A4 Article in conference proceedings
What Do We Really Mean by Rigor in Information Systems Research? (2022)

Soliman, W., & Siponen, M. (2022). What Do We Really Mean by Rigor in Information Systems Research?. In Proceedings of the 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2022) (pp. 6583-6592). University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2022.797

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Soliman, Wael; Siponen, Mikko

Parent publication: Proceedings of the 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2022)

Conference:

Place and date of conference: Maui, HI, USA, 3.-7.1.2022

eISBN: 978-0-9981331-5-7

Journal or series: Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

ISSN: 1530-1605

eISSN: 2572-6862

Publication year: 2022

Pages range: 6583-6592

Publisher: University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2022.797

Persistent website address: http://hdl.handle.net/10125/80137

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/79382

Abstract

The term “rigor” entered the information systems (IS) vernacular nearly four decades ago to reflect an ideal that would help transform IS into a coherent research field. Today, rigor is often both claimed and demanded by IS authors as evidence for the worthiness of research. However, it seems that we, as an IS community, lack both a shared understanding of what this ideal represents or what qualifies as attaining this ideal. In this paper, we analyze the usage of the term “rigor” in four leading IS journals, aiming to grasp some of its meanings within the IS community. The findings reveal that “rigor” in IS has multiple meanings, denotes a variety of referents, and is used for various purposes. Yet, even if the exact meaning of rigor is unclear or ambiguous, many IS researchers are dissatisfied with the current level of rigor and demand more. In contrast, we argue that our research endeavors could benefit from relaxing, rather than intensifying, the need for rigor.

Keywords: data systems; concepts (notions); definitions

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2022

JUFO rating: 1