Dear Colleagues,
Stefan Holmlid’s note offers a useful suggestion. Our field would be much improved with more attention to the critical literature review — both as a prelude to research projects, and as a genre of our literature.
In 2002, Jane Watson and Richard Webster wrote an excellent article titled “Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review.” I’ve posted this to the Teaching Documents section of my Academia page. This will not be a permanent addition to my page. If you’d like to read it, please download it before I remove it on Sunday, April 7. The URL is:
https://www.academia.edu/38712232/ANALYZING_THE_PAST_TO_PREPARE_FOR_THE_FUTURE_WRITING_A_LITERATURE_REVIEW <https://www.academia.edu/38712232/ANALYZING_THE_PAST_TO_PREPARE_FOR_THE_FUTURE_WRITING_A_LITERATURE_REVIEW>
The first few paragraphs of the article appear below.
Anyone who wants to write a critical literature review article will find She Ji interested in publishing this kind of work.
Ken Friedman
Editor-in-Chief | 设计 She Ji. The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation | Published by Tongji University in Cooperation with Elsevier | URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/she-ji-the-journal-of-design-economics-and-innovation/ <http://www.journals.elsevier.com/she-ji-the-journal-of-design-economics-and-innovation/>
—snip—
A review of prior, relevant literature is an essential feature of any academic project. An effective review
creates a firm foundation for advancing knowledge. It facilitates theory development, closes areas where
a plethora of research exists, and uncovers areas where research is needed.
In the information systems (IS) field, we see few published review articles. As a result, the progress of our
field is impeded. To address this concern, the MIS Quarterly launched MISQ Review several years ago.
The clear intention was to accelerate the accumulation of IS knowledge. A particular goal was to advance
the state of theory within the IS field. The stated purpose of MISQ Review is to
“promote MIS research by publishing articles that conceptualize research areas and
survey and synthesize prior research. These articles will provide important input in
setting directions for future research.”
The lack of theoretical progress in the IS field may be surprising. From an empirical viewpoint, the IS field
resembles other management fields. Specifically, as fields of inquiry develop, their theories are often
placed on a hierarchy from ad hoc classification systems (in which categories are used to summarize
empirical observations), to taxonomies (in which the relationships between the categories can be
described), to conceptual frameworks (in which propositions summarize explanations and predictions), to
theoretical systems (in which laws are contained within axiomatic or formal theories) (Parsons and Shils
1962). In its short history, IS research has developed from classification systems to conceptual frameworks.
In the 1970s, it was considered pre-paradigmatic. Today, it is approaching the level of development
in empirical research of other management fields, like organizational behavior (Webster 2001). However,
unlike other fields that have journals devoted to review articles (e.g., the Academy of Management
Review), we see few review articles in IS ... and hence the creation of MISQ Review as a device for
accelerating development of the discipline.
—snip--
--
Ken Friedman, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hc), FDRS | Editor-in-Chief | 设计 She Ji. The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation | Published by Tongji University in Cooperation with Elsevier | URL: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/she-ji-the-journal-of-design-economics-and-innovation/
Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies | College of Design and Innovation | Tongji University | Shanghai, China ||| Email [log in to unmask] | Academia http://swinburne.academia.edu/KenFriedman | D&I http://tjdi.tongji.edu.cn
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