.
(2) Team-collaboration—collaborating in teams or networks that span different fields and/or disciplines.
(3) Field-creation--creating new spheres of inquiry that sit at the intersection or edges of multiple fields
and/or disciplines.
(4) Problem-orientation—addressing problems that engage multiple stakeholders and missions outside of
academe, for example that serve society.
Collaborative interdisciplinary research can sometimes involve higher networking costs. Colleagues often have
different priorities, and it takes time to learn how to cross disciplinary language barriers. Time and energy are
also required for identifying potential partners, maintaining contact with them, and writing and then revising
multi-authored documents. If the collaborators are not at the same institution, support for travel can be vital.
Seeing collaborators at meetings and/or visiting them in their home institutions are excellent ways to maintain
connections and build recognition. Travel support for interdisciplinary scholars to attend meetings of a number
of disciplinary groups is also helpful. As collaborative interdisciplinary projects evolve, junior scholars need to
make clear their unique contributions.
Interdisciplinary research projects frequently take a long time to get established and produce results, in part
because of the networking required to bridge cultures and communities, but also because finding funding for
interdisciplinary research can sometimes be a challenge. While there has been increasing attention to
interdisciplinary scholarship in recent years, requests for proposals for interdisciplinary research may not be as
predictable as RFP’s in the traditional disciplines. Because each funding source has its own traditions, it is hard
to learn how to gain entry.
Interdisciplinary research, particularly research that cuts across widely divergent disciplines and fields, can be
difficult to publish in recognized journals. There are fewer journals that specialize in broadly interdisciplinary
research and among the ones that do, impact factors vary greatly. Ideally the junior faculty member or
researcher reserves publication of major innovations for highly respected - often disciplinary - journals that
count more in promotion and tenure reviews. While interdisciplinary research is often published in conference
proceedings or as book chapters, because these are not usually indexed in traditional ways, they mat be more
difficult for other scholars to find, and therefore cite.
16
An excellent way to highlight the significance of the faculty member’s interdisciplinary research, as well as to
build research recognition, is for junior scholars to have the opportunity to invite speakers who are doing
related work to campus. This helps other faculty, researchers, and students learn how the junior faculty
member’s work fits into the larger field. If junior scholars host or co-host speakers, these guest visits will also
provide mentoring opportunities for them. Another option for junior scholars to gain visibility is to host a special
session at a professional meeting and become involved in professional societies. Encouraging junior scholars to
apply for seed grant funding for interdisciplinary work can help them learn how to interact across disciplinary
boundaries and articulate the value of proposed interdisciplinary work convincingly.
Considerations Related to Interdisciplinary Teaching
Interdisciplinary teaching entails the use and integration of methods, concepts, and analytical frameworks from
more than one academic discipline to examine a theme, issue, question, or topic. The hallmark of
interdisciplinary education is integration of knowledge and guiding principles from multiple disciplines to
systematically form a more complete, and hopefully coherent, understanding of the issue under examination.
Interdisciplinary teaching activities may need additional support and development, particularly when the faculty
member is involved in developing new courses that span multiple disciplines—often without a standard
textbook or readily available teaching resources—or when the faculty member is piloting new experimental
teaching approaches.
Although there is no single preferred pedagogy or teaching approach for interdisciplinary courses, most
interdisciplinary faculty are learning new fields of knowledge and advancing active forms of learning such as
service learning, team-teaching, inquiry-based education, learning communities, or collaborative learning, which
may take time, experience and professional development to master.
Because of the unique nature of interdisciplinary teaching, teaching portfolios can be a dynamic and
performance-based way for interdisciplinary faculty to demonstrate the product of their teaching efforts (e.g.,
Goldstein, 2006; DeZure, 2010) to their colleagues. Moreover, because the learning outcomes for
interdisciplinary courses can differ from those advanced in disciplinary learning contexts, assessment measures
may be unique and require significant time to develop.
For more information on interdisciplinary teaching and assessment, see:
http://miamioh.edu/oue/interdisciplinary/index.html.
Additionally, the Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching, and University Assessment can provide
assistance on developing teaching portfolios.
Considerations Related to Service of Interdisciplinary Faculty
Interdisciplinary faculty members may have a joint academic appointment, serve as an affiliate in a program or
department, or be heavily involved in a center, institute, or major interdisciplinary initiative outside of their
home department. As a result, the nature and extent of service (to the department, program, division,
University, profession, community) may be more expansive and different from the service record of a faculty
member who works within the confines of a single discipline, department, or division.
17
It is important to recognize that because interdisciplinary programs, centers, and institutes have few (if any)
core faculty assigned to them, they largely rely on the contributions of faculty whose lines exist in other
departments or divisions. Consequently, the service the faculty members offer these units may at times be
substantial.
Mentoring Tenure-Track Faculty
It is essential to provide adequate mentoring to all junior faculty, but especially those whose research, service,
and/or teaching areas are interdisciplinary. In particular, junior faculty and their chairs or directors should
identify clear goals for what is expected. For example, they should not be surprised to learn, in their fifth year,
that the department does not recognize some publication venues or certain forms of teaching or service as
valuable for promotion or tenure.
If a faculty member is heavily involved in a center or institute, it is especially important to provide advice about
how to balance work on large team projects with work that establishes a strong individual reputation.
For tenure-track faculty, having a mentor who has conducted interdisciplinary research can also be very useful.
Mentors may be able to provide guidance in navigating funding. Somewhat paradoxically, while acquiring
funding increasingly calls for interdisciplinary collaboration, most funding still comes from agencies that are
known within individual disciplines.
It may be necessary to provide two (or more) mentors to ensure coverage of the different areas in which the
faculty member works. When establishing a mentoring relationship, it should be clear to all whether or not the
mentor has a role in evaluating the junior person. Mentoring should include liaising with the
department/program and where needed with upper-level administration to assure that the strategies described
above are implemented appropriately. Moreover, chairs or directors as well as faculty may wish to consult
senior interdisciplinary faculty or the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council for additional guidance on best practices.
Coordinating the Evaluation Process for Tenure-Track Faculty
Whether an interdisciplinary faculty member holds an appointment within a single department or holds a joint
appointment, challenges may arise in the promotion/tenure evaluation within the department or division. The
single greatest difficulty is that faculty members may judge other faculty according to the norms and criteria of
their own discipline, and departments or divisions may believe that their approaches to research or teaching are
the best ones.
Even when faculty members conducting the evaluation within a given department or division adopt an openminded stance, it may be challenging for them to calibrate the metrics for impact and academic success within
another discipline. For example, when evaluating tenure-track faculty, faculty in some disciplines value
conference papers highly while faculty in other disciplines do not. In addition to the need to evaluate the types
of research products—books, journal papers, conference papers, artifacts, and so on—it is also critical to
understand the quality of each product. Which conferences are important? Which awards carry the greatest
prestige? Which people are the luminaries whose review letters should be taken most seriously, and which are
known to be hypercritical? Which comments in a review letter are most relevant and which omissions are
18
significant? Finally, if a faculty member is publishing in multiple areas, it is likely that some of the referees will
only have knowledge of a portion of the member’s work.
When evaluating teaching, questions may arise such as: What is the appropriate grade point average for
particular types of courses/fields/disciplines? What teaching approaches are considered innovative or
appropriate? What sort of qualitative comments on course evaluations should be heeded or ignored? How
much credit should be given to a faculty member who has team-taught or team-designed a course?
To address these concerns, the following recommendations are offered:





If possible, involve people from relevant disciplines or interdisciplinary fields in the annual merit review
and third-year review of the interdisciplinary faculty member.
Similarly, in the evaluation of scholarship in the tenure-track faculty member’s promotion and tenure
dossier, involve a faculty member with expertise in the other discipline(s) or interdisciplinary fields
relevant to the faculty member’s interests. If the unit selects an ad hoc promotion and tenure
committee for each candidate, then an interdisciplinary faculty member external to the
department/program could be member of the committee. Be sure that the outside member plays a role
in selecting the referees who will write letters evaluating the candidate. Also task that member with
helping to make sure that the promotion and tenure committee itself, as well any faculty who will vote
on the tenure case, understand the values and norms of those other participating discipline or the other
interdisciplinary field. It may be helpful to write down metrics for judging academic success.
Educate the promotion and tenure committee(s) on the standards of scholarship and research
methodologies in the relevant disciplines or interdisciplinary fields. Familiarize committee members
with ways of evaluating scholarship outside of one’s discipline.
In requesting letters of recommendation, consider including wording that specifically asks the letterwriter to evaluate the candidate on the basis of his or her own area of expertise, while recognizing that
the candidate has conducted interdisciplinary research.
Anticipate that the dossier and process will take longer to prepare and evaluate than purely disciplinary
cases, and plan accordingly. It may take more time to develop the dossier, select the promotion and
tenure or evaluation committee, select the letter-writers, and evaluate the dossier.
Dossier Preparation
One of the most important factors to keep in mind in preparing materials is clarification of the significance of the
individual’s work. Because the dossier will be read by many people who do not have expertise in the
teaching/research area(s) of the candidate, the candidate will need to present a narrative that explains his or
her development as an interdisciplinary faculty member (Austin, 2003). For example, because many reviewers of
interdisciplinary faculty will not be familiar with all the journals, the dossier could be annotated with information
on journal standing, and reasons for selecting that particular journal as the publication venue. Because
interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching are often collaborative, the role and specific contributions of the
individual in the research or team-taught course should be noted. Synthesis papers, often an important product
of interdisciplinary scholars, should be clearly distinguished from reviews, as reviews may be discounted by
evaluators as not being original contributions.
19
Some interdisciplinary faculty members have complex career trajectories enabling them to bring a wealth of
experience to their position. However, most positions outside the academy have lower (or no) expectations, or
offer fewer opportunities, for publication. Since some reviewers focus on the number of publications after
receiving the PhD as a measure of productivity, it may be useful to separate career experience into two or more
categories so that the time periods when research and publication were possible are clear and that scholarly
contributions other than peer-reviewed publications are also evident.
The research, teaching, and service statement written by the candidate, and the chair’s letter, should also be
written for a more general audience than may be the case for disciplinary scholars. The candidate’s statement is
an opportunity to demonstrate an overarching plan or theme, including the candidate’s collaboration strategy.
