1. FUSING INFORMATION LITERACY TO
MULTIDISCIPLINARY GLOBAL HEALTH
EDUCATION
Erika L. Sevetson, MS
Sarah McDaniel, MA
University of Wisconsin – Madison

2. ABOUT ONE HEALTH
 In July 2007, the AVMA launches a One Health Initiative and
Task Force “to study the feasibility of a campaign to facilitate
collaboration and cooperation among health science
professions, academic institutions, governmental agencies,
and industries to help with the assessment, treatment, and
prevention of cross-species disease transmission and
mutually prevalent, but non-transmitted, human and animal
diseases, and medical conditions.”
 The term One Health is defined as “the collaborative efforts
of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally,
to attain optimal health for people, animals, and our
environment. Achieving the end point of One Health is truly
one of the critical challenges facing humankind today.”
One Health—A New Professional Imperative. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from
http://www.avma.org/onehealth/preface.asp

3. THE GRANT OPPORTUNITY...
 2007 – 08: UW Provost office launches the Technology-
Enhanced Learning (TEL) Project.
 The TEL (Technology-Enhanced Learning) Project will develop
classroom learning modules, quot;hybridquot; and technology-heavy
courses, searchable databases, and build capacity among
UW–Madison faculty, instructors, and future faculty. Key to
the TEL project will be developing teaching & learning
collaborations across our schools and colleges, and creating
ways to seamlessly integrate technology into our students'
educational experience.
 Three funding cycles, awarding $500,000 each cycle.

4. THE PROPOSAL
 Spring 2008: Technology for Learning Center at School of
Veterinary Medicine applies for TEL grant, focusing on One
Health/One Medicine
“On the UW-Madison campus we have a number of programs and
departments concerned with the study of issues at the
human/animal/ecosystem heath interface... These programs often
share faculty for individual lectures and topics...a challenge is to not
overburden the faculty by asking them to repeatedly present the
same content to different classes and yet still provide an
interdisciplinary approach.
“We propose to capitalize on an electronic learning model based on
a learning object architecture paradigm...The main idea is to break
educational content down into small chunks that can be
mixed, matched, or glued together to form a variety of instructional
lessons or courses. “

5. THE PROPOSAL (PT. 2)
 Target student base includes primarily graduate and
professional degree students in the various collaborating
programs: Veterinary Medicine, Public Health, Global
Health, Environmental Studies.
 Core topics proposed include research ethics,
community-based research, and information literacy.
General health related topics cover epidemiology,
disease surveillance, and access to health and global
information. Topics such as impacts on health due to
climate changes, land use changes, biodiversity and
health, industrial agricultural impacts on health, and
food security cut across the One Health/One Medicine
programs.

6. PLANNING GROUP
P.I.
Director, Technology for Learning Center, SVM
Collaborating Units
School of Veterinary Medicine
Assoc. Dean(Curriculum)
2 faculty members
School of Medicine and Public Health
Master of Public Health, Associate Director
Center for Global Health, Assistant Director
Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment
(Environmental Studies)
1 faculty member (dual appt in SMPH)
UW Library’s Digital Collections Center
Digital Repository Librarian

7. TIMELINE (2008-09)
 April SVM writes/applies for TEL grant
 Campus Info Lit coordinator works w/ Steenbock (Life Sciences
library) Ed. Coord. (since retired) to propose Info Lit
component.
 Sept. Grant is funded. Planning group meets, GH faculty
suggests Ebling be involved in Info Lit. portion.
 Other LOs:
 Why Ecohealth
 The zoonosis story
 Impact of anthropogenic global environmental changes on animal and
human health
 Cross cultural approach to health and disease
 Sept. Meetings with faculty
 Oct. Our first meeting w/ planning grp. Outlines of learning
objects due.
 Dec. Draft LOs due.

