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Short abstract:

This paper presents results from a literature review on values in inter- and transdisciplinary research and evaluation. We argue that understanding values sheds light on the expectations inter- and transdisciplinary research face and reveals the resulting power imbalances emerging from evaluation.

Long abstract:

Inter- and transdisciplinary research (IDR/TDR) are promoted for their collaborative approach to tackling societal challenges. Yet, IDR/TDR face a range of barriers, notably in research evaluation. Despite calls to approach the challenge of evaluation from a perspective of values, literature on this topic is scarce. This paper presents findings from a systematic literature review of IDR/TDR practice and evaluation, where we use ‘values’ as a sensitising concept during the qualitative analysis. Adopting a cultural approach, we bridge normative and pragmatic perspectives. Analysing how values shape IDR/TDR discourses, we identify two guiding rationales, ‘societal relevance’ and ‘accountability’, with implications for evaluation. IDR/TDR are fostered to meet the demand for societal relevance in research. Societal relevance is achieved by involving diverse disciplinary and societal actors, necessitating the navigation of value pluralism. Thus, calling for increased levels of reflexivity, societal relevance ostensibly results in higher accountability. However, to ensure accountability, funding and policy institutions intensify measures of evaluation and monitoring. These measures tend to disadvantage IDR/TDR, as their practices and outputs may depart from disciplinary definitions of values like ‘quality’, ‘excellence’, or ‘impact’. Consequently, evaluation often inadequately addresses IDR/TDR’s needs, reducing chances for their successful implementation. Highlighting this disconnect between the value systems of research evaluation and those guiding IDR/TDR practices, we reveal a double expectation placed on IDR/TDR and expose the power dynamics at play when scientific excellence and societal relevance clash in the case of IDR/TDR evaluation. Understanding values is thus crucial to addressing the barriers research evaluation poses to IDR/TDR.