As noted earlier, teaching portfolios can be an effective way for interdisciplinary faculty to demonstrate the
product of their teaching efforts to the public or to their disciplinary colleagues. Interdisciplinary student
learning outcomes and assessment of student learning outcomes communicate to the students, internal
colleagues, and external partners the value and purpose of the interdisciplinary teaching and learning program
(e.g., Culligan and Peña-Mora, 2010).
If the external reviewers are asked to address specific criteria, the CV and candidate statements should be
structured so that information and explanations are easy to locate and understand.
Evaluation Criteria
Advancement of an individual faculty member should be dependent on demonstrating originality and
independence of creative thought, having identifiable service contributions, multiple measures of teaching
effectiveness, and collegiality.
Typical questions asked during interim and tenure reviews are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Does the candidate have scholarly quality of mind?
Has the candidate made an important intellectual contribution? If so, does the community recognize the
candidate for it?
Is the candidate an effective teacher?
Is the candidate engaged in and contributing to the academic community?
Is the candidate on a trajectory indicating that (s)he will make significant contributions in the future?
Is it likely that the candidate will be able to support her/his research in the future through grant
support?
The evidence used to assess success differs from one discipline or department to another. However, some
common factors do exist. These criteria typically include multiple measures of teaching effectiveness (including
strong teaching evaluations), number of publications (e.g., peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, books,
reports); the number of these on which the person is first author; the impact factor of the journals in which the
papers are published; citations and awards received; the grants on which the person is a primary investigator or
co-investigator; the relative prestige of the sources of funding; and the significance of the candidate’s service to
the department/program, division, university, and profession.
20
In interdisciplinary cases, faculty colleagues and administrators often raise an additional set of questions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why were the letter writers chosen from a different set of institutions than our usual set of peers?
Why are the letter writers unfamiliar with some aspects of the candidate’s scholarship?
What is the significance of this area of scholarship?
What is the standing of these journals?
What was the candidate’s contribution to multi-authored publications?
Why did the reviewers not know everyone on the comparison list? Why is the candidate not on the top
of the comparison list?
Is the level of grant support and professional recognition consistent with other interdisciplinary scholars
at a similar career stage? (Pfirman et al., 2005b)
For example, interdisciplinary papers often focus less on innovation in disciplinary theory and methods and
more on cross-disciplinary approaches and findings. The challenge is to be sure, in the review process, that
evaluation of these very different types of publications is conducted according to appropriate criteria. Such
criteria might include production of new interdisciplinary knowledge, development of new technologies or
cross-disciplinary methods, or successful translation of technical or specialized knowledge for societal use.
Disciplinary colleagues accustomed to higher productivity, citation rates, and journal standing may need an
explanation of the time it takes to develop a contribution in a new field, and the difficulty of review and
publication when research spans multiple disciplines. This is not to excuse sparse productivity or poor quality
work, but rather to shift the emphasis of reviews towards intellectual achievement and leadership, rather than
traditional metrics that may emphasize the number of publications. That said, indexes can be used in innovative
ways to demonstrate interdisciplinary impact: as one example, reviewers can look at the number of subject
categories (e.g. Porter et al., 2007) represented by journals with papers that cited the research.
As the candidate moves forward in his/her career, up to and beyond tenure, similar evaluation criteria should
ideally continue to be used in subsequent reviews.
Review Committees and External Reviewers
There may be cases where it is desirable to keep the composition of the review teams, in terms of departments,
disciplines, interdisciplinary fields, and even individuals, as similar as possible along the candidate’s career
trajectory, in order to provide continuity in application of criteria. In most cases, it is best if the promotion and
tenure process for tenure-track faculty involves review committees composed of faculty who have expertise in
the faculty member’s fields and disciplines. Possibilities include: a joint committee from more than one
department or a committee from one department with letters from the chair/director of others where the
candidate has an affiliation. If the review will involve several departments, it is important to state from the
outset what each unit’s decision-making role will be -- whether it will be independent and equal or whether one
will have a subordinate, perhaps a consulting, role.
Promotion and tenure committees should be made up, to the degree possible, of individuals in similar positions
or with considerable experience in working with and reviewing people in similar roles. Where a sufficient pool of
such individuals does not exist, the committee should include more than one person with a similar title and set
21
of job responsibilities, even though the actual scholarly focus may be in an unrelated area as they will be familiar
with the challenges of working in an interdisciplinary field.
It is often also helpful to bring in an external reviewer (letter-writer) who is familiar with the state of the
interdisciplinary field and the candidate’s scholarship at the time of tenure review. Outside reviewers are also
increasingly used for interim reviews. It is often challenging to identify reviewers who have sufficient
background to fairly assess contributions generated through interdisciplinary scholarship. In selecting external
reviewers for emerging interdisciplinary fields, it is important to have both interdisciplinary scholars who work
on closely related problems, as well as eminent disciplinary scholars who are aware of this area of research and
are able to comment on its significance. The position announcement used when recruiting the interdisciplinary
faculty member could also be included in the letter that goes out to external evaluators soliciting an evaluation.
In addition, the external reviewers should be specifically asked to comment on interdisciplinary contributions
and impact. This will serve as a reminder to reviewers of the differences and challenges of reviewing an
interdisciplinary as compared to a disciplinary candidate. Because some interdisciplinary scholarship includes
community and stakeholder interaction, reviews may also be solicited from individuals outside of the academy.
Readings
Aboelela, S.W., E. Larson, S. Bakken, O. Carrasquillo, A. Formicola, S.A. Glied, J. Haas and K.M. Gebbie, 2007.
Defining interdisciplinary research: Conclusions from a critical review of the literature. Health Services
Research 42:1, Part I, 367 pp. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.14756773.2006.00621.x.
Boyer, E.L., 1990, Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton
University Press, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Chamberlin, J., 2006. Uncommon ground: Interdisciplinary scholars share the benefits--and challenges--of
teaching and conducting research alongside economists, historians and designers. APA Monitor on
Psychology. 37(5): 26. http://www.apa.org/monitor/may06/uncommon.html.
Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP), 2004. Facilitating interdisciplinary research.
http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309094356/html/R1.html
Creamer, E.G. and L.R. Lattuca, eds, 2005. Advancing faculty learning through interdisciplinary collaboration:
New Directions for Teaching and Learning. J-B TL Single Issue Teaching and Learning. San Francisco, CA :
Jossey-Bass.
Choucri, N., O. de Weck and F. Moavenzadeh, 2006. Editorial: Promotion and tenure for interdisciplinary junior
faculty. MIT Faculty Newsletter. Jan/Feb. 2006. http://web.mit.edu/fnl/volume/183/editorial.html.
Culligan, P.J. and Peña-Mora, F., 2010. “Engineering.” IN: R. Frodeman, J.T. Klein and C. Mitcham (eds.). The
Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. New York, NY: Oxford Univ Press.
22
DeZure, D., 2010. “Interdisciplinary pedagogies in higher education.” IN: R. Frodeman, J.T. Klein and C. Mitcham
(eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. New York, NY: Oxford Univ Press.
Eysenbach G., 2006. Citation advantage of Open Access articles. PLoS Biol 4(5): e157
doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040157
Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research, 2004. Committee on Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research, National
Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine. The National Academies
Press.
Goldstein, D. S., 2006. Interdisciplinary inquiry: The aims of education. Syllabus for BIS 300F. University of
Washington, 2006. http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/BIS300FSyl.html
Holley, K. A., 2009. Interdisciplinary strategies as transformative change in higher education. Innovations in
Higher Education 43(5): 331-344. Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-0099121-4
Klein. J. T., 2010. Creating interdisciplinary campus cultures: A model for strength and sustainability. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Klein, J. T., and Martin, P. J.S., 2012. Meeting institutional and administrative challenges of interdisciplinary
teaching and learning. Conference on Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning, Michigan State University.
Available at: http://lbc.msu.edu/CITL/Klein-and-Martin-Invited-Paper.pdf
NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, 2006. Interdisciplinary research.
http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/interdisciplinary/.
Nowacek, Rebecca S., 2009. Why is being interdisciplinary so very hard to do?: Thoughts on the perils and
promise of interdisciplinary pedagogy. CCC 60(3): 493-515.
Payton, A. and M.L. Zoback, 2007. Crossing boundaries, hitting barriers. Nature 445(22): 950.
Pfirman, S.L., J.P. Collins, S. Lowes and A.F. Michaels, 2005a. Collaborative efforts: Promoting interdisciplinary
scholars. Chronicle of Higher Education, 00095982, 2/11/2005, 51(23).
Pfirman, S.L., J.P. Collins, S. Lowes and A.F. Michaels, 2005b. To thrive and prosper: Hiring, fostering and
tenuring interdisciplinary scholars. Project Kaleidoscope Resource.
http://www.pkal.org/documents/Pfirman_et-al_To-thrive-and-prosper.pdf
Pfirman, S. and Martin, P.J.S., 2010. “Facilitating interdisciplinary scholars.” IN: R. Frodeman, J.T. Klein and C.
Mitcham (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Porter, A.L., A.S. Cohen, J.D. Roessner, M. Perreault, 2007. Measuring researcher interdisciplinarity.
Scientometrics, Vol. 72, No. 1 (2007) 117.147, DOI: 10.1007/s11192-007-1700-5
23
Preston, L., [2000]. Mentoring young faculty for success: Rewarding and encouraging involvement in crossdisciplinary research. ASEE Engineering Research Council Summit. available at <http://www.ercassoc.org/topics/Interd%20Resch%20&%20Tenure-Preston.ppt>.
Rhoten, D. and S. Pfirman, 2007. Women in interdisciplinary science: Exploring preferences and consequences.
Research Policy. 36(1): 56-75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2006.08.001.
Teodorescu, D. and C. Kushner, 2003. Trailblazing or losing course? : Views of interdisciplinary scholarship at
Emory. Office of Institutional Research, Emory University. The Academic Exchange.
http://www.emory.edu/ACAD_EXCHANGE/2003/octnov/teodorescukushner.html.
Appendix F: Suggestions for Advancing the Success of Interdisciplinary Senior
Faculty
NOTE: THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT EXISTING MIAMI UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND INFORMATION . NONE OF THE
SUGGESTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT SUPERSEDE UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES .
Introduction
This document provides suggestions for senior faculty interested in pursuing interdisciplinary work and for
administrators (department chairs, program directors, deans) working with senior faculty who are pursuing
interdisciplinary teaching and research. It provides suggestions for better ensuring the professional success and
retention of interdisciplinary faculty, including those who were originally hired to do interdisciplinary work as
well as faculty who might have developed an interest in interdisciplinary work after being hired, tenured, or
promoted.