8. PROPOSED TIMELINE
Task Responsible Party/Comment Completed?
Identify topic Faculty and Project Staff 9/02/08
Identify faculty content expert Faculty and/or Project Staff 9/02/08
Schedule initial and follow-up meetings/in-person or phone Project Staff ongoing
Discuss learning objectives that are specific and measurable Faculty and Project Staff; Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy; refine as project progresses Due 9/30/08
Develop teaching points Faculty; answer question “What do students need to know about this topic?” Due 9/30/08
Identify evidence-based information and other resources Faculty; Powerpoint presentations, articles, books, web sites, etc. Due 9/30/08
Outline the content Faculty Due 9/30/08
Develop the creative concept Project Staff Due 10/21/08
Create copy Project Staff Due 10/21/08
Modify and supplement as needed Faculty and Project Staff November
Provide examples/cases Faculty November
Develop interactive activities Faculty and Project Staff November
Review iterations and make suggestions; modify and edit as Faculty and Project Staff December
needed
Develop assessment activities Faculty and Project Staff December
Distribute for peer review; modify based on feedback Project Staff December
Discuss/agree on final version Faculty and Project Staff January
Place completed learning object in repository and provide Project Staff January
access

9. CATCHING UP
 Faculty mtgs
 How would you use info lit. learning modules? (Pre-class, in-
class)
 What kind of information literacy instruction do your
students already get? What else do they need?
 What teaching points are needed by your students?
 If we used avian flu as a framework, what would be a
scenario that would speak to your students?
 How do you see these LOs fitting into the whole curriculum
(MPH, DVM, etc.)

10. MEETING OUTCOMES
 Interesting goals and suggestions!
 Tutorial on using different information sources (PubMed,
etc.)
 How to track diseases using WHO, maps, etc.
 How to find & select information sources
 Problems of global information access
 Finding and selecting sources
 Importance of an interdisciplinary approach

11. PROPOSED LOS
 Interdisciplinarity
 EBPH
 Creating focused questions and evaluating information using
a PICO, etc.
 Access to information

12. PROPOSED LOS (REVISED)
 Interdisciplinarity
 Evaluating information, creating a focused research
question (EBPH w/o the name)
 Access to information
 OneHealth Portal/LibGuide

14. ONE HEALTH – ONE MEDICINE:
INFORMATION LITERACY
INTERDISCIPLINARITY

15. AFTER COMPLETING THIS LESSON YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:
 Discuss the ways that different disciplines approach
problems in One Health/One Medicine;
 Identify at least two disciplinary perspectives on a One
Health/One Medicine problem; and
 Identify elements in research results that provide clues
to the disciplinary approach used in the research.
 Describe how these perspectives/findings are shared in
published research (research cycle).

16. In this lesson we will explore interdisciplinary research and it’s importance in the
One Health /One Medicine approach to problem solving in the health sciences.
Learn more about the origins of the One Health initiative by clicking on each of the
buttons below.
One Health Initiative
Calvin
Schwabe
William
Rudolf Osler
Virchow

17. Humans
Disease
Animals Environment
Global
―One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines – working
locally, nationally, and globally – to attain optimal health for
people, animals, and our environment‖ (AAVMC, 2009?).

18. A One Health approach is essential because
no one person, profession, or nation
can solve the major health problems we
face today.
Disease

19. Human Med Picture
Disease
Vet Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture

20. Human Med Picture
Human Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Human Med Picture
Disease
Vet Med Picture
Anthropology picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Vet Med Picture

21. Human Med Picture
Human Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Human Med Picture
Human Med Picture
Disease
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Vet Med Picture
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture

22. It takes a web of researchers
Human Med Picture
to resolve a problem.
Human Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Different disciplines bring different perspectives, approaches, and
Human Med Picture
methodologies to Med Picture and all of them combined make up a vast
Human a problem
web of knowledge about the topic.
Disease
Let’s continue by examining different approaches to Avian Influenza.
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Vet Med Picture
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture

