Researchcombining

Researchcombining is an umbrella concept describing the deliberate integration of multiple research methods, disciplinary perspectives, or data sources to address questions that exceed the reach of any single approach. It encompasses practices such as mixed-methods designs, integrative reviews, data fusion, and collaborative, cross-disciplinary work.

By combining diverse tools and viewpoints, researchcombining aims to increase validity, depth, and applicability. It can capture quantitative patterns alongside qualitative experiences, synthesize findings across studies, and enable insights that span scales from individuals to systems. Common forms include mixed-methods studies, systematic or integrative reviews, and evidence synthesis that brings together experimental, observational, and model-based evidence.

Implementation typically involves careful alignment of research questions, data management plans, and an explicit strategy for integrating results. It often requires team science, stakeholder engagement, and transparent reporting so that different epistemologies and data formats can be reconciled.

Challenges include epistemological differences among fields, data incompatibilities, governance and ethical considerations, publication norms, and the substantial resources needed to coordinate collaborations. Successful researchcombining relies on clear governance, predefined integration plans, data sharing agreements, and strong communication.

Applications span health, environmental science, education, and policy research, where combining qualitative and quantitative evidence or integrating multiple data streams can yield more robust conclusions than single-method studies.

Although widely used in practice, researchcombining lacks a single standardized methodology. It overlaps with interdisciplinarity, mixed methods, and systematic reviews, and it continues to evolve as new data sources and analytical techniques emerge.