Since 1997, three ad hoc committees have been developed which offered specific and similar recommendations
on advancing an interdisciplinary culture at Miami University: the 1997 “Ways to Encourage Interdisciplinary
Teaching”; the 2006 “Report of the First in 2009 Coordinating Council Sub-Committee on Interdisciplinarity at
Miami University”; and the 2011 Interdisciplinary Enhancement Committee Report. Each report identified the
barriers to interdisciplinary work, the landscape of interdisciplinary activity at Miami at the time, perspectives
from various stakeholders around campus, and key recommendations for how to enhance and encourage
interdisciplinarity. The cornerstone of the 2006 report was a campus-wide survey that gathered data about
barriers to interdisciplinary teaching and research. An open meeting for Miami faculty and administrators,
which was held in November 2013 and sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council, also yielded similar
recommendations on fostering an interdisciplinary teaching and research environment at Miami.
Findings from the November 2013 meeting and the previous committee reports as well as best practices
gleaned from the professional literature have shaped the recommendations and ideas embedded in this
document.
Interdisciplinary Studies Today
24
Colleges and universities are experiencing a marked increase in interdisciplinary research and education. As one
researcher noted, for the past ten years, “interdisciplinary programs have multiplied at a dizzying pace”
(Nowacek, 2009, 493), with “over half of current general education reforms includ[ing] interdisciplinary
programs or courses” (494). Likewise, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering,
the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Medicine have extolled the benefits of interdisciplinary
research and taken steps to promote its expansion (National Academies Press, 2004; see also
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/additional_resources/interdisciplinary_research/). Similarly, the National
Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Social Science Research
Council have also recently developed and prioritized prominent interdisciplinary initiatives.ii
Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Faculty
As summarized in the table below, faculty who engage actively in interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship, and
service opportunities provide significant benefits and challenges for the University.
Benefits
Teaching
 Focuses on exciting and cutting-edge
subjects or topics
 Thematic focus can be appealing to
students
 Team-teaching can promote faculty
development, teaching excellence, and
collaborations
 Often involves experiential learning (e.g.,
field experiences, service learning,
collaborative learning)
Research
 Can be ground-breaking, pioneering
 Encourages a more holistic or
comprehensive approach to learning
 Can appeal to major funding agencies
 Often involves collaborations across
departments, divisions, or institutions
 Often involves social issues
Service
 Fosters community connections
 Builds bridges between disciplines,
departments, divisions
 Enables faculty to become known on
campus
Challenges
 No or few textbooks
 Lack of sample syllabi or longstanding
models to follow
 No clear body of knowledge to cover
 Team-teaching, due to its collaborative
nature and the need for the instructors to
learn new disciplines, can be more timeconsuming
 Students and parents may not
immediately perceive value
 Assessment methods may be unique
 Lack of recognition by established scholars
 Lack of sustained funding opportunities
 Lack of familiarity with reputable journals
and publication outlets
 Lack of peer reviewers and mentors
 Career trajectory less clear
 Extended start-up time
 Not as many honors as in disciplinary fields
 Can wrongly be considered less rigorous
 Requires time to cultivate and maintain
 Multiple and competing demands
 Jointly appointed faculty serve two or
more academic departments or programs;
each department may not recognize the
service demands required from the other
25
Promotion
 Broadens network for reviewers and for
the department and University
 Procedures & criteria may be biased
toward disciplines
 Reviewers may assume disciplinary norms
or standards
Robert Clark, Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, writes, It is clear that research and
teaching “at the boundaries of traditional . . . disciplines [are] yielding tremendous gains. . . The simple act of
brainstorming in a group of faculty having different backgrounds is tremendously exciting and stimulating. Such
groups diminish the fear associated with suggesting ideas that are outside the accepted ‘dogma’ of a particular
researcher’s discipline. There is less risk of being criticized by colleagues that understand when you approach
the problem with a different background and perspective. As a result, this kind of brainstorming among
colleagues from different disciplines can stimulate creativity, sometimes leading to radically unique ideas or
approaches.”ii
Although supporting interdisciplinary research and teaching comes with challenges-- including ensuring
administrative flexibility and support, seed funding, and constant exposure to faculty in other disciplines to
expand the vocabulary, which can vary greatly from discipline to discipline—it is worth the effort.
Understanding Senior Interdisciplinary Faculty
Senior faculty who are involved in interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship may have followed one of four
career paths:
1. They began their careers in more traditional single disciplinary roles and fulfilled the criteria for tenure
by focusing on limited areas in considerable depth. Their interest in broadening out and linking with
additional disciplines occurred well into a career, perhaps when the pressures of meeting tenure criteria
have passed or years of experience have exposed the scholar to new insights and concepts that
reinvigorate the original research/scholarship/creativity path. Such faculty may face the same difficulties
experienced by younger scholars pursuing interdisciplinary activities. These difficulties can be addressed
through improved assessment and reward policies for all faculty, regardless of rank.
2. Some senior faculty members have engaged in interdisciplinary activity throughout their academic
careers. In this case, the issue is appropriate assessment during annual reviews and post-tenure review.
Here too, assessment and reward policies that account for the special qualities of interdisciplinary
activities can be applied. However, senior scholars may also experience the decline in
research/scholarship performance that can be experienced in any field, and post-tenure reviews can be
used to recommend actions to reinvigorate performance. Indeed, the cross-fertilization of ideas that is a
feature of interdisciplinary work may help to resolve performance issues that arise when careers
become stale and lose momentum with age.
3. Some senior interdisciplinary faculty may have worked for private or non-profit sectors and come to the
academy at an advanced level but without the traditional portfolio of peer reviewed publications and
teaching assignments. Strategies may be developed to identify, evaluate, and reward scholarly
26
contributions other than peer-reviewed publications. Scholarly contributions might include, for
example, significant interactions with regulatory agencies that have shaped public policy adoption and
implementation, with substantial societal impact. Professional teaching development through CELTUA
or other venues can be offered.
4. Some senior faculty members are well positioned to take leadership positions in interdisciplinary
programs. This can be through the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary projects, centers, or
institutes, or through mentorship of younger scholars. Strong leadership qualities are not the norm and
should be nurtured when they arise, particularly for programs and projects focused on complex
interdisciplinary problems and issues. Leadership training should be considered for those assuming
leadership of large centers and institutes. The reviews of such administrators also need to be attuned to
the atypical complexities of administering an interdisciplinary faculty, program, and infrastructure.
Considerations for Senior Interdisciplinary Faculty
The research, service, and teaching of senior interdisciplinary faculty members may have somewhat unique
challenges and implications.
Considerations Related to Interdisciplinary Research
Associate or full professors involved in interdisciplinary scholarship may approach their research in different
ways, and each approach has somewhat different implications. They can work on interdisciplinary questions
individually, bringing together information from different fields, or they can work in teams. Their projects
frequently cross departments, and often involve applied problems with unusual stakeholders, outside of the
academy.
Interdisciplinary work comes in a variety of forms (Rhoten and Pfirman, 2007):
(5) Cross-fertilization –adapting and using ideas, approaches and information from different fields and/or
disciplines.
(6) Team-collaboration—collaborating in teams or networks that span different fields and/or disciplines.
(7) Field-creation--creating new spheres of inquiry that sit at the intersection or edges of multiple fields
and/or disciplines.
(8) Problem-orientation—addressing problems that engage multiple stakeholders and missions outside of
academe, for example that serve society.
Collaborative interdisciplinary research can sometimes involve higher networking costs. Colleagues often have
different priorities, and it takes time to learn how to cross disciplinary language barriers. Time and energy are
also required for identifying potential partners, maintaining contact with them, and writing and then revising
multi-authored documents. If the collaborators are not at the same institution, support for travel can be vital.
Seeing collaborators at meetings and/or visiting them in their home institutions are excellent ways to maintain
connections and build recognition. Travel support for interdisciplinary scholars to attend meetings of a number
of disciplinary groups is also helpful. As collaborative interdisciplinary projects evolve, faculty need to make
clear their unique contributions.
27
Interdisciplinary research projects frequently take a long time to produce results, in part because of the
networking required to bridge cultures and communities, but also because finding funding for interdisciplinary
research can sometimes be a challenge. While there has been increasing attention to interdisciplinarity in recent
years, requests for proposals for interdisciplinary research and scholarship may not be as predictable as RFP’s in
the traditional disciplines.
Interdisciplinary research, particularly research that cuts across widely divergent disciplines and fields, can be
difficult to publish in recognized journals. There are fewer journals that specialize in broadly interdisciplinary
research and among the ones that do, the impact factor varies greatly. While interdisciplinary research is often
published in conference proceedings or as book chapters, because these are not usually indexed in traditional
ways, they are more difficult for other scholars to find, and therefore cite.
Considerations Related to Interdisciplinary Teaching
Interdisciplinary teaching entails the use and integration of methods, concepts, and analytical frameworks from
more than one academic discipline to examine a theme, issue, question or topic. The hallmark of
interdisciplinary education is integration of knowledge and guiding principles from multiple disciplines to
systematically form a more complete, and hopefully coherent, understanding of the issue under examination.
Interdisciplinary teaching activities may need additional support and development, particularly when the faculty
member is involved in developing new courses that span multiple disciplines—often without a standard
textbook or readily available teaching resources—or when the faculty member is piloting new experimental
teaching approaches.
Although there is no single preferred pedagogy or teaching approach for interdisciplinary courses, most
interdisciplinary faculty are operating fields of knowledge that may be new to them and advancing active forms
of learning such as service learning, team-teaching, inquiry-based education, learning communities, or
collaborative learning, all of which may take experience and professional development to master.
Because of the unique nature of interdisciplinary teaching, teaching portfolios can be a dynamic and
performance-based way for interdisciplinary faculty to demonstrate the product of their teaching efforts (e.g.,
Goldstein, 2006; DeZure, 2010) to their colleagues. Moreover, because the learning outcomes for
interdisciplinary courses can differ from those advanced in disciplinary learning contexts, assessment measures
may be unique and require significant time to develop. The Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching,
and University Assessment can provide assistance on developing teaching portfolios. For more information on
interdisciplinary teaching and assessment, see: http://miamioh.edu/oue/interdisciplinary/index.html.
