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Intellectual Diversity in IS Research: Discipline-Based Conceptualization and an Illustration from Information Systems Research

Author

Listed:
  • Monideepa Tarafdar

    (Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003)

  • Guohou Shan

    (Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122)

  • Jason Bennett Thatcher

    (Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122)

  • Alok Gupta

    (Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455)

Abstract

This paper advances the understanding of the information systems (IS) discipline by developing a multidimensional conceptualization of the discipline’s intellectual diversity. It also provides an empirical analysis of the intellectual diversity exhibited by the full set of articles published in Information Systems Research ( ISR ) over the last 10 years. We categorize IS intellectual diversity into four intellectual dimensions of IS research—namely, domain-topic, level of phenomenon, type of contribution, and method—and highlight differences along these dimensions. We develop a framework for evaluating the ebb and flow of the topics, methods, and contributions of IS scholarship over time. Regarding ISR specifically, our study offers a glimpse of the IS intellectual diversity found in the research topics, methods, and contributions of papers published during 2012–2021. Our analysis shows a preponderance of econometric and modeling studies. It also shows that there is a substantial variety of topics, research questions, and methods. Based on these conceptual and empirical insights, we identify implications for intellectual diversity and inclusion in the broader IS discipline.

Suggested Citation

  • Monideepa Tarafdar & Guohou Shan & Jason Bennett Thatcher & Alok Gupta, 2022. "Intellectual Diversity in IS Research: Discipline-Based Conceptualization and an Illustration from Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 1490-1510, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:33:y:2022:i:4:p:1490-1510
    DOI: 10.1287/isre.2022.1176
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    References listed on IDEAS

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