UK women lead the way on interdisciplinary research

摘要

Women scientists spend more of their time doing interdisciplinary research than their male counterparts, yet are less likely than men to be team players, according to the results of a survey due to be published next month. The survey was commissioned by several UK higher education funding bodies as part of their consultation on mechanisms for the next Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), due to begin in 2001. Because of the way departments are graded, many scientists believe that the survey, intended to measure the quality of research in individual university departments, inhibits interdisciplinary studies.