Interdisciplinary research is a creative way of studying numerous societal issues. The method is especially important because it allows specialists from various academic and practical industries to “work together to solve specific social problems” (Demers, 2011, p. 242). The crucial aspect of unification enables professionals to share experiences and knowledge to formulate precise solutions to human challenges. While comparing single discipline research to interdisciplinary studies, it is vital to comprehend the study’s purpose, as both methods can co-exist in the contemporary academic sphere. Thus, distinct subjects, such as the matters of child development or mass communications, can be successfully examined by multidisciplinary thinkers (Smelser & Reed, 2012). Whereas other, more specific areas are better off with single discipline research.
Furthermore, in my opinion, researching questions in the context of social sciences is essential and relevant to both citizens as a whole and decision-makers in particular. Comprehending ways people operate, learning more about their thinking patterns, models of interaction, and difficulties are necessary to develop a healthy and robust nation. The challenges mentioned above can be adequately examined with the help of humanities, including sociology, political science, development studies, the discipline of communications, and more. Thus, political leaders must learn about people’s needs through the prism of high-quality social science research.
Lastly, the strict methodological guidelines and peer review of academic writing together limit funders’ ability to influence findings. This does not necessarily mean that social science research always discovers the objective truth, but it allows for such an event. Instead, social science research suffers from a focus on discipline, limiting any findings’ scope (van Evera, 2015). Humanities require a holistic view, combining insights from multiple fields to reach an understanding. However, the academic methodology means that the findings that emerge are more likely to be real and not influenced by a third party.
References
Demers, D. (2011). The ivory tower of Babel : Why the social sciences are failing to live up to their promises. Algora Publishing.
Smelser, N. J., & Reed, J. S. (2012). Usable social science. University of California Press.
Van Evera, S. (2015). U.S. social science and international relations. War on Rocks. Web.