23. Avian Influenza
RECENT OUTBREAKS OF AVIAN INFLUENZA IN ASIA HAVE CAUSED IMPACTS WORLDWIDE. LOCALLY, IT
CAUSED HUMAN AND ANIMAL DEATHS AND IT COST THE WORLDWIDE ECONOMY TREMENDOUSLY.
RESEARCHERS FOCUSED ON PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF AVIAN FLU POSE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS AS
THEY WORK TO UNDERSTAND AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
AS THEY APPEAR, MATCH THE RESEARCH QUESTION BELOW TO THE CORRECT DISCIPLINE BY DRAGGING
IT INTO PLACE ON THE DIAGRAM
How is avian flu transmitted to humans?
Human
Health
Veterinary
Anthropology Problem: Medicine
Preventing
the Spread
of Avian Flu
Public Health Wildlife
Ecology

24. Disciplines conceive of problems differently which leads them to collect
evidence from different sources and ultimately they employ different
methods of analysis. For instance, some disciplines might be
asking the type of questions that require a qualitative approach while
others are primarily quantitative.
Qualitative research involves Quantitative research involves
analysis of descriptions. analysis of numerical data.
vs.
Data can be observed but not Data which can be measured.
measured. (Colors, textures, smells, (Length, height, area, volume,
tastes, appearance, beauty, etc.) weight, speed, time, temperature,
humidity, sound levels, cost,
Data can include words (e.g., from members, ages, etc.)
interviews), pictures (e.g., video), or
objects (e.g., an artifact). Quantitative → Quantity
Qualitative → Quality
[Not sure what from the OH/OM checklist you wanted to include here so I just put in this
basic info. Perhaps just a link to the ―Checklist for Evaluating Research‖ document?]

25. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health Which researcher is most
Anthropologist Veterinarian likely to use a qualitative
What is the cultural What are effective
importance of practices for increasing
approach?
domestic chicken influenza vaccination
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
poultry populations?
Public Health Veterinarian
Problem: Public Health Practitioner
Preventing Anthropologist
the Spread Biomedical Researcher
of Avian Biomedical
Public Health
Practitioner/Researc
Flu Researcher
[Submit]
her How has the
What was the role of
public health nurses in H5N1 virus
controlling the 2003 evolved in the
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

26. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health Which professionals are
Anthropologist Veterinarian most likely to use a blend of
What is the cultural What are effective
importance of practices for increasing
qualitative and quantitative
domestic chicken influenza vaccination analysis methods?
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
(check all that apply)
poultry populations?
Problem:
Preventing Public Health Veterinarian
the Spread Public Health Practitioner
of Avian
Public Health
Flu
Biomedical Anthropologist
Researcher
Practitioner/Researc Biomedical Researcher
her How has the
What was the role of
public health nurses in H5N1 virus
controlling the 2003 evolved in the [Submit]
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

27. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health Which researcher is mostl
Anthropologist Veterinarian likely to collect their data
What is the cultural What are effective
importance of practices for increasing
directly from the infectious
domestic chicken influenza vaccination agent?
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
poultry populations?
Problem: Public Health Veterinarian
Preventing Public Health Practitioner
the Spread Anthropologist
of Avian
Public Health
Flu
Biomedical Biomedical Researcher
Practitioner/Researc Researcher
her How has the
What was the role of
H5N1 virus
[Submit]
public health nurses in
controlling the 2003 evolved in the
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

28. There’s no doubt that multidisciplinary information is easier to
find than ever before. But not all articles about your research
topic are created equal - you must be able to decode clues
about the author’s discipline to be an effective researcher.
Understanding how to interpret interdisciplinary research is vital
to a One Health /One Medicine approach.

29. Summary
Human Med Picture
By now you should have a better understanding of why interdisciplinary
Human Med Picture
research is important in the One Health /One Medicine approach to
Ecological Sci Picture
problem solving in the health sciences. It’s important to remember
Human Med Picture
that: Human Med Picture
• Disease
Different disciplines approach the same health problem in
different ways;
• These differing perspectives create a vast webpictureknowledge that
Anthropology
of
Vet Med Picture
can be used by researchers seeking to work with a One
Ecological Sci Picture
Health/One Medicine approach; and
• You must identify elements in research results that provide clues
to the disciplinary approachVet Med Picture research.
used in the
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture

30. WHAT’S NEXT?
Decoding clues about an author’s discipline is one step in
conducting interdisciplinary research. You must also evaluate
the quality of the information in the article. Learn more about
how in this “Evaluating Research” tutorial.
With an understanding of different disciplinary approaches and
the ability to evaluate research, you’ll be ready to conduct
interdisciplinary research. How will you use it to inform your
work? To get started, download this worksheet .
For more information and resources about One Health / One
Medicine, visit the UW Madison research portal on the topic.

