Abstract

In information systems research, until now, there has been no systematic treatment of the gained evidence. For instance, Webster and Watson (2002) lament the small number of published review articles. This impedes the advancements within science (the exchange between behavioral science and design science) and between science and practice. Interestingly enough, evidence-based research in other disciplines has become an accepted “paradigm” and “philosophy”. It is argued that the IS discipline can likewise benefit from adopting this paradigm. In this paper an approach for structuring, evaluating, and representing empirical research results (external evidence) is presented. It intends to guide the consolidation of existing research findings for a practical focused application-oriented research and practice.

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Towards an Evidence-based Research Approach in Information Systems

In information systems research, until now, there has been no systematic treatment of the gained evidence. For instance, Webster and Watson (2002) lament the small number of published review articles. This impedes the advancements within science (the exchange between behavioral science and design science) and between science and practice. Interestingly enough, evidence-based research in other disciplines has become an accepted “paradigm” and “philosophy”. It is argued that the