Considerations Related to Service of Interdisciplinary Faculty
Interdisciplinary faculty members may have a joint academic appointment, serve as an affiliate in a program or
department, or be heavily involved in a center, institute, or major interdisciplinary initiative outside of their
home department. As a result, the nature and extent of service (to the department, program, division,
University, profession, community) may be more expansive than the service record of a faculty member who
works within the confines of a single discipline or department.
28
It is important to remember that because interdisciplinary programs, centers, and institutes have few (if any)
core faculty assigned to them, they largely rely on the contributions of faculty whose lines exist in other
departments or divisions. Consequently, the service the faculty members offer these units may at times be
substantial.
Additional Considerations
Because of their interdisciplinary orientation, additional challenges faced by these senior faculty members
include:
•
•
•
•
High networking time and cost as well as lack of recognition for building and maintaining
interdisciplinary research, education, and administrative structures and functions;
Tendency to get drawn into more departmental and program duties such as serving as a program
director, department chair, chief departmental advisor, or member on committees beyond those of
disciplinary senior faculty;
Difficulty in receiving awards or salary increases compared to disciplinary scholars;
Tendency to receive fewer outside employment and other offers due to the interdisciplinary nature of
work.
Interdisciplinary senior faculty should be recognized for their interdisciplinary professional development
activities, including intellectual leadership, involvement in multiple grants and multiple author publications,
entrepreneurship in seeking non-traditional funding, mentorship of junior interdisciplinary faculty and students,
extra departmental service and collaboration expectations, and publications patterns outside the norm.
Coordinating the Promotion Process
Whether an interdisciplinary faculty member holds an appointment within a single department or holds a joint
appointment, challenges may arise in the promotion evaluation. The single greatest difficulty is that faculty
members within a department or division may judge other faculty according to the norms and criteria of their
own discipline, and occasionally departments may believe that their approaches to research or teaching are the
best ones.
Even when faculty members within a department or division who are conducting the evaluation adopt an openminded stance, it may be challenging for them to calibrate the metrics for impact and academic success within
another discipline. For example, when evaluating tenure-track faculty, faculty in some disciplines value
conference papers highly while faculty in other disciplines do not. In addition to the need to evaluate the types
of research products—books, journal papers, conference papers, artifacts, and so on—it is also critical to
understand the quality of each product. Which conferences are important? Which awards carry the greatest
prestige? Which people are the luminaries whose review letters should be taken most seriously, and which are
known to be hypercritical? Which comments in a letter are the most important, and which omissions are
significant? Moreover, if a faculty member is publishing in multiple areas, it is likely that some of the referees
will only have knowledge of a portion of the member’s work.
When evaluating teaching, questions may arise such as: What is the appropriate grade point average for
particular types of courses/fields/disciplines? What teaching approaches are considered innovative or
29
appropriate? What sort of qualitative comments on course evaluations should be heeded or ignored? How
much credit should be given to a faculty member who has team-taught a course?
Dossier Preparation
One of the most important factors to keep in mind in preparing materials is clarification of the significance of the
individual’s work. Because the dossier will be read by many people who may not have expertise in the
teaching/research area(s) of the candidate, the candidate will need to present a narrative that explains his or
her development as an interdisciplinary faculty member (Austin, 2003). For example, because many reviewers of
interdisciplinary faculty will not be familiar with all the journals, the dossier could be annotated with information
on journal standing and impact factors, and reasons for selecting that particular journal as the publication
venue. Because interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching are often collaborative, the role and specific
contributions of the individual in the research or team-taught course should be noted. Synthesis papers, often
an important product of interdisciplinary scholars, should be clearly distinguished from reviews, as reviews may
be discounted by evaluators as not being original contributions.
Some interdisciplinary faculty members have complex career trajectories enabling them to bring a wealth of
experience to their position. However, most positions outside the academy have lower (or no) expectations, or
offer fewer opportunities, for publication. Since some reviewers focus on the number of publications after
receiving the PhD as a measure of productivity, it may be useful to separate career experience into two or more
categories so that the time periods when research and publication was possible are clear and that scholarly
contributions other than peer-reviewed publications are also evident.
The research, teaching, and service statement written by the candidate, and the director/chair’s letter, should
also be written for an even more general audience than is the case for disciplinary scholars. The candidate’s
statement is an opportunity to demonstrate an overarching plan or theme, including the candidate’s
collaboration strategy.
As noted earlier, teaching portfolios can be an effective way for interdisciplinary faculty to demonstrate the
product of their teaching efforts to the public or to their disciplinary colleagues. Interdisciplinary student
learning outcomes and assessment of interdisciplinary learning communicate to the students, internal
colleagues, and external partners the value and purpose of the interdisciplinary teaching and learning program
(e.g., Culligan and Peña-Mora, 2010).
If the external reviewers are asked to address specific criteria, the CV and candidate statements should be
structured so that information and explanations are easy to locate and understand.
Evaluation Criteria
Advancement of an individual faculty member should be dependent on demonstrating originality and
independence of creative thought, having identifiable service contributions, multiple measures of teaching
effectiveness, and collegiality.
Typical questions asked during interim and tenure reviews are:
•
Does the candidate have scholarly quality of mind?
30
•
•
•
•
•
Has the candidate made an important intellectual contribution? If so, does the community recognize the
candidate for it?
Is the candidate an effective teacher?
Is the candidate engaged in and contributing to the academic community?
Is the candidate on a trajectory indicating that (s)he will make significant contributions in the future?
Is it likely that the candidate will be able to support her/his research in the future through grant
support?
The evidence used to assess success differs from one discipline, department, and division to another. However,
some common factors do exist. These criteria typically include multiple measures of teaching effectiveness
(including strong teaching evaluations), number of publications (e.g., peer-reviewed papers, book chapters,
books, reports); the number of these on which the person is first author; the impact factor of the journals in
which the papers are published; citations and awards received; the grants on which the person is a primary
investigator or co-investigator; the relative prestige of the sources of funding; and the significance of the
candidate’s service to the department/program, division, university, and profession.
In interdisciplinary cases, faculty colleagues and administrators often raise an additional set of questions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why were the letter writers chosen from a different set of institutions than our usual set of peers?
Why are the letter writers unfamiliar with some aspects of the candidate’s scholarship?
What is the significance of this area of scholarship?
What is the standing of these journals?
What was the candidate’s contribution to multi-authored publications?
Why did the reviewers not know everyone on the comparison list? Why is the candidate not on the top
of the comparison list?
Is the level of grant support and professional recognition consistent with other interdisciplinary scholars
at a similar career stage? (Pfirman et al., 2005b)
For example, interdisciplinary papers often focus less on innovation in disciplinary theory and methods and
more on cross-disciplinary approaches and findings. The challenge is to be sure, in the review process, that
evaluation of these very different types of publications is conducted according to appropriate criteria. Such
criteria might include production of new interdisciplinary knowledge, development of new technologies or
cross-disciplinary methods, or successful translation of technical or specialized knowledge for societal use.
Disciplinary colleagues accustomed to higher productivity, citation rates, and journal standing may need an
explanation of the time it takes to develop a contribution in a new field, and the difficulty of review and
publication when research spans multiple disciplines. This is not to excuse sparse productivity or poor quality
work, but rather to shift the emphasis of reviews towards intellectual achievement and leadership, rather than
traditional metrics that may emphasize the number of publications. That said, indexes can be used in innovative
ways to demonstrate interdisciplinary impact: as one example, reviewers can look at the number of subject
categories (e.g. Porter et al., 2007) represented by journals with papers that cited the research.
Review Committees and External Reviewers
31
In most cases, it is best if the promotion process for faculty involves interdisciplinary review committees.
Possibilities include: a joint committee from more than one department or a committee from one department
with letters from the chair/director of others where the candidate has an affiliation. If the review will involve
several departments, it is important to state from the outset what each unit’s decision-making role will be -whether it will be independent and equal or whether one will have a subordinate, perhaps a consulting, role.
Promotion committees should be made up, to the degree possible, of individuals in similar positions or with
considerable experience in working with and reviewing people in similar roles. Where a sufficient pool of such
individuals does not exist, the committee may include more than one person with a similar title and set of job
responsibilities, even though the actual scholarly focus may be in an unrelated area as they will be familiar with
the challenges of working in an interdisciplinary field.
It is often also helpful to bring in an external reviewer (letter-writer) who is familiar with the state of the
interdisciplinary field and the candidate’s scholarship at the time of the promotion review. Outside reviewers
are also increasingly used for interim reviews. It is often challenging to identify reviewers who have sufficient
background to fairly assess contributions generated through interdisciplinary scholarship. In selecting external
reviewers for emerging interdisciplinary fields, it is important to have both interdisciplinary scholars who work
on closely related problems, as well as eminent disciplinary scholars who are aware of this area of research and
are able to comment on its significance.
In addition, the external reviewers should be specifically asked to comment on interdisciplinary contributions
and impact. This will serve as a reminder to reviewers of the differences and challenges of reviewing an
interdisciplinary as compared to a disciplinary candidate. Because some interdisciplinary scholarship includes
community and stakeholder interaction, reviews may also be solicited from individuals outside of the academy.
Recommendations for Supporting Senior Interdisciplinary Faculty






The faculty member and chair/director should meet annually to set clear outcomes and goals for
teaching, service, and research to promote development and prioritize competing demands.
Encourage the faculty member to network with colleagues in relevant disciplines or fields across the
University and nation. Arrange for formal or informal mentoring by a full professor in relevant
discipline/fields.
Provide funding and support to participate in faculty development and professional workshops,
meetings, and conferences in other relevant disciplines and fields.
If possible, involve people from relevant disciplines or interdisciplinary fields in the annual merit review
or promotion committee of the interdisciplinary faculty member.
When the faculty member is ready for promotion, provide coaching or mentoring on the dossier so that
the significance of the interdisciplinary activities are clearly identified and justified.
Similarly, in the evaluation of scholarship in the faculty member’s promotion dossier, involve a faculty
member with expertise in the other discipline(s) or interdisciplinary fields relevant to the faculty
member’s interests. If the unit selects an ad hoc promotion and tenure committee for each candidate,
then this faculty member external to the department/program could be member of the committee. Be
sure that the outside member plays a role in selecting the referees who will write letters evaluating the
32



candidate. Also task that member with helping to make sure that the promotion and tenure committee
members understand the values and norms of those other participating discipline. It may be helpful to
write down metrics for judging academic success.
Educate the promotion committee on the standards of scholarship and research methodologies in the
relevant disciplines. Familiarize committee members with ways of evaluating scholarship outside of
one’s discipline.
