Effective Communication of Underlying Research Philosophies Can Improve Circular Economy Research in the Foundation Industries

The drive to address environmental challenges in the Foundation Industries is leading to an ever greater, and more diverse, volume of Circular Economy related research. Despite increased expectations for research to achieve positive impact, authors do not always have the tools to effectively communicate to readers what their study’s underlying research philosophy is, regarding how knowledge will lead to impact. We propose terminology for authors to concisely communicate their approaches to knowledge generation (fundamental or applied) and route to impact (reformative or transformative). Reformative research does not seek to fundamentally disrupt or change the prevailing (or conventional) production systems, whereas transformative research does. We provide recommendations for how authors can effectively communicate their study’s research philosophy in an appropriate level of detail.