Underlying philosophy, methodology and methods in transdisciplinary research

David Coghlan, Sheila M. Cannon and Paul Coughlan

Chapter 3 in How to Organise Transdisciplinary Research for Transformative Action and Knowledge Co-Production, 2026, pp 22-37 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter describes and locates the underlying philosophy in transdisciplinary research, including the methodology, methods and quality criteria. As such, it prepares the reader to appreciate the research design choices made and implemented in the eight initiatives presented in Part II. At the heart of transdisciplinary research is a collaborative and relational process grounded in a philosophy of social science. The chapter shows how TDR philosophy is well captured by the construct of Mode 2 knowledge production, which operates in the realm of practical knowing or the context of application and which works with the experiential, presentational and propositional knowledge of participating members. It utilises relational knowing in creating, building and sustaining the social and psychological space for the participating disciplines to engage with each other. As a practice-based collaborative approach to inquiry it engages transdisciplinary participants in the real-time struggles, such as the wicked problems of our day, and opens up the potential for addressing them in a way that single disciplinary approaches cannot do. The chapter's objective is to prepare the reader to appreciate the eight initiatives presented in Part II and to provide a foundation for the later synthesis and TDR framework in prospect in Chapter 12.

Keywords: Social Science Philosophy of TDR; Mode 2 Knowledge Production; Extended Epistemology; Quality in TDR (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035346547
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