Editing Interdisciplinarity (section)

==Barriers==
Because most participants in interdisciplinary ventures were trained in traditional disciplines, they must learn to appreciate differences of perspectives and methods. For example, a discipline that places more emphasis on quantitative rigor may produce practitioners who are more scientific in their training than others; in turn, colleagues in "softer" disciplines who may associate quantitative approaches with difficulty grasp the broader dimensions of a problem and lower rigor in theoretical and qualitative argumentation. An interdisciplinary program may not succeed if its members remain stuck in their disciplines (and in disciplinary attitudes). Those who lack experience in interdisciplinary collaborations may also not fully appreciate the intellectual contribution of colleagues from those disciplines.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Urbanska|first1=Karolina|last2=Huet|first2=Sylvie|last3=Guimond |first3=Serge |date=4 September 2019 |title = Does increased interdisciplinary contact among hard and social scientists help or hinder interdisciplinary research? |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en|volume=14|issue=9|pages=e0221907|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0221907|pmid=31483810|pmc=6726372|bibcode=2019PLoSO..1421907U|issn=1932-6203 |doi-access=free}}</ref> From the disciplinary perspective, however, much interdisciplinary work may be seen as "soft", lacking in rigor, or ideologically motivated; these beliefs place barriers in the career paths of those who choose interdisciplinary work.  For example, interdisciplinary grant applications are often refereed by [[peer review]]ers drawn from established [[Academic discipline|disciplines]]; interdisciplinary researchers may experience difficulty getting funding for their research. In addition, untenured researchers know that, when they seek [[promotion (rank)|promotion]] and [[tenure]], it is likely that some of the evaluators will lack commitment to interdisciplinarity. They may fear that making a commitment to interdisciplinary research will increase the risk of being denied tenure.

Interdisciplinary programs may also fail if they are not given sufficient autonomy. For example, interdisciplinary faculty are usually recruited to a [[joint appointment]], with responsibilities in both an interdisciplinary program (such as [[women's studies]]) and a traditional discipline (such as [[history]]). If the traditional discipline makes the tenure decisions, new interdisciplinary faculty will be hesitant to commit themselves fully to interdisciplinary work. Other barriers include the generally disciplinary orientation of most scholarly journals, leading to the perception, if not the fact, that interdisciplinary research is hard to publish. In addition, since traditional budgetary practices at most universities channel resources through the disciplines, it becomes difficult to account for a given scholar or teacher's salary and time. During periods of budgetary contraction, the natural tendency to serve the primary constituency (i.e., students majoring in the traditional discipline) makes resources scarce for teaching and research comparatively far from the center of the discipline as traditionally understood. For these same reasons, the introduction of new interdisciplinary programs is often resisted because it is perceived as a competition for diminishing funds.

Due to these and other barriers, interdisciplinary research areas are strongly motivated to become disciplines themselves. If they succeed, they can establish their own research funding programs and make their own tenure and promotion decisions. In so doing, they lower the risk of entry. Examples of former interdisciplinary research areas that have become disciplines, many of them named for their parent disciplines, include [[neuroscience]], [[cybernetics]], [[biochemistry]] and [[biomedical engineering]]. These new fields are occasionally referred to as "interdisciplines". On the other hand, even though interdisciplinary activities are now a focus of attention for institutions promoting learning and teaching, as well as organizational and social entities concerned with education, they are practically facing complex barriers, serious challenges and criticism. The most important obstacles and challenges faced by interdisciplinary activities in the past two decades can be divided into "professional", "organizational", and "cultural" obstacles.<ref>{{cite book |last = Khorsandi |first = Ali Taskoh |title = Interdisciplinary Higher Education; Criticism, Challenges and Obstacles |url = http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=researchday |date = 18 July 2011 |access-date = 19 July 2011 |archive-date = 15 November 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111115194014/http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=researchday |url-status = live }}</ref>