Exploring indeterminacies and disconnects

While interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research are increasingly championed for their potential to solve complex societal challenges, they face significant systemic barriers, particularly in how they are assessed.

A recent study by Anne-Sophie Schaltegger and Bianca Vienni-Baptista explores this issue by introducing the metaphor of “value landscapes” to examine how deeply held values permeate both research practices and their subsequent evaluation. By conducting a systematic literature review, the authors identify two primary value landscapes—one centered on societal relevance and another on research merit—which often exist in a state of disconnect or “indeterminacy”. Their findings suggest that the struggle to reconcile these pluralistic values not only complicates the assessment process but also highlights critical power dynamics and the need for new, more reflective approaches to accountability in collaborative research.

Schaltegger, AS., Vienni-Baptista, B. Value landscapes in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and assessment: exploring indeterminacies and disconnects. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 13, 407 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06785-0







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