In requesting external review letters for promotion, consider including wording that specifically asks the
letter-writer to evaluate the candidate on the basis of his or her own area of expertise, while recognizing
that the candidate has conducted interdisciplinary research.
Anticipate that the dossier and promotion process may take longer to prepare and evaluate than purely
disciplinary cases, and plan accordingly. It may take more time to develop the dossier, select the
promotion evaluation committee, select the letter-writers, and evaluate the dossier.
Appendix G: Suggestions for Advancing the Success of Interdisciplinary
Lecturers, Clinical and Professionally Licensed Faculty
NOTE: THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT EXISTING MIAMI UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND INFORMATION . NONE OF THE
SUGGESTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT SUPERSEDE UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES .
Introduction
This document provides suggestions for lecturers, clinical and professionally licensed (LCPL) faculty interested in
pursuing interdisciplinary work and for administrators (department chairs, program directors, and deans)
working with LCPL faculty who are pursuing interdisciplinary teaching and research. It provides suggestions for
better ensuring the professional success and retention of interdisciplinary faculty.
Since 1997, three ad hoc committees have been developed which offered specific and similar recommendations
on advancing an interdisciplinary culture at Miami University: the 1997 “Ways to Encourage Interdisciplinary
Teaching”; the 2006 “Report of the First in 2009 Coordinating Council Sub-Committee on Interdisciplinarity at
Miami University”; and the 2011 Interdisciplinary Enhancement Committee Report. Each report identified the
barriers to interdisciplinary work, the landscape of interdisciplinary activity at Miami at the time, perspectives
from various stakeholders around campus, and key recommendations for how to enhance and encourage
interdisciplinarity. The cornerstone of the 2006 report was a campus-wide survey that gathered data about
barriers to interdisciplinary teaching and research. An open meeting for Miami faculty and administrators,
which was held in November 2013 and sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Advisory Council, also yielded similar
recommendations on fostering an interdisciplinary teaching and research environment at Miami.
Findings from the November 2013 meeting and the previous committee reports as well as from the professional
literature have shaped the ideas and recommendations embedded in this document.
Interdisciplinary Studies Today
Colleges and universities are experiencing a marked increase in interdisciplinary research and education. As one
researcher noted, for the past ten years, “interdisciplinary programs have multiplied at a dizzying pace”
33
(Nowacek, 2009, 493), with “over half of current general education reforms includ[ing] interdisciplinary
programs or courses” (494). Likewise, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering,
the National Science Foundation, and the Institute of Medicine have extolled the benefits of interdisciplinary
research and taken steps to promote its expansion (National Academies Press, 2004; see also
http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/additional_resources/interdisciplinary_research/). Similarly, the National
Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Social Science Research
Council have also recently developed and prioritized prominent interdisciplinary initiatives.ii
Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Faculty
As summarized in the table below, faculty who engage actively in interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship, and
service opportunities provide significant benefits and challenges for the University.
Benefits
Teaching
 Focuses on exciting and cutting-edge
subjects or topics
 Thematic focus can be appealing to
students
 Team-teaching can promote faculty
development, teaching excellence, and
collaborations
 Often involves experiential learning (e.g.,
field experiences, service learning,
collaborative learning)
Service
 Fosters community connections
 Builds bridges between disciplines,
departments, divisions
 Enables faculty to become known on
campus
 Broadens network for the department and
University
Promotion
Challenges
 No or few textbooks
 Lack of sample syllabi or longstanding
models to follow
 No clear body of knowledge to cover
 Team-teaching, due to its collaborative
nature and the need for the instructors to
learn new disciplines, can be more timeconsuming
 Students and parents may not
immediately perceive value
 Assessment methods may be unique
 Multiple and diverse demands
 Jointly appointed faculty serve two or
more academic departments or programs;
each department may not recognize the
service demands required from the other
 Procedures & criteria may be biased
toward disciplines
 Reviewers may assume disciplinary norms
or standards
Robert Clark, Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, writes, It is clear that teaching “at the
boundaries of traditional . . . disciplines is yielding tremendous gains. . . The simple act of brainstorming in a
group of faculty having different backgrounds is tremendously exciting and stimulating. Such groups diminish
the fear associated with suggesting ideas that are outside the accepted ‘dogma’ of a particular . . . discipline.
There is less risk of being criticized by colleagues that understand when you approach the problem with a
different background and perspective. As a result, this kind of brainstorming among colleagues from different
disciplines can stimulate creativity, sometimes leading to radically unique ideas or approaches.”ii
Although supporting interdisciplinary teaching comes with challenges-- including ensuring administrative
34
flexibility and support, and constant exposure to faculty in other disciplines to expand the vocabulary, which can
vary greatly from discipline to discipline—it is worth the effort.
Support for New Faculty
New LCPL faculty involved in interdisciplinary work may require mentoring because their teaching may not fit
with established norms, criteria, resources, and rewards. Interdisciplinary faculty members approach their
teaching in different ways, and each approach has somewhat different implications.
Considerations Related to Interdisciplinary Teaching
Interdisciplinary teaching entails the use and integration of methods and analytical frameworks from more than
one academic discipline to examine a theme, issue, question, or topic. The hallmark of interdisciplinary
education is integration of concepts, methods, and principles from multiple disciplines to systematically form a
more complete, and hopefully coherent, framework of analysis that offers a richer understanding of the issue
under examination.
Interdisciplinary teaching activities may need additional support and development, particularly when the faculty
member is involved in developing new courses that span multiple disciplines—often without a standard
textbook or readily available teaching resources—or when the faculty members is piloting new experimental
teaching approaches.
Although there is no single preferred pedagogy or teaching approach for interdisciplinary courses, most
interdisciplinary faculty are learning new fields of knowledge and advancing active forms of learning such as
service learning, team-teaching, inquiry-based education, learning communities, or collaborative learning, which
may take time, experience and professional development to master.
Because of the unique nature of interdisciplinary teaching, teaching portfolios can be a dynamic and
performance-based way for interdisciplinary faculty to demonstrate the product of their teaching efforts (e.g.,
Goldstein, 2006; DeZure, 2010) to their colleagues. Moreover, because the learning outcomes for
interdisciplinary courses can differ from those advanced in disciplinary learning contexts, assessment measures
may be unique and require significant time to develop.
For more information on interdisciplinary teaching and assessment, see:
http://miamioh.edu/oue/interdisciplinary/index.html.
Additionally, the Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching, and University Assessment can provide
assistance on developing teaching portfolios.
Considerations Related to Service of Interdisciplinary Faculty
Interdisciplinary faculty members may have a joint academic appointment, serve as an affiliate in a program or
department, or be heavily involved in a center, institute, or major interdisciplinary initiative outside of their
home department. As a result, the nature and extent of service (to the department, program, division,
University, profession, community) may be more expansive and different from the service record of a faculty
member who works primarily within the confines of a single discipline, department, or division.
35
It is important to recognize that because interdisciplinary programs, centers, and institutes have few (if any)
core faculty assigned to them, they largely rely on the contributions of faculty whose lines exist in other
departments or divisions. Consequently, the service the faculty members offer these units may at times be
substantial.
Mentoring LCPL Faculty
It is advantageous to provide adequate mentoring to all faculty, but especially new faculty whose service and/or
teaching areas are interdisciplinary. In particular, new LCPL faculty should be given clear guidelines about what is
expected and valued by a particular department; for example, they should not be surprised to learn, in their fifth
year, that the department does not recognize certain forms of teaching or service as valuable for promotion. It
may be necessary to provide two (or more) mentors to ensure coverage of the different areas in which the
faculty member works.
If a faculty member is heavily involved in a center or institute, it is especially important to provide advice about
how to balance work on collaborative projects with work that establishes a strong individual reputation.
When establishing a mentoring relationship, it should be clear to all whether or not the mentor has a role in
evaluating the faculty member for promotion.
Coordinating the Evaluation and Promotion Process for LCPL Faculty
Whether an interdisciplinary faculty member holds an appointment within a single department or holds a joint
appointment, challenges may arise in the promotion evaluation. The single greatest difficulty is that faculty
members may judge other faculty according to the norms and criteria of their own discipline, and often
departments tend to believe that their approach to teaching is the only or best one.
Even when faculty members conducting the evaluation adopt an open-minded stance, it may be challenging for
them to calibrate the metrics for impact and academic success within another discipline, even a closely related
one. For example, when evaluating teaching, questions may arise such as: What is the appropriate grade point
average for particular types of courses/fields/disciplines? Which teaching approaches are considered innovative
or appropriate? What sort of qualitative comments on course evaluations should be heeded or ignored? How
much credit should be given to a faculty member who has team-taught a course? Put succinctly, there is a great
deal of implicit knowledge within a discipline that is taken into account that may be missing in interdisciplinary
cases.
To mitigate these difficulties, the following recommendations are offered:


If possible, involve people from relevant disciplines or interdisciplinary fields in the annual merit review
and promotion review of the interdisciplinary faculty member.
Anticipate that the dossier and process will take longer to prepare and evaluate than purely disciplinary
cases, and plan accordingly.
Dossier Preparation
36
One of the most important factors to keep in mind in preparing materials is clarification of the significance of the
individual’s work. Because the dossier will be read by many people who do not have expertise in the teaching
area(s) of the candidate, the candidate will need to present a narrative that explains his or her development as
an interdisciplinary faculty member (Austin, 2003). This guideline is important for all faculty, but it is particularly
important for interdisciplinary faculty who may be engaged in unique teaching situations. For example, because
interdisciplinary teaching is often collaborative, the role and specific contributions of the individual in the teamtaught or team-designed course should be clearly explained. Moreover, if the faculty member had to learn new
disciplinary knowledge to prepare an interdisciplinary course, that additional level of work should be described.
The teaching and service statement written by the candidate as well as the chair’s letter should also be written
for a more general audience than is the case for disciplinary faculty. The candidate’s statement is an opportunity
to demonstrate an overarching plan or theme, including the candidate’s collaboration strategy.
As noted earlier, teaching portfolios can be a particularly effective way for interdisciplinary faculty to
demonstrate the process and product of their teaching efforts to the public or to their disciplinary colleagues.
Recommendations






The faculty member and chair/director should meet annually to set clear outcomes and goals for
teaching, service, and advising to promote development and prioritize competing demands.
Encourage the faculty member to network with colleagues in relevant disciplines or interdisciplinary
fields across the University and nation. Arrange for formal or informal mentoring by an experienced
LCPL professor with interdisciplinary interests.
