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:
- Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
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