35. PORTAL

36. PORTAL

37. CONCLUSIONS/LESSONS LEARNED
In a multidisciplinary, somewhat fuzzy project such
as this you need:
 Clarity of goals
 Firm deadlines
 SLIS student (hopefully)

38. PARTICIPANTS
 Gabe Gossett  Eileen Horn
 Barb Hamel  Jeannette McDonald
 Chris Hooper-Lane  C.K. Worel (sp?)
 Collaborating faculty:  Allan Barclay
 Chris Olsen
 Kurt Sladtky
 Lori DiPrete Brown
 Jonathan Patz
 Barbara Duerst

39. THANK YOU
 PH/HA Section
 PSS Section
 UW – Madison

40. LINKS
Sample Learning Objects
 Neatproject.org: bit.ly/yCgDc
Slides

41.  Full learning object slides follow

42. ONE HEALTH – ONE MEDICINE:
INFORMATION LITERACY
INTERDISCIPLINARITY

43. AFTER COMPLETING THIS LESSON YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:
 Discuss the ways that different disciplines approach
problems in One Health/One Medicine;
 Identify at least two disciplinary perspectives on a One
Health/One Medicine problem; and
 Identify elements in research results that provide clues
to the disciplinary approach used in the research.
 Describe how these perspectives/findings are shared in
published research (research cycle).

44. In this lesson we will explore interdisciplinary research and it’s importance in the
One Health /One Medicine approach to problem solving in the health sciences.
Learn more about the origins of the One Health initiative by clicking on each of the
buttons below. [Embedded One Health/One Medicine LO]
One Health Initiative
Calvin
Schwabe
William
Rudolf Osler
Virchow

45. Humans
Disease
Animals Environment
Global
―One Health is the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines – working locally,
nationally, and globally – to attain optimal health for people, animals, and our
environment‖ (AAVMC, 2009?).

46. A One Health approach is essential because
no one person, profession, or nation
can solve the major health problems we
face today.
Disease

47. Human Med Picture
Disease
Vet Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture

48. Human Med Picture
Human Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Human Med Picture
Disease
Vet Med Picture
Anthropology picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Vet Med Picture

49. Human Med Picture
Human Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Human Med Picture
Human Med Picture
Disease
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Vet Med Picture
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture

50. It takes a web of researchers
Human Med Picture
to resolve a problem.
Human Med Picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Different disciplines bring different perspectives, approaches, and
Human Med Picture
methodologies to Med Picture and all of them combined make up a vast
Human a problem
web of knowledge about the topic.
Disease
Let’s continue by examining different approaches to Avian Influenza.
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture
Ecological Sci Picture
Vet Med Picture
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture

51. Avian Influenza
RECENT OUTBREAKS OF AVIAN INFLUENZA IN ASIA HAVE CAUSED IMPACTS WORLDWIDE. LOCALLY, IT
CAUSED HUMAN AND ANIMAL DEATHS AND IT COST THE WORLDWIDE ECONOMY TREMENDOUSLY.
RESEARCHERS FOCUSED ON PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF AVIAN FLU POSE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS AS
THEY WORK TO UNDERSTAND AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
AS THEY APPEAR, MATCH THE RESEARCH QUESTION BELOW TO THE CORRECT DISCIPLINE BY DRAGGING
IT INTO PLACE ON THE DIAGRAM
How is avian flu transmitted to humans?
Human
Health
Veterinary
Anthropology Problem: Medicine
Preventing
the Spread
of Avian Flu
Public Health Wildlife
Ecology

52. Think about why disciplines differ in their approaches. Write
your thoughts about why these differences exist below.
[Submit]
[This appears onSubmit] Did you think about differences in
training and research methods? Training and research
methods in a discipline are centered on its epistemology.
Epistemology is the creation and dissemination of
knowledge in particular areas of inquiry.

