Two researchers – Alan Porter and Ismael Rafols – mapped six subject areas over a period of three decades in their study titled “Is Science Becoming more Interdisciplinary?” Their findings suggest that science is indeed becoming more interdisciplinary, but in small steps – drawing mainly from neighboring fields and only modestly increasing the connections to distant cognitive areas.
The Global Science Map showcases a much higher degree of overlap across many other subject areas. In addition, several other studies too have validated the fact that science the world over is headed toward becoming increasingly interdisciplinary.
However, the fact remains that the means for scientific collaboration still remain stuck in the last century. This is the primary reason for the lack of a more heavy overlap in the shape of science. As technology and means of communication advance, science can only head toward further collaboration across disciplines.
Platforms such as Kolabtree (www.kolabtree.com) aim to bridge the gap between disciplines and help researchers across the globe interact and collaborate via a modern and intuitive platform. It’s much easier for principal investigators and senior researchers to hire PhD-qualified freelance experts for short-term projects. So, be it a quick literature search or a detailed data analysis, help is always at hand with Kolabtree.
2 Comments
Dear Minhaj Rais,
I’d like a high resolution electronic copy of the “map of fields of science” image at http://www.kolabtree.com/blog/more-overlaps-needed-in-the-shape-of-science/
At the URL there is a graphic showing key areas of science with lines interconnecting them which I’d like to print so that it can be placed on the wall of my nine year old granddaughter. She is interested in science and this graphic provides a perspective that young people need to understand the breath of the fields.
If there is a URL at which I can download a high resolution copy, that would be fine.
Hello Frank,
Thanks for getting in touch. Here’s the link to the interactive map: http://www.idr.gatech.edu/detail.php?tab=1&id=1. Not sure if there’s a better resolution available, but I hope this helps!