Communicating MIS research: A citation study of journal influence

Abstract

Abstract-Due to difficulties with objectively evaluating the quality of MIS research, attitudes about journals in which this research is published play an important role in determining the allocation of research resources. To provide a more objective basis for these attitudes, we examine journal influence in communicating MIS research over a 9-year period using citation analyses, researcher perceptions, and publishing patterns of top MIS research universities. As a result of these analyses, we identify a cohesive stable group of highly influential journals which can reasonably be called an MIS core. An internal ranking of this core is then determined which is significantly different from prior rankings.

A method for identifying journals in a discipline: An application to information systems

“…To support their studies, measures such as citation analysis and gathering perceptions from a sampled group of researchers were the most commonly employed approaches. Some of the earlier studies that used citations include Hamilton and Ives [15], Vogel and Wetherbe [30], Cooper et al [7], and Holsapple et al [19]. Hamilton and Ives [15] analyzed the number of references in 15 journals that publish IS research (1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)(1977)(1978)(1979) to identify major journal sources of information for IS researchers.…”

“…Vogel and Wetherbe [30] used citation-based methods to evaluate IS research outlets to determine the preferences among journals regarding the publication of IS research. Cooper et al [7] analyzed citation patterns across 14 journals to provide insights into the influence of journals in communicating IS research. Holsapple et al [19] performed citation-based studies to determine the relative importance of journals used by academics for research and scholarly discourse and to the business computing field.…”

“…Data collected through such surveys are primarily a reflection of the participants' perceptions of the journals. Thus, the survey approach may be affected by the subjective views of the participants [24] and by inherent measurement biases [7]. Furthermore, individual notions of the IS discipline differ, and there are no clear objective boundaries to identify which journals are purely IS, partially IS or non-IS.…”

Information systems outsourcing: A literature analysis

“…Forrester, for example, forecasted that European enterprises will spend over 128 billion € on computer outsourcing in 2008 [56] and the Gartner group has estimated that the worldwide IT outsourcing market will grow from the $180. 40,177], or specific areas such as DSS [5,53], or Expert Systems [188]; to focus on statistical or methodological problems related to this area [21,71]; they also attempted to analyse the most influential journals in the study of IS [37,82]; and many other topics, some as new as Electronic Commerce [174]. However, with the exception of the work of Dibbern, Goles, Hirschheim and Jayatilaka [46], no literature review on IS outsourcing has been performed.…”

New Perspectives on Global Information Systems Journal Rankings and Reference Disciplines

“…However, variations of this research have also been used to help define the top journals in a given field. An example study uses citation analysis to measure journal influence in IS (Cooper, Blair, & Pao, 1993). Holsapple (Holsapple, Johnson, Manakyan, & Tanner, 1994;Holsapple, Johnson, Manakyan, & Tanner, 1993;Holsapple, Manakyan, & Tanner, 1995) ranks journals according to citations for the fields of DSS and Business Computing Research.…”