53. Disciplines conceive of problems differently which leads them to collect
evidence from different sources and ultimately they employ different
methods of analysis. For instance, some disciplines might be
asking the type of questions that require a qualitative approach while
others are primarily quantitative.
Qualitative research involves Quantitative research involves
analysis of descriptions. analysis of numerical data.
vs.
Data can be observed but not Data which can be measured.
measured. (Colors, textures, smells, (Length, height, area, volume,
tastes, appearance, beauty, etc.) weight, speed, time, temperature,
humidity, sound levels, cost,
Data can include words (e.g., from members, ages, etc.)
interviews), pictures (e.g., video), or
objects (e.g., an artifact). Quantitative → Quantity
Qualitative → Quality
[Not sure what from the OH/OM checklist you wanted to include here so I just put in this
basic info. Perhaps just a link to the ―Checklist for Evaluating Research‖ document?]

54. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health Which researcher is most
Anthropologist Veterinarian likely to use a qualitative
What is the cultural What are effective
importance of practices for increasing
approach?
domestic chicken influenza vaccination
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
poultry populations?
Public Health Veterinarian
Problem: Public Health Practitioner
Preventing Anthropologist
the Spread Biomedical Researcher
of Avian Biomedical
Public Health
Practitioner/Researc
Flu Researcher
[Submit]
her How has the
What was the role of
public health nurses in H5N1 virus
controlling the 2003 evolved in the
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

55. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health Which professionals are
Anthropologist Veterinarian most likely to use a blend of
What is the cultural What are effective
importance of practices for increasing
qualitative and quantitative
domestic chicken influenza vaccination analysis methods?
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
(check all that apply)
poultry populations?
Problem:
Preventing Public Health Veterinarian
the Spread Public Health Practitioner
of Avian
Public Health
Flu
Biomedical Anthropologist
Researcher
Practitioner/Researc Biomedical Researcher
her How has the
What was the role of
public health nurses in H5N1 virus
controlling the 2003 evolved in the [Submit]
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

56. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health Which researcher is mostl
Anthropologist Veterinarian likely to collect their data
What is the cultural What are effective
importance of practices for increasing
directly from the infectious
domestic chicken influenza vaccination agent?
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
poultry populations?
Problem: Public Health Veterinarian
Preventing Public Health Practitioner
the Spread Anthropologist
of Avian
Public Health
Flu
Biomedical Biomedical Researcher
Practitioner/Researc Researcher
her How has the
What was the role of
H5N1 virus
[Submit]
public health nurses in
controlling the 2003 evolved in the
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

57. Avian Influenza
LET’S RETURN TO THE CASE OF THE 2003 HONG KONG AVIAN INFLUENZA
OUTBREAK. EXAMINE THIS DIAGRAM DEPICTING RESEARCHERS FROM 4
DISCIPLINES AND THEIR RESEARCH QUESTIONS. THINK ABOUT THE TYPE OF
DATA THEY WILL NEED TO COLLECT, WHERE IT WILL COME FROM AND WHAT
ANALYSIS METHODS THEY MIGHT EMPLOY. USE THAT INFORMATION TO
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
Public Health
Anthropologist Veterinarian
What is the cultural What are effective
After the outbreak is over,
importance of practices for increasing what happens to their
domestic chicken influenza vaccination
raising in China? among Chinese domestic
findings? How can other
poultry populations? researchers learn from what
Problem: these did?
Preventing
the Spread
of Avian Let’s take a look at the
Public Health Biomedical
Practitioner/Researc
Flu Researcher research cycle and how
her How has the
information is disseminated.
What was the role of
public health nurses in H5N1 virus
controlling the 2003 evolved in the
Hong Kong AI past 10 years?
outbreak?

