Publishing Information Systems Action Research for a Positivist Audience

Abstract

Action research is particularly valuable for its ability to inform theory while making a practical difference. Special issues of MISQ in 2004 and Information Technology and People in 2001 called attention both to action research and research methodology. Yet action research is not widely disseminated across the information systems discipline. The purpose of this tutorial is to advance information systems action research and serve researchers, practitioners, and reviewers by addressing the dissemination problem. We consider how an action research project and the resulting article can widen its appeal to information systems scholars in two ways. First, by clarifying the information systems research paradigm vocabulary of epistemology, methodology, and the action research approach. And second, we outline an article structure more familiar to positivist researchers, thereby creating a bridge among IS scholars to a largely positivist audience. This tutorial is based on the experiences of the authors as information systems action researchers. Editor’s Note: This tutorial was developed based on a presentation made at AMCIS 2005.