Introduction to the Handbook of Research Methods on Creativity

Abstract

This introduction is an attempt to prepare our readers for an exceptional journey into the fascinating landscape of research methods used to study the remarkable phenomenon of creativity. Building on what is already available about research methods on creativity, we explain what we were trying to achieve, how we went about it, and why we are proud of what we have achieved – primarily through the work of our contributors to this handbook. Most of this introduction is dedicated to brief descriptions of the chapters of the book. At the end, we make some suggestions for using this edited volume. Creativity research has significantly matured in recent years, resulting in a wide variety of models and views of creativity (see Runco, 2019 for a recent comprehensive overview). Scholarly interest in creativity has gone mainstream, and dedicated creativity journals such as Journal of Creative Behavior, Creativity Research Journal, Thinking Skills and Creativity, Creativity and Innovation Management, and Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts are actively competing with more general psychology and management journals to publish the best and most interesting creativity research. In addition, the topic of creativity is becoming popular in a variety of other disciplines, such as biology and neuropsychology (Shiu, 2014).