Interdisciplinary Knowledge Integration: Current Situation and Perspectives

[Purpose/Significance] Interdisciplinary research has emerged as a key driver of knowledge innovation, its essence being integration of knowledge from different disciplines. A deep and nuanced understanding of the research content of interdisciplinary knowledge integration is essential to foster innovation beyond traditional academic boundaries. Most of the research reviews on interdisciplinary research summarize theories, concepts and indicators from the macro level, while the content of interdisciplinary knowledge integration at the micro level is scattered, and lacks systematicity and logic. Therefore, this study attempts to classify and summarize the research methods, research content and research ideas involved in order to provide reference for scholars and researchers engaged in interdisciplinary knowledge integration. [Method/Process] Based on Web of Science (WOS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database as the primary data sources, we reviewed the relevant literature on interdisciplinary knowledge integration. By clarifying the intrinsic meaning of interdisciplinary knowledge integration, we have systematically reviewed and summarized the existing research findings from three aspects. First, research on the degree of knowledge integration mainly involves measurement methods. Second, research on the content of knowledge integration is based on citations and keywords. Third, research on the process of knowledge integration involves its integration path and process, and the characteristics of the integration stage. On this basis, this paper also summarizes the limitations and challenges of existing research, and provides research perspectives for subsequent research on interdisciplinary knowledge integration. [Results/Conclusions] The existing results have extensively explored the definition, measurement method, content, and process of interdisciplinary knowledge integration, but there are problems such as limited applicability of knowledge integration measurement methods, insufficient semantic disclosure, and the lack of systematic research on the degree of knowledge integration. Future research in this area should pay attention to the following three aspects. First, the applicability of methods for measuring interdisciplinary knowledge integration should be improved in order to better adapt to the development of interdisciplinary knowledge integration. Second, there is also a need to strengthen the study of knowledge integration from the perspective of knowledge increment, examining how new knowledge is created and how it contributes to the advancement of the area. In addition, efforts should be made to explore new theories and methods, grasp the development law of interdisciplinary knowledge integration, and expand the application scope and application value of interdisciplinary knowledge integration.