• María Bordons and M Angeles Zulueta.
• Centro de Información y Documentación Científica (CINDOC), CSIC, Madrid, Spain. Mbordons@cindoc.csic.es
• Rev Esp Cardiol. 2002 Sep 1;55(9):900-12.

ObjectivesThe incidence of interdisciplinarity (ID) in Spanish cardiovascular research teams was analyzed and scientists' opinions about interdisciplinary relationships were examined.MethodsThe data analyzed were obtained in a survey sent in 1999 to a sample of 310 researchers. They were selected using bibliometric techniques and/or for being research project leaders in recent years.ResultsThe response rate was 61%. Data were obtained from 130 research teams located mainly in Madrid and Catalonia. Teams doing clinical research (81%) and those working in hospitals (64%) predominated. Different facets of the interdisciplinary nature of the teams were analyzed: scientist training, team composition, behavior patterns, collaboration, and publication and reading habits. A high ID was observed in the area: more than 70% of the teams are interdisciplinary according to the training of scientists, around 80% make use of knowledge or techniques from other disciplines, and around 90% read and publish in journals outside their own disciplines. Basic research teams had a higher ID than clinical ones. A total of 37 highly interdisciplinary teams were identified. These teams had a greater tendency towards collaboration.ConclusionsInterdisciplinary reading and publishing habits were the norm among Spanish researchers, even in single-discipline groups. The scattered nature of teams, their high rate of external collaborations, and the multidisciplinary context of centers enhance interdisciplinary relationships. Administrative barriers do not seem to be a major obstacle to establishing interdisciplinary contacts.

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