The theory and practice of interdisciplinarity in Information Science

Abstract

The production of scientific knowledge has been carried through experiences that emphasize the contribution of knowledge from different areas. This article aims to present the main modalities of interaction that occur in the practice of scientific research – multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity – having as reference the literature produced in the scope of information science. Contemporary researchers from other fields contribute to the basement of these theories, whose development has caused major changes in the meanings of these terms. The complete investigation, of which this article is part, examined the scientific production of information science in Brazil, tracing a profile of research in the area regarding the use of these approaches, concluding itself that different forms and levels of interactions are found in his research Information Science, being multidisciplinarity the most common. It concludes also that the terminological current situation requires an update of these concepts, mainly in the context of information science, to a greater awareness of the implications of being a contemporary science recognized as interdisciplinar.