Tress Bärbel, Tress Gunther, Fry Gary
Department of Environmental Sciences Land Use Planning Group, Wageningen University, Generaal Foulkesweg 13, NL-6703, BJ, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Environ Manage. 2005 Dec;36(6):792-807. doi: 10.1007/s00267-005-0038-0.
Integrative (interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary) landscape research projects are becoming increasingly common. As a result, researchers are spending a larger proportion of their professional careers doing integrative work, participating in shifting interdisciplinary teams, and cooperating directly with non-academic participants. Despite the growing importance of integrative research, few studies have investigated researchers' experiences in these projects. How do researchers perceive the outcomes of integrative projects, or career effects? Do they view the projects generally as successes or failures? This study analyses researchers' experiences in integrative landscape studies and investigates what factors shape these experiences. The data stems from 19 semi-structured qualitative interviews and a Web-based survey among 207 participants in integrative landscape research projects. It finds that researchers experience participation in integrative projects as positive, in particular discussions among participants, networking, teamwork, and gaining new insights and skills. Furthermore, most researchers perceive the projects as successful and as having a positive effect on their careers. Less positive aspects of integration relate to publications and merit points. Factors found to contribute to positive experiences include reaching a high degree of integration amongst the involved disciplines, common definitions of integrative research concepts, and projects that include a large share of fundamental research as well as projects with many project outcomes. Based on these findings, we advise future projects to plan for integration, facilitate discussions, and reach agreement on integrative concepts. We suggest that aspects of fundamental research be included in integrative projects. We also suggest that planning be done at an early stage for peer-reviewed publications, to ensure that participants gain merit points from their participation in integrative research efforts.
综合性（跨学科和超学科）景观研究项目正变得越来越普遍。因此，研究人员在其职业生涯中花费了更大比例的时间从事综合性工作，参与不断变化的跨学科团队，并直接与非学术参与者合作。尽管综合研究的重要性日益增加，但很少有研究调查研究人员在这些项目中的经历。研究人员如何看待综合项目的成果或对职业的影响？他们普遍认为这些项目是成功还是失败？本研究分析了研究人员在综合性景观研究中的经历，并调查了塑造这些经历的因素。数据来自19次半结构化定性访谈以及对207名参与综合性景观研究项目的参与者进行的基于网络的调查。研究发现，研究人员认为参与综合项目是积极的，特别是参与者之间的讨论、建立人际关系、团队合作以及获得新的见解和技能。此外，大多数研究人员认为这些项目是成功的，并对他们的职业生涯有积极影响。综合方面不太积极的方面与出版物和功绩点数有关。发现有助于产生积极体验的因素包括在所涉及的学科之间实现高度整合、对综合研究概念的共同定义，以及包括大量基础研究份额的项目以及有许多项目成果的项目。基于这些发现，我们建议未来的项目进行整合规划、促进讨论并就综合概念达成一致。我们建议在综合项目中纳入基础研究的内容。我们还建议在早期阶段就为同行评审出版物进行规划，以确保参与者从参与综合研究工作中获得功绩点数。
