Introduction

Some basics of research you should know

Andy Weeger

Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences

August 29, 2024

Opening remarks

What do you see?

Art?
Galaxy?
Andromeda?

Research means that you don’t know, but are willing to find out. Charles F. Kettering, American engineer

Science

Origins

The history of humankind (Harari 2015):

willingness to admit ignorance + centrality of observation = acquisition of new capabilities

Definition

Science is the attempt to derive knowledge from facts through certain methods in a systematic and organized way. Recker (2021, 17)

Types of sciences

Natural sciences
and social sciences

What is the difference?

Knowledge

Knowledge and truth

We can only know things from our own perspective Plato

What can we know, what do we believe?

Perspectives

Ontology & epistemology

Ontology is concerned with assumptions about existence and definitions of reality.

  • Objectivism is the belief in an external reality whose existence is independent of knowledge of it; the world exists as an independent object waiting to be discovered (Trivedi 2021).
  • Subjectivism is a belief that you cannot know an external or objective reality apart from your subjective awareness of it. Social reality only exists when we experience it and give it meaning (Trivedi 2021).

Epistemology is the theory of knowledge, concerned with how we know and what knowledge is.

  • Positivism is the belief that truth or knowledge can be discovered through valid conceptualization and reliable measurement, which allows the testing of knowledge against the objective world (Trivedi 2021).
  • Interpretivism is the belief that all knowledge is relative to the knower and can only be understood from the point of view of individuals who are directly involved; truth is socially constructed via multiple interpretations by the subjects of knowledge (Trivedi 2021).

Exercise

A rain dance ceremony performed by all participants with a pure heart will cause rain the next day.

Why is this (not) scientific knowledge?

Exercise

What is scientific knowledge then?

Scientific knowlege

To gain scientific knowledge, sciences need to follow the principles of

replicability,
independence,
precision &
falsification

Research

Definition

Research includes in-depth investigation or testing, especially critical and exhaustive investigation or experimentation, aimed at the discovery of new facts and their correct interpretation, the verification of accepted conclusions, theories, or laws in light of newly discovered facts, or the practical application of such conclusions, theories, or laws (Recker 2021).

What research is about:
With rigor acquired relevant knowledge

Types of research

Basic research
& applied research

What is not (necessarily) research?

Information gathering or transmission of facts, or something to get attention

Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science. French mathematician & physicist (1854 - 1912)

IS research

Exercise

What is Information Systems research about?

Give some examples of IS research that you know of.

Definition

Development, use, and impact of digital tech

The information systems research discipline is concerned with examining the development, use, and impact of digital information and communication technology (Recker 2021).

  • The focus on digital technologies makes IS research dynamic and fast-moving as these artefacts change all the time
  • The broad study of development, use, and impacts makes IS research diverse and challenging as different theories and methods are needed

Type

IS research is an applied science and part of the social sciences (Recker 2021).

  • Involves people, and the relationships between them and other things (in particular IT artefacts)
  • Studies IT in use: individuals, groups, organizations, networks, communities, societies
  • Invariably includes measurement error (phenomena as well as measurements are often vague, imprecise, non-deterministic, and ambiguous)
  • Is open to methodological and paradigmatic pluralism (e.g., positivist and interpretive; qualitative and quantitative; descriptive, explanatory, predictive, and prescriptive)

Pluralism among IS researchers

The diversity of the field becomes clear when one looks at the different areas in which IS scientists work.

  • Scholars in information technology, software engineering, and computer science study the technical and computational attributes of digital technology as such.
  • Scholars in behavioral, cognitive, and psychological sciences study individuals’ exposure, use, appropriation, and general behaviours [within digital technology domains].
  • Scholars in organisational science, management, and business study how corporate environments shape, and are shaped by, digital technology.
  • Economists study the large-scale effects of digital technology diffusion and innovation on organisations, markets, and societies.

Variety of IS research

Developing theory, evaluating theory & designing artefacts.

Or in more technical terms: conceptual research, formal research, technological research, experimental research, and empirical research

Body of knowledge

Definition

The body of scientific knowledge in a domain—that is, the outcome of all research to date—is always the current accumulation of suggested theories, evidence, and measurement methods in that domain (Recker 2021, 20).

Progress in scientific research (i.e., progress in general human knowledge) can be studied by comparing how well we are improving the body of knowledge (i.e., the current accumulation of theories, evidence, and measurements in a given area).

Contributions

The body of knowledge (Recker 2021, 21)

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

Research aims at improving scientific knowledge of a particular phenomena.

All scientific knowledge is by definition a set of suggested explanations of particular phenomena.

Exercise

What are phenomena in IS that require improvements of our explanations, our evidence, and/or our methods?

Have a look at recent research available via the AIS eLibrary and discuss potential phenomena in small groups.

Homework

Read Podsakoff, MacKenzie, and Podsakoff (2016) and make notes on following questions (takes you at least 1 hour):

  • What is a concept?
  • Why are clear conceptual definitions essential for scientific progress?
  • How can such conceptual definitions be created?

Q&A

References

Harari, Y. N. 2015. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. HarperCollins.
Podsakoff, Philip M, Scott B MacKenzie, and Nathan P Podsakoff. 2016. “Recommendations for Creating Better Concept Definitions in the Organizational, Behavioral, and Social Sciences.” Organizational Research Methods 19 (2): 159–203.
Popper, Karl. 2005. The Logic of Scientific Discovery. Routledge.
Recker, Jan. 2021. “The Research Process.” Scientific Research in Information Systems: A Beginner’s Guide.
Trivedi, Chitvan. 2021. “Ontology and Epistemology: An Explainer.” Concepts Hacked. https://conceptshacked.com/epistemology-and-ontology/.

Footnotes

  1. Falsification is probably the most important principle in scientific research. It originates from the thinking of philosopher Popper (2005), who argued that it is logically impossible to prove theories in scientific research. Instead, he argued that scientific theories can only be disproven or falsified.