Provide funding and support to participate in faculty development workshops, meetings, and
conferences related to teaching in relevant disciplines and interdisciplinary fields.
If possible, involve people from relevant disciplines or a related interdisciplinary field in the annual merit
review or promotion committee of the interdisciplinary LCPL faculty member.
When the LCPL faculty member is ready for promotion, provide coaching or mentoring on the dossier so
that the significance of the interdisciplinary activities are clearly identified and justified.
Anticipate that the dossier and promotion process will take longer to prepare and evaluate than purely
disciplinary cases, and plan accordingly. It will take more time to develop the dossier, select the
promotion evaluation committee, and more time to evaluate the dossier.
Appendix H: Suggestions for Publishing and Evaluating Interdisciplinary
Scholarship
NOTE: THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT EXISTING MIAMI UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND INFORMATION . NONE OF THE
SUGGESTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT SUPERSEDE UNIVERSITY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES .
Introduction
Interdisciplinary work comes in a variety of forms (Rhoten and Pfirman, 2007):
37
(9) Cross-fertilization –adapting and using ideas, approaches and information from different fields and/or
disciplines.
(10)Team-collaboration—collaborating in teams or networks that span different fields and/or disciplines.
(11)Field-creation--creating new spheres of inquiry that sit at the intersection or edges of multiple fields
and/or disciplines.
(12)Problem-orientation—addressing problems that engage multiple stakeholders and missions outside of
academe, for example that serve society.
Interdisciplinary research, particularly research that cuts across widely divergent disciplines and fields, can be
difficult to publish in recognized journals. There are fewer journals that specialize in broadly interdisciplinary
research and among the ones that do, impact factors can vary greatly. While interdisciplinary research may be
published in conference proceedings or as book chapters, because these are not usually indexed in traditional
ways, they are more difficult for other scholars to find, and therefore cite.
Moreover, interdisciplinary scholarship can be difficult to evaluate. It may be challenging for evaluation
committees to calibrate the metrics for impact and academic success within another discipline. For example,
faculty in some disciplines value conference papers highly while faculty members in other disciplines may not.
In addition to the need to evaluate the types of research products—books, journal papers, conference papers,
artifacts, and so on—it is also critical to understand the quality of each product. Which publication outlets are
important? Which carry the greatest prestige?
In this document, we offer suggested outlets for publishing interdisciplinary work and suggestions for evaluating
interdisciplinary scholarship.
Interdisciplinary Journals
The following list represents a sample of the hundreds of interdisciplinary journals in which you may be
interested in publishing. If you would like additional suggestions for scholarly, interdisciplinary outlets, please
contact the Interdisciplinary Librarian, Jen Waller, who will be happy to discuss appropriate, quality venues for
your work.
19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
19 is an open-access, scholarly, refereed web journal dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary study in the
nineteenth century. The journal extends the activities of the Centre for Nineteenth-Century Studies by making
the high-quality, original scholarship presented at its regular conferences, symposia and other events available
to an international audience. 19 publishes two themed issues annually, each consisting of a collection of peerreviewed articles showcasing the broadest range of new research in nineteenth-century studies, as well as
special forums advancing critical debate in the field.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-6d9e3d47d0d1a9715fa35d83015e7d49
49th Parallel: An Interdisciplinary Journal of North American Studies
49th Parallel is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary e-journal devoted to American and Canadian Studies. Since
1999, it has sought to transcend traditional boundaries and promote innovative and challenging academic work.
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http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-dec437acfbf075a0f5e9147397d701c4
Across the Disciplines: A Journal of Language, Learning, and Academic Writing
Across the Disciplines is a refereed journal devoted to language, learning, and academic writing and publishes
articles relevant to writing and writing pedagogy in all their intellectual, political, social, and technological
complexity.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb3494136
American Indian Quarterly
American Indian Quarterly has earned its reputation as one of the dominant journals in American Indian studies
by presenting the best and most thought-provoking scholarship in the field. AIQ is a forum for diverse voices and
perspectives spanning a variety of academic disciplines. The common thread is AIQ’s commitment to publishing
work that contributes to the development of American Indian studies as a field and to the sovereignty and
continuance of American Indian nations and cultures. In addition to peer-reviewed articles, AIQ features reviews
of books, films, and exhibits
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-505d4f0bebd01324aaef98df696928ee
American Quarterly
The term “American” is an ever-changing, ever-expanding word, one that defies boundaries and disciplines, and
American Quarterly reflects the evolving landscape of American studies. Within the journal’s pages, you’ll find
interdisciplinary scholarship aimed at motivating discussion and embracing fresh ideas in the field. American
Quarterly not only publishes traditional scholarship, but it welcomes innovative approaches to critical writing
through forums, event and book reviews, and “Currents” – timely pieces about topics of current importance to
the world of American studies.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-802519ec1e607e4b7eac908855b10f6c
APCJ (Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice)
APCJ is an interdisciplinary, peer reviewed academic journal that examines the intersection of psychology and
criminal justice
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-652298d3fb23a54040ef11409a76b176
AVANT: Trends in Interdisciplinary Studies
AVANT is an open access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to current trends in interdisciplinary studies, focusing
on cognitive sciences as well as science, technology, and society studies.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-11c38de9c987e4935a46fc62f0382381
Behavior and Social Issues
A peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal which serves as a primary scholarly outlet for articles that advance the
analysis of human social behavior, particularly with regard to understanding and influencing important social
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problems. The journal is particularly interested in publishing work related to issues with social justice and human
rights implications, but all significant social issues are of interest.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-e25cde135d7ac4fb50260bdaf6569ad6
The Black Scholar
Founded in 1969, this is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal devoted to the exploration of cultural,
political, social, and economic issues affecting black Americans and other peoples of African descent across the
world.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-94c0c01f02361bac07f06d2b83b48465
The Brock Review
An interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal published by the Humanities Research Institute at Brock University.
Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science
Chaos is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to increasing the understanding of nonlinear phenomena and
describing the manifestations in a manner comprehensible to researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines.
Besides front-line research papers, letters, and brief reports, Chaos includes solicited technical reviews and
deliberately pedagogical articles of broad appeal.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb2801251
Child Health & Education: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Seeks to provide an international forum for the discussion of research on issues concerning health, care, and
education that contribute to improving the lives of young children and their families.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-bec98441d88cad546e61a203eab029b8
Chinese Language and Discourse: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal
A peer-reviewed journal which seeks to publish original work on Chinese and related languages, with a focus on
current topics in Chinese discourse studies.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-05ba855bf4bbd9498eab99cc6cf83d69
Clothing and Textiles Research Journal
Peer reviewed journal that strives to strengthen the research base in clothing and textiles, facilitate scholarly
interchange, and demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of the field.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-80a6fc43f5f1e373549369dc7fb92ba5
Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development
An online, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainable development.
The journal aims to bring students, researchers, professors, and practitioners from a variety of disciplines and
geographical regions in direct conversation with each other through an online, academically rigorous medium.
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http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-691953aa7a73395c08033cea7ffcad90
Cyberpsychology
This interdisciplinary journal explores the impact of the Internet on people and society from the perspective of
scholars from the area of psychology, media studies, sociology, political science, nursing, and others.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-3d76ffcbbca5d83f94323be22261cc3d
differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies
differences is a peer-reviewed publication with a focus on how concepts of difference operate within culture.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-a40cd434b16249d102d47da63b86d4f5
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Humanities is an international, open-access journal that aims to invigorate current
interdisciplinary research on the environment. In response to a growing interest around the world in the many
questions that arise in this era of rapid environmental and social change, the journal publishes outstanding
scholarship that draws humanities disciplines into conversation with each other, and with the natural and social
sciences.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-6e489aa5f1110b587889fe3c59e1798d
European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies
Provides a forum for dialogue for advancing European knowledge within and across multiple social science and
humanities disciplines.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-89f0a82fd997b79669cffac5f1973024
Excursions
Excursions is an online peer reviewed journal, designed to showcase high-quality, innovative, and inventive
postgraduate research. Based at the University of Sussex, the journal aims to encourage work that plays with the
permeable nature of academic disciplines. Excursions is an invitation to journey into the unfamiliar, a space in
which to reflect upon the travels of concepts, beyond the boundaries of one's discipline.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-ce5ae4b7bd2513cb34aa2f048e97dad7
Expositions: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities
An online journal where scholars from multiple disciplines gather as colleagues to converse about common texts
and questions in the humanities. Expositions provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that
making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-227b407cdc7ee6a8f62c22f52cd0f269
Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies
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Film & History is a non-profit, peer-reviewed journal affiliated with the American Historical Association.
Published continuously since 1971, it is one of the oldest journals in its field. It publishes two issues annually:
Spring (in April) and Fall (in October).
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-c520a4725c1d4d91c1a2045950e04cf1
Fragments: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Ancient and Medieval Pasts
The aim of Fragments is to generate new, integrated ways of thinking about the pre-modern past.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-1b27cc4f2d605af777d39206c73fea73
Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad
Publishes thought-provoking research articles and insightful essays to provide the field of study abroad an
intellectual charge, document the best thinking and innovative programming, create dialogue among colleagues
in international education, and ultimately enrich perspectives and bring greater meaning to the work of
education abroad.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-5e778a0223cc208a93705f3da9fa7656
Gender & Society
Gender & Society (GENDSOC) is a peer-reviewed journal, focused on the study of gender. It is the official journal
of Sociologists for Women in Society, and was founded in 1987 as an outlet for feminist social science. Currently,
it is a top-ranked journal in both sociology and women's studies. Articles appearing in Gender & Society analyze
gender and gendered processes in interactions, organizations, societies, and global and transnational spaces.
The journal primarily publishes empirical articles, which are both theoretically engaged and methodologically
rigorous, including qualitative, quantitative, and comparative-historical methodologies.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-5c80bc9f3f2bae7dfa2034c78be9a544
Girlhood Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
A peer-reviewed journal providing a forum for the critical discussion of girlhood from a variety of disciplinary
perspectives, and for the dissemination of current research and reflections on girls' lives to a broad, crossdisciplinary audience of scholars, researchers, practitioners in the fields of education, social service and health
care and policy makers. International and interdisciplinary in scope, it is committed to feminist, antidiscrimination, anti-oppression approaches.
