Title: MIS 650 Writing Research Papers I: Theory (Getting an Idea)
1MIS 650Writing Research Papers
ITheory(Getting an Idea)
2Why Write a Research Paper
- To TEACH what is known
- To HIGHLIGHT the need to know more
- To GENERATE new thought
- To INTEGRATE your thought into existing thought
- To DEMONSTRATE the truth of your thinking
- To INSTIGATE new inquiry
3Forms of Research Paper
- Formal published article in scholarly or
professional journal - Paper delivered at scholarly or professional
conference - Technical report to working group (business or
professional) - Journalistic article for (general) public
- Dissertation/Thesis/Research Report/ Technical
Report
4Types of Research Paper
- Critical Review of Thought
- Expose of Bad Practice
- (Re) Analysis of the Situation
- Research Report, pointing out new facts,
seeking opportunities
5Pragmatics of ISResearch
- Consult Strategic Plan (Strategy, Planning)
- Generate the Question (Marketing)
- Find a Sponsor (Marketing, Finance)
- Settle Ethical Questions, Obtain Approval
(Policy) - Write one or more Proposals (Commn)
- Research the Literature (Operations)
- Refine the Question (Marketing, Policy)
6Pragmatics of IS Research (contd.)
- Research the Real World (Operations)
- Analyse the Results (Operations)
- Document the Results (Communication)
- Draw Conclusions (Operations)
- Submit for Publication (Sales)
- Account for Resource use (Accounting)
- Celebrate or cringe (PR)
7Generating a Topic
- Unsystematically
- Systematically
- For a Funder/Audience
- To Complete/Round out a Resume
- What Will Sell
- Current Hot Topics
- The Need for a Stable Phenomenon
- The Need to Hold Your Interest
8CURRENT HOT TOPICS
TECHNOLOGY
IT MANAGEMENT
COMMERCE
Methods Internet, Web Client-Server GroupWare
IT Staff Retention CIO, IT Governance IT
Practices, Success Project Management Outsourcing
BPR friends Electronic Commerce Alignment Tech
nology Adoption Global IS Network Paradigms
Methodological Issues Interpretivistism,
Qualitative Methods, Ethics
9Users of the Research Paper
Other Researchers
Other IS Students
IS Practitioners
General Public
Research Paper
IS Practitioners
IS Prof
IS Instructors
Exter- nal Reader
10Uses of the Research Paper
- Extend the frontiers of knowledge
- Point out commercial opportunities
- Meet the needs of academic task, goal
- Foment revolution, change
- Market ideas to a limited group
- Sound the alarm, call to action
- Hidden Agendas (career, politics, etc.)
11How Your Paper Will Be Judged
- Innovativeness, contribution to theory
- Completeness of background research
- Relevance to perceived current challenges
- Clarity, succinctness, appeal, structure
- Mechanical production or delivery
- Persuasiveness, face validity
- Applicability of results
- Political correctness, unfortunately
12Structure of the Research Paper
- Chapter 1 Theory
- Chapter 2 Literature Review
- Chapter 3 Methodology
- Chapter 4 Data Collection
- Chapter 5 Analysis and Results
- Chapter 6 Conclusions
13Chapter 1 Theory
- Chapter Outline
- 1.1 Context, History
- 1.2 Your Research TOPIC
- 1.3 Contending Theories (if any)
- 1.4 Necessity for Research
- 1.5 Value of Research
- 1.6 The Research Hypotheses
- 1.7 Overview of Rest of Paper
141.1 Context/History
- WHEN The history of the research area
- What has happened in the real world?
- What has happened in the world of ideas?
- WHERE Context
- WHO is interested? ? WHY?
- WHAT are the stakes and stakeholders ?
- HOW Method
- Why is this new approach called for?
-
151.2 Your Research Topic
- State your research topic as succinctly but as
vividly as possible - The role that culture plays in the perceptions
of participants in electronic, computer-supported
meetings (EMS) - Note action-oriented kernal plays
- Note focus/locus culture, EMS
- In IS, there must be a technology locus
161.3 Contending Theories
Existing Theory
Phenomenon of Interest
Unrelated Implications
Contending Theory
Possibly yours!
