Position Paper 2023

Transdisciplinary Research for Youth Justice – Position Paper 2023 14 3.2 The Transdisciplinary Research Process Scoping A key part of the transdisciplinary research process involves scoping – an approach needed to enable all disciplines to explore their position and role in the research process. A conceptual map can enable academics to plot their own disciplinary interests, allowing overlaps between research interests to emerge during the scoping process (Bammer, 2013). Bammer (2013) argues that there are five key questions to be addressed at this initial stage which can help focus a transdisciplinary team: 1. ‘What is the synthesis of disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge aiming to achieve and who is intended to benefit? (For what and for whom?) 2. Which disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge is synthesised? (Which knowledge?) 3. How is the disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge synthesised, by whom and when? (How?) 4. What circumstances might influence the synthesis of disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge? (Context?) 5. What is the result of the synthesis of disciplinary and stakeholder knowledge? (Outcome?) ’. The scoping process then takes place to allow academics to align their research interests and find areas of commonality within which both can lend their expertise. After this step is complete, a research process framework can be used to formulated the specific research projects the group identifies as the most impactful. This will allow the group to maintain discipline and rigour during the transdisciplinary research process. Figure 4 presents a model for interdisciplinary research (Menken & Keestra, 2016) to facilitate a transdisciplinary approach. Figure 4 A model for interdisciplinary research (Menken & Keestra, 2016)