Global Discourse: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Current Affairs and Applied
Contemporary Thought
An interdisciplinary, problem-oriented journal of applied contemporary thought operating at the intersection of
politics, international relations, sociology, and social policy.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-2ae684199d8f60a4af4a664b30e7a5ac
Global Society
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Covers the new agenda in global and international relations and encourages innovative approaches to the study
of global and international issues from a range of disciplines.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-4bdcb4a94f7e757849633bf70a51bbe7
GJSS: Graduate Journal of Social Science
The journal publishes three issues per year, one of which is thematic and one of which groups innovative an
instructive papers from all disciplines. GJSS welcomes submissions from both senior and junior academics, thus
providing a forum of publication and exchange among different generations engaged in interdisciplinary
research.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-35e5b5ef884ddbaccf7699730d5a4662
Human Ecology
Provides a forum for papers concerned with the complex and varied systems of interaction between people and
their environment. Research papers from such diverse fields as anthropology, geography, psychology, biology,
sociology, and urban planning are welcomed. All submissions are peer reviewed.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-4b5da360b038004575c76c3fc4c5dd84
ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies
A peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of comics and related media.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-06eb829d39765a6d6ecb5629a9eb96c3
Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects
This peer reviewed interdisciplinary journal endeavors to provide readers around the world with the widest
possible coverage of developments in e-learning and learning objects. It publishes high quality articles on theory,
practice, innovation and research.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-92757b9af55118ed749b7fc9e383fc93
Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning
Publishes relevant, interesting, and challenging articles of research analysis or promising practice related to all
aspects of implementing problem-based learning in K-12 and post-secondary classrooms.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-1db75422e7588785ba0f7ef54125ae88
International Journal of Asian Studies
An interdisciplinary, English-language forum for research in the social sciences and humanities. IJAS examines
Asia on a regional basis, emphasizing patterns and tendencies that go beyond the borders of individual
countries. It is particularly interested in locating contemporary changes within a historical framework, especially
using interdisciplinary approaches, and so promotes comparative studies involving the various regions of Asia.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-ab9bea74dc8edf0209a432a8f57fd758
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International Journal of Communication
The International Journal of Communication is an online, multi-media, academic journal that adheres to the
highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world.
The International Journal of Communication is an interdisciplinary journal that, while centered in
communication, is open and welcoming to contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that meet at
the crossroads that is communication study.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-32edb7380b38bd9c2015e2ff79fe8f5a
International Journal of Gender, Science, and Technology
GST focuses on gender issues in and of science and technology, including engineering, construction, and the
built environment, and aims to explore the intersections of policy, practice, and research.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-ce0237365c98fbbbf46052bcc3138621
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture
Published by the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture, the purpose of this journal
is to "focus critical, scholarly attention, in a richly interdisciplinary way, on the religion/nature/culture nexus.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-5ac860f4577670d05b0ecbf6826944ce
Journal of American Studies
Journal of American Studies seeks to critique and interrogate the notion of "America", pursuing this through
international perspectives on the history, literature, politics and culture of the United States. The Journal
publishes works by scholars from all over the world on American literature, history, institutions, politics,
economics, film, popular culture, geography and related subjects in domestic, continental, hemispheric, and
global contexts.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-e75340b90402afd871514a2385c6a08e
Journal of Consumer Research
Publishes scholarly research that describes and explains consumer behavior. Empirical, theoretical, and
methodological articles spanning fields such as psychology, marketing, sociology, economics, and anthropology
are featured in this interdisciplinary journal.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-cad82d214bfb27f1da5baab8777538aa
Journal of e-Media Studies
The Journal of e-Media Studies is a blind peer-reviewed, on-line journal dedicated to the scholarly study of the
history and theory of electronic media, especially television and new media. It is an interdisciplinary journal,
with an editorial board that is chiefly grounded in the methodologies of the field of Film and Television Studies.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-347defadb8ec7a86fb547af0877ef2d4
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
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Peer-reviewed journal presenting interdisciplinary research on all forms of migration and its consequences,
together with articles on ethnic conflict, discrimination, racism, nationalism, citizenship, and policies of
integration.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-b2571bf921c462235fef6dbd3784461b
Journal of Sport and Social Issues
Journal of Sport and Social Issues (JSSI) brings the latest research, discussion, and analysis on contemporary
sport issues. Using an international, interdisciplinary perspective, JSSI examines today's most pressing and farreaching questions about sport.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb2759094
Journal of Third World Studies
A scholarly and provocative periodical on Third World problems and issues. Published bi-annually, Spring and
Fall, by the Association of Third World Studies, Inc.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-04aa8260f297811033a4b46bfecff684
Konturen
An interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the analysis of borders, framing determinations, and
related figures of delimitation of all kinds: theoretical and historical, practical and speculative, aesthetic,
political, methodological, and other. Konturen publishes innovative work that takes into account the
contributions of recent philosophy and theory to an understanding of problematic discursive places of meeting,
overlap, or disjunction.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-bdb887f93669b6b6b9f30f66d5121c73
Leisure Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Presents scientific inquiries into the study of leisure, recreation, parks, travel, and tourism from a social science
perspective. Articles cover the social and psychological aspects of leisure, planning for leisure environments,
leisure gerontology, travel and tourism behavior, leisure economics, and urban leisure delivery systems. Also
published are methodological notes and philosophical and policy treatises, calendars of research meetings and
conferences, announcements, and book reviews. The interdisciplinary diversity of topics makes this
international forum for leisure research of special interest to academicians, consultants, students, bureaucrats,
and practitioners involved in research, teaching, planning, management, administration, and promotion.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-d450951ffc37ea3310c108bc7da1f7cc
Media Psychology
Interdisciplinary journal devoted to publishing theoretically-oriented empirical research that is at the
intersection of psychology and media communication. These topics include media uses, processes, and effects.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-73ea7b47d142706bd524cefbd82d27a6
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Music & Politics
A peer-reviewed electronic journal first published in 2007 and is publishing online twice a year. Music & Politics
welcomes submissions of any length that explore the interaction of music and politics. Areas of interest include,
but are not limited to, the impact of politics on the lives of musicians, music as a form of political discourse, and
the influences of ideology on musical historiography. In addition, the journal seeks articles that examine
pedagogical issues and strategies pertaining to the study of music and politics in the undergraduate classroom.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-d0aa64d2a416d89b6ab00c775ffd4e2b
New Media & Society
A top-ranked, peer-reviewed, international journal that publishes key research from communication, media, and
cultural studies as well as sociology, geography, anthropology, economics, the political and information sciences,
and the humanities.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-f2c32906017ef7b2429c49406079158a
Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly
A peer-reviewed international, interdisciplinary journal for nonprofit sector research covering nonprofit
organizations, philanthropy, and voluntarism by providing cutting-edge research, discussion, and analysis of the
field.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-d1e65f173d4041f3f6b894e8fb0a6be8
Open Addiction Journal
This journal publishes original research articles, reviews, and letters in the field of pre-clinical and clinical
addiction and substance abuse research. Topics covered in this interdisciplinary journal include: pharmacology;
neuroscience; co-dependence; epidemiology; genetics; psychiatry; diagnosis; prevention; therapy; policy of
addiction and substance abuse.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-3333c787955c460fb99dec6e3104db39
Oral History Review
Official publication of the Oral History Association explores oral history of people who have participated in
important political, cultural, and economic social developments in modern times.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-6509b6cc0be0174cdebdf920342dc460
Performing Islam
Performing Islam is the first peer reviewed interdisciplinary journal about Islam and performance and their
related aesthetics. It focuses on socio-cultural as well as the historical and political contexts of artistic practices
in the Muslim world. The journal covers dance, ritual, theatre, performing arts, visual arts and cultures, and
popular entertainment in Islam-influenced societies and their diasporas.
Population & Environment: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies
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Population and Environment is the sole social science journal focused on interdisciplinary research on social
demographic aspects of environmental issues. The journal publishes cutting-edge research that contributes new
insights on the complex, reciprocal links between human populations and the natural environment.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-629cc9ef3197740022790b0e08917884
Postmodern Culture: An Electronic Journal of Interdisciplinary Criticism
Founded in 1990 as an experiment in scholarly publishing on the Internet, Postmodern Culture has become the
leading electronic journal of interdisciplinary thought on contemporary cultures, publishing the work of such
noted authors and critics as Kathy Acker, Charles Bernstein, Bruce Robbins, bell hooks, and Susan Howe. PMC
combines high scholarly standards with broad appeal for non-academic readers. As an entirely web-based
journal, PMC can publish still images, sound, animation, and full-motion video as well as text. Published by Johns
Hopkins University Press with support from the University of California, Irvine, and the University of Virginia.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-c1aaa63dff9d812177e3e7eda641dc43
S.A.P.I.EN.S (Surveys And Perspectives Integrating Environment & Society)
Publishes authoritative, state of the art, critical analysis and evidence-based opinions written by leading
scientists. S.A.P.I.EN.S does not publish research articles.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-7ddcc0c6335a9f7010365094a911a5ab
Signs
Signs publishes pathbreaking articles, review essays, comparative perspectives, and retrospectives of
interdisciplinary interest addressing gender, race, culture, class, nation, and sexuality.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-4713b513329905cb561b6deec1dbf46e
TDR: The Drama Review
TDR traces the broad spectrum of performances—studying performances in their aesthetic, social, economic,
and political contexts. With an emphasis on experimental, avant-garde, intercultural, and interdisciplinary
performance, TDR covers performance art, theatre, dance, music, visual art, popular entertainments, media,
sports, rituals, and the performance in and of politics and everyday life.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-a101f2cc9775d7c245a6113f42d825a9
Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal
If "interdisciplinary" connotes anything, it should be improved communication across disciplines that foster
mutual understanding. This, in turn, advances our understanding of the deeply complex ethical and moral issues
facing our world today. Acknowledging the need for diversity and integrity in speaking to these issues, Soundings
promotes dialogue, reflection, inquiry, discussion, and action. These activities are informed by scholarship and
by the acknowledgment of the civil and social responsibilities of academe to engage the world beyond the ivory
tower.