58. First we’ll take a quick look at the steps in the research
cycle. Put the 5 steps below into the correct order by
dragging them to the correct place on the diagram.
Developing a Research
Question/Hypothesis
Publishing Results Reviewing the
Literature:
Searching and
Evaluation
4
Building Data through
Analyzing Data Experiments or Studies

59. HISTORY OF HOW INFORMATION IS DISSEMINATED
 Back in the day, researchers shared info primarily with others
in their field (SHOW: bound vols. of “Journal of VetMed” in
library stacks, dating back to 1800s, show a page)
 Researchers looked for information by discipline (SHOW:
page of printed index for vetmed). You could be confident
that you knew about all the important research in your field.
 When computer-based searching began, you could search all
the years of a publication at once (SCREENSHOT: CAB
abstracts description).
 Today, on the web and in huge, multidisciplinary databases
like Web of Knowledge, you can find research across
disciplines and time periods (SCREENSHOTS: Google Scholar,
Web of Knowledge)

60. There’s no doubt that multidisciplinary information is easier to
find than ever before. But not all articles about your research
topic are created equal - you must be able to decode clues
about the author’s discipline to be an effective researcher.
Understanding how to interpret interdisciplinary research is vital
to a One Health /One Medicine approach.

61. WHAT CLUES TO DISCIPLINARY APPROACH WILL YOU
FIND IN YOUR SEARCH RESULTS?
There are some factors that indicate a disciplinary context
while other elements indicate research methodology.
The types of information included or not also provide
clues that you can interpret.
Below we’ve provided 2 different types of articles.
Examine each of these to learn what you should look for.
Article 1 Article 2

62. ARTICLE #1 Title includes ―custom,‖
―science ―(points to an
anthropologic &
scientific perspective)
Journal title and
subject headings also
indicate focus of article

63. ARTICLE #1 (CONT.)
No indication of
research methods—
implies qualitative
design.
References to social structure
indicate a primarily
anthropological perspective, but
focus is on the interplay of
cultural factors with infectious
disease and economic factors.

64. ARTICLE #2
Objectives and study design stated
clearly—indicates a quantitative study
Structured abstracts (which include elements such as Objectives, Study
Design, Methods, Results, and Conclusions) are common to fields such
as epidemiology, biomedicine, and the life sciences. They’re often
used to describe the results of a clinical trial or cohort study.

65. Avian Influenza
TRY IT YOURSELF!
Can you identify the discipline of each of the research papers
below? Click on each article and look for the clues that you
just learned about (and answer questions?). After you’ve
looked at them all, identify the discipline for each one and
check your answers.
1 2 3
Medicine Sociology Veterinary
[Submit]

66. 1

67. 2

68. 3

69. Summary
Human Med Picture
By now you should have a better understanding of why interdisciplinary
Human Med Picture
research is important in the One Health /One Medicine approach to
Ecological Sci Picture
problem solving in the health sciences. It’s important to remember
Human Med Picture
that: Human Med Picture
• Disease
Different disciplines approach the same health problem in
different ways;
• These differing perspectives create a vast webpictureknowledge that
Anthropology
of
Vet Med Picture
can be used by researchers seeking to work with a One
Ecological Sci Picture
Health/One Medicine approach; and
• You must identify elements in research results that provide clues
to the disciplinary approachVet Med Picture research.
used in the
Vet Med Picture Anthropology picture

70. WHAT’S NEXT?
Decoding clues about an author’s discipline is one step in
conducting interdisciplinary research. You must also evaluate
the quality of the information in the article. Learn more about
how in this “Evaluating Research” tutorial.
With an understanding of different disciplinary approaches and
the ability to evaluate research, you’ll be ready to conduct
interdisciplinary research. How will you use it to inform your
work? To get started, download this worksheet .
For more information and resources about One Health / One
Medicine, visit the UW Madison research portal on the topic.

71. CREDITS
Content Author:
Sarah McDaniel
Erika Svetson
J. Gabe Gossett
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Production:
Eileen Horn, BA - Instructional Designer
CK Worrell, BFA – Media Designer
Jeannette McDonald, DVM, PhD - Producer
With support from:
The University of Wisconsin Technology Enhance Learning
grant program
Printable summary PDF including resources

72. PORTAL