17Example Deindividuation
- Current theory says creativity in meetings due
to deindividuation, participant losing
inhibitions by being immersed in group - Deindividuation can explain both good and bad
behaviour, but little bad happens, and cannot
explain free riding - New theory (orienting) shows how people are
creative while probing constraint
18Example IT and Knowledge Creation
- KC requires certain enabling conditions
- IT can affect KC in three ways
- IT can (1) create enabling conditions, (2)
affect how E.C.s facilitate K.C. and (3) directly
generate knowledge.
Variety, Autonomy, Creative Chaos, etc.
Enablg Condns
1a
1b
Info Techy
Knowl. Creation
2
3
191.4 Necessity for Research Possible reasons
- Situation is instance of more general phenomenon
regarding technology - Commercial interest
- Potential for wasting lots of business resources
- People need help with technology
- Technology is going the wrong direction
201.5 Value of ResearchPossible Criteria
- Refers to previous sections on WHAT, WHO, WHY,
and HOW - Demonstrates that research is worth doing
- Convinces that paper is worth reading
21Example GSS and Culture
- Because existing theories dont explain anomalous
(unexpected and inconsistent) results very well,
these theories need improvement. Also, such
systems are now more widely marketed to
non-American groups. In addition, there have been
many examples of partial implementation and huge
expense. We suspect that corporate or national
culture is a strong influence on the value of
GSS. The new theory shows how culture influences
users perceptions and evaluations.
221.6 The Research Hypotheses
- Are predictions from theory that can be tested.
THEY MUST BE TESTABLE - Generally are phrased in abstract terms but
can be related to real-world phenomena - If hypotheses are shown to be false, then the
underlying theory must have something false in it - Often stated in the null or negative way
23Two Research Approaches Positivism
Phenomenology
- Seeks prediction and control
- Reduces world to atoms
- Stresses observation
- Concerned with objectivity
- Scientific
- Seeks understanding and debate
- Treats world as a whole within context
- Stresses experience
- Concerned with subjectivity
- Experiential
24A Brief Journey to Positivismland
- Independence of Observer
- Free of values objectivity is goal
- Seeks to explain causes
- Hypothetico-Deductive (theory tested by
observation) - Operationalisation is key
- Reductionist
- Seeks Generalisations
- Cross-sectional
25Hypothetico-Deductive Method
Theory makes predictions that are implications
Working / Research
Theory comes from researchers imagination
Theory Describing the Real World
Testable Hypotheses
Hypotheses are operationalised into real-world
test of predictions
Theory is revised after results of testing. If
theory is supported, it need not be revised,
however.
Real-World Observations
Real-World Test
Real-world test of predictions is carried out
26Example GSS and Culture Working Hypotheses
- W1 Orienting decreases with time
- W2 New cultural situations heighten need to
orient - W3 New situations heighten sense of
self-awareness and thus reduce perceived sense of
anonymity
Note abstract Terminology
Note Generality
27Example GSS and Culture Research Hypotheses
- H1 Participants (Ps) generate more
orienting-type comments in early stages of
meeting than later stages - H2 Ps generate more orienting-type comments in a
transcultural setting than in a unicultural
setting - H3 Ps have a higher sense of self-awareness in
transcultural settings than...
281.7 Overview of Rest of the Research Paper
- Mention each chapter
- Highlight main point of each chapter
- If not as expected (I.e., this outline), explain
why you must deviate from expected - Point out any unusual things the reader must
watch out for - Acknowledgements can be put here or in separate
section at front of paper
29Theory Development Worksheet
Complete the attached worksheet Develop a
formalised set of theoretical ideas Write a short
article on the ideas
30Theory Development Worksheet
Page 3 Page 2 Page 1
Describe a phenomenon that is of interest to
you Why is this interesting? What else would
you like to know about this phenomenon?
31Theory Development Worksheet - B
Page 1 Page 3 Page 2
What are the important concepts to this
phenomenon? How do you think they are
related? What about them causes this
relationship?
32Theory Development Worksheet - C
Page 2 Page 1 Page 3
What other reasons could there be for this
phenomenon to occur the way it does? How
would you say these reasons differ from one
another? How would you go about demonstrating
which reason is the best one?
33Describe a phenomenon that is of interest to
you Why is this interesting? What
else would you like to know about this phenomenon?
Theory Development Worksheet
34What are the important concepts to this
phenomenon? How do you think they are
related? What about them causes this
relationship?
Theory Development Worksheet
35What other reasons could there be for this
phenomenon to occur the way it does? How
would you say these reasons differ from one
another? How would you go about
demonstrating which reason is the best one?
Theory Development Worksheet