Research in information systems: a study of diversity and inter-disciplinary discourse in the AIS basket journals between 1995 and 2011

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Abstract

The paper investigates how Information Systems (IS) has emerged as the product of inter-disciplinary discourses in particular related to well-established business and management fields. Our research aim in this study is to better understand the diversity in IS research, and the extent to which the diversity of discourse expanded and contracted over time from 1995 to 2011. Methodologically, we apply a combined citations/co-citations based on the eight Association for Information Systems (AIS) basket journals and a classification study related to the 22 subject-field framework provided by the Association of Business Schools (ABS). Our findings suggest that IS is in a continuous flow of intense interaction and competition with other disciplines. General Management has reduced its dominant position as a reference discipline at the expense of a growing variety of discourse including Business Strategy, Marketing, and Ethics and Governance among others. Over time IS as a field moved from the periphery to a central position as hub in its discursive formation, which supports the notion of IS as a fluid discipline dynamically embracing a diverse range of terms from a variety of adjacent reference disciplines whilst keeping a degree of ownership to the problems it addresses. Understanding where IS is currently at would allow us to better understand fruitful avenues for its development in both academia and practice.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)74-89
JournalJournal of Information Technology
Volume28
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2013

Keywords

  • Information systems journals
  • Disciplines
  • Citation Analysis
  • Information systems
  • Reference disciplines

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