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A set of principles for conducting critical research in information systems

Authors:

Michael D. Myers,

Heinz K. KleinAuthors Info & Claims

MIS Quarterly, Volume 35, Issue 1

Pages 17 - 36

Published: 01 March 2011 Publication History

Abstract

While criteria or principles for conducting positivist and interpretive research have been widely discussed in the IS research literature, criteria or principles for critical research are lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a set of principles for the conduct of critical research in information systems. We examine the nature of the critical research perspective, clarify its significance, and review its major discourses, recognizing that its mission and methods cannot be captured by a fixed set of criteria once and for all, particularly as multiple approaches are still in the process of defining their identity. However, we suggest it is possible to formulate a set of principles capturing some of the commonalities of those approaches that have so far become most visible in the IS research literature. The usefulness of the principles is illustrated by analyzing three critical field studies in information systems. We hope that this paper will further reflection and debate on the important subject of grounding critical research methodology.

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cover image MIS Quarterly

MIS Quarterly Volume 35, Issue 1

March 2011

325 pages

ISSN:0276-7783

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Society for Information Management and The Management Information Systems Research Center

United States

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Published: 01 March 2011

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3701613.3701620
Masiero S(2024)Dark side of ITThe Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries10.1002/isd2.1229390:1Online publication date: 8-Jan-2024
Mettler TMiscione GKempeneer SWolswinkel J(2023)Is altruism dead? A critical case study on the paradigm shift in Open Government DataInformation Polity10.3233/IP-22004828:2(199-218)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2023
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May E(2023)Solidarity and CareProceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology10.1002/pra2.94960:1(1074-1076)Online publication date: 22-Oct-2023
Mudzamba Rvan der Schyff KRenaud K(2022)The challenges of cloud adoption among South African small to medium enterprisesThe Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries10.1002/isd2.1223588:6Online publication date: 9-Nov-2022
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