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http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-544e5f28ef526aa45c36085ffb30f371
Text & Talk: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse & Communication
Studies
Text & Talk (founded as TEXT in 1981) is an internationally recognized forum for interdisciplinary research in
language, discourse, and communication studies, focusing, among other things, on the situational and historical
nature of text/talk production; the cognitive and sociocultural processes of language practice/action; and
participant-based structures of meaning negotiation and multimodal alignment. Text & Talk encourages critical
debates on these and other relevant issues, spanning not only the theoretical and methodological dimensions of
discourse but also their practical and socially relevant outcomes.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-5e54d84ae836751c587e8f9a41d9f42d
Theoria & Praxis: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Thought
Theoria and Praxis is a peer-reviewed international journal dedicated to exploring the interdisciplinary linkages
between theory and practice, and facilitating cross-communication between philosophy and the social sciences.
In an age of greater specialization and narrowed focus, this journal seeks to broaden the academic dialogue by
calling upon thinkers from a variety of disciplines to participate in a discussion about some of the most pressing
issues of our time. Avowedly international in scope, the journal seeks to cultivate a truly planetary voice able to
speak to scholars in fields ranging from philosophy, the humanities, literary and cultural studies to economics,
history, sociology, and political science.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-32024bdccc958ffff220cd0f197078cd
Third World Quarterly
The leading journal of scholarship and policy in the field of international studies. For over three decades it has
set the agenda on development discourses of the global debate. As the most influential academic journal
covering the emerging worlds, TWQ is at the forefront of analysis and commentary on fundamental issues of
global concern.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-64c8d9dceca2210539e89e0acb6e9ee4
Understanding & Dismantling Privilege
An interdisciplinary journal focusing on the intersectional aspects of privilege, bridging academia and practice,
highlighting activism, and offering a forum for creative introspection on issues of inequity, power, and privilege.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-bb06c866b28941fef6858a824d298d83
Victorian Studies
The interdisciplinary journal of the North American Victorian Studies Association that publishes essays on topics
from literature, social and political history, fine arts, science, philosophy, economics, and law.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-a0a838a6c00ae30260be881b73f2f63f
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The Western Journal of Black Studies (WJBS)
A leading interdisciplinary journal devoted to publishing scholarly articles from a wide range of disciplines that
focus mainly on the experience of African Americans in the United States of America. The journal publishes
articles that report original investigations and contribute new knowledge and understanding to the field of
Black/African American studies.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-63ac0eed25036f74db7ba5bb9085e962
Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory
Women & Performance publishes scholarly essays on performance, dance, film, new media, and the
performance of everyday life from interdisciplinary feminist perspectives.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/mu3ugb4296141
Women's Studies: an Interdisciplinary Journal
Provides a forum for the presentation of scholarship and criticism about women in the fields of literature,
history, art, sociology, law, political science, economics, anthropology and the sciences. It also publishes poetry,
film and book reviews.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-2031b8b9e536c03a2a84b646416a7eec
WSQ (Women's Studies Quarterly)
Since 1972 WSQ (formerly Women's Studies Quarterly) has been an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of
emerging perspectives on women, gender, and sexuality. WSQ is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal
published in June and December. Each thematic issue is guest edited and combines contemporary developments
in feminist theory and scholarship with essays, poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and the visual arts.
http://www.lib.muohio.edu.proxy.lib.muohio.edu/multifacet/record/az-983ee2b3bb4c5faf597f46d5f8605c81
Zeteo: The Journal of Interdisciplinary Writing
Zeteo is an online, peer reviewed journal that attempts to capture the loving, passionate interests of its writers,
opening a space for those who seek to question, reveal, connect, and explore. It provides a forum for truly
interdisciplinary and holistic work combining the personal, the political, and the intellectual.
Evaluating Journals and Publishers
Assessing the quality of a journal or a publisher is important, but it can be a difficult task to do fairly. There are a
number of tools to assist with your evaluation, although one of the most important tools is your librarian! When
you would like more information about an interdisciplinary journal or determining the importance of a journal
or publisher, please feel free to contact the Interdisciplinary Librarian, Jen Waller or your subject specialist
librarian.
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Impact metrics have traditionally quantified the influence of academic research and scholarly activity. The basic
premise of traditional citation metrics is that citation counts are directly correlated to the scholarly impact of
journals, articles, and authors.
Below are descriptions of several tools, although it is important to not put too much weight on any one method.
Any one tool is just one view into scholarship, and that view is a small part of a larger whole. Therefore, one tool
is not “better” than another.
Because interdisciplinary fields tend to be smaller than fields that follow strict disciplines, traditional citation
metrics may falsely show up as weak when actual impact was made. Some of the tools below fall into the
category of altmetrics – an emerging framework of metrics that covers other aspects of scholars’ work instead of
relying solely on the journal impact factor or the h-index. When scholarship is online, it can be seen and counted
at the article level instead of the at the journal level. Altmetrics reflect the impact of the article itself, not just its
venue. You may wish to explore some of these altmetric tools, as they may provide a better way of defining your
research. That said, please be aware that altmetrics is an emerging method in a changing landscape. For that
reason, altmetrics may be best used to enrich more traditional measures of impact.
For additional information about altmetrics, see Altmetrics.org and read:
Howard, J. (January 29, 2012). As Scholarship Goes Digital Scholars Seek Better Ways to Track Impact Online. The
Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from < http://chronicle.com/article/As-Scholarship-GoesDigital/130482 >.
And remember, you are much more than a publication list!
Altmetric Tools
ImpactStory: ImpactStory aggregates and reveals diverse metrics from articles, datasets, blog posts, and
more. Point ImpactStory to your research products in Slideshare, GitHub, Google Scholar, Dryad,
Academia.edu, ResearchGate, Mendeley, etc. and create an impact profile from all across the Web.
PlumAnalytics: PlumAnalytics collects impact metrics in five major categories: usage, captures, mentions,
social media, and citations. They also track more than 20 different types of artifacts, including journal
articles, books, videos, presentations, conference proceedings, source code, cases, and more.
CitedIn: CitedIn takes a valid Pub Med I.D. (PMID) as input and then finds where you are cited using the
premise that some of your papers may have been mentioned where you didn’t expect that to happen: in
blogs, databases, Wikipedia, etc.
PLOS Article Level Metrics: Article-level metrics are a comprehensive set of impact indicators that enable
numerous ways to assess and navigate research, including: usage, citations, social bookmarking and
dissemination activity, media and blog coverage, discussion activity and ratings.
Altmetric: A subscription service that tracks what people are saying about papers online. Altmetric has
created and maintains a cluster of servers that watch social media sites, newspapers, government policy
documents, and other sources for mentions of scholarly articles.
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Evaluating and Ranking Journals Traditionally
Google Scholar Metrics: An easy way for authors to quickly gauge the visibility and influence of recent
articles in scholarly publications. Search by author to get links to publications citing works by that author,
or search by article title to get links to publications citing the particular article.
Google Scholar Citations: Provides a simple way for authors to keep track of citations to their articles. You
can check who is citing your publications, graph citations over time, and compute several citation metrics.
You can also make your profile public, sot that it may appear in Google Scholar results when people search
for your name.
Publish or Perish is free, downloadable software that retrieves and analyzes academic citations. It uses
Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Search to obtain the raw citations, then analyzes these and presents
a number of metrics that demonstrate faculty productivity.
WorldCat Identities: This tool, for book publications/monographs, combines information from WorldCat and
Amazon to provide a timeline and total number of an author’s publications, the number of libraries holding
a particular publication, reviews of the publication, and publication details.
Journal Citation Reports from Web of Science (MU database) is the original ranking service. Be aware that
Impact Factor has come under some fire lately. It is also important to use Journal Citation Reports wisely.
Web of Science (MU database): Current and retrospective multidisciplinary information from
approximately 8700 journals. Miami subscribes to three of the database products: Science Citation Index
(1965-present), Social Sciences Citation Index (1965-present, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975present). The unique feature of Web of Science is the cited reference search, where you can look up an
article and see how many times it has been cited.
Eigenfactor Site: Evaluates impact and cost effectiveness of journals. Uses citation data from Journal Citation
Reports. Rankings include both an Eigenfactor score (measures importance to scientific community) and
Article Influence score (average influence of article within five years after publication).
SCImago Journal and Country Rank: Journal rankings based on Scopus data
Directories of Journals
Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities (MU database) provides data about journals, including review
process, acceptance rates, and length of time from submission to publication.
Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory: (MU database) Ulrich’s is a bibliographic database providing detailed,
comprehensive, and authoritative information on serials published throughout the world. It covers all
subjects and includes publications that are published regularly or irregularly and are circulated free of
charge or by paid subscription.
Predatory Publishing
University of Colorado-Denver librarian and researcher, Jeffrey Beall, conceived the term “predatory
publishing”. Characteristics of predatory publishers include:
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accepting articles quickly with little or no peer review or quality control
notifying authors of article fees only after papers are accepted
aggressively campaigning (often via email) for scholars to submit articles or serve on editorial
boards
listing academics as members of editorial boards without their permission and not allowing them
to resign from editorial boards (i.e. refusing to remove their listing)
appointing fake academics to editorial boards
mimicking the name or web site style of more established journals
Many new journals have been developed to assist scholars who want to publish their work in
interdisciplinary journals and in open access journals. Just like with traditional publishers, it is important
to evaluate the publisher and journal quality prior to deciding to publish. Here are some suggestions to
keep in mind when evaluating publishers:
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Is the publisher on Beall’s List? Jeffrey Beall has developed a list of predatory publishers and journals
with questionable reputations. While not a perfect resource, if the publisher or journal is listed on
Beall’s List it definitely warrants additional investigation. For information on how Beall evaluated
these publishers, please see Criteria for Determining Predatory Open-Access Publishers.
The following checklist, provided by Declan Butler in Nature, can also be used as a guide to identifying
predatory publishers:
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Check that the publisher provides full, verifiable contact information, including address, on the
journal site. Be cautious of those that provide only web contact forms.
Check that a journal's editorial board lists recognized experts with full affiliations. Contact some of
them and ask about their experience with the journal or publisher.
Check that the journal prominently displays its policy for author fees.
Be wary of e-mail invitations to submit to journals or to become editorial board members.
Read some of the journal's published articles and assess their quality. Contact past authors to ask
about their experience.
Check that a journal's peer-review process is clearly described and try to confirm that a claimed
impact factor is correct.
Find out whether the journal is a member of an industry association that vets its members, such as
the Directory of Open Access Journals (www.doaj.org) or the Open Access Scholarly Publishers
Association (www.oaspa.org). Some questionable journals appear in directories such as DOAJ and
Cabell's; we don't advise using these listings as your sole criteria.
Use common sense, as you would when shopping online: if something looks fishy, proceed with
caution.
Or contact your Librarian! They are happy to help assess journals and publishers.
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