Transdisciplinary Evaluation Rubric

This paper presents the Transdisciplinary Evaluation Rubric, a structured instrument for assessing the quality of transdisciplinary research and scholarship. The rubric is grounded in two interconnected frameworks: established standards for transdisciplinary research quality drawn from the existing literature, and the distinctive evaluative architecture of Transdisciplinarity 3.x (TD 3.x), which reframes transdisciplinarity as reflexive epistemic orchestration under conditions of complexity, developmental unevenness, and adaptive challenge. Thirteen criteria are organized into two sections: nine core transdisciplinary quality dimensions applicable to any serious integrative work, and four dimensions distinctive to TD 3.x that address limitations left unresolved by earlier frameworks. Each criterion is scored on a five-point scale with detailed anchor descriptors. The rubric introduces several evaluative dimensions not previously operationalized in the TD evaluation literature, including the Model of Hierarchical Complexity as a cognitive ceiling assessment, adaptive challenge diagnosis drawn from adaptive leadership theory, multi-level solution generation across micro, mini, and macro structural scales, and five-dimensional metatheoretical coverage. Two application protocols are provided: a formal evaluative protocol for summative assessment and a developmental protocol for formative diagnostic use. Guidance on inter-criterion boundaries, rater qualifications, and disagreement resolution supports consistent application across evaluators.