Different roles of evaluation in information systems research
Year: 2012
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Evaluation of information systems (IS) has come to be an important topic for study as well as practice. IS scholars perform studies of how to evaluate IS and different IS related phenomena, like e.g. methods and strategies. Evaluation is also used as a research approach in many IS research studies. However, the use and interest of evaluation seem to be rather fragmented and diversified in the IS field. The purpose of this paper is to bring more structure to evaluation in IS research. Based on a review of literature on evaluation in IS research and on evaluation research in general a conceptualisation of evaluation in IS is presented. This consists of 1) a conceptual practice model of evaluation (including generic questions for the design of evaluation) and 2) a classification of different roles of IS evaluation research. This classification consists of three main research types: 1) research about evaluation, 2) research through evaluation and 3) research about evaluation research. The second research type has been divided into three sub-classes: 2a) research through evaluation as main strategy, 2b) research through evaluation as companion strategy and 2c) research through evaluation as re-use strategy. The different research types have been characterized and exemplified.
Authors: Göran Goldkuhl, Jenny Lagsten
Language: English
Subfield: Management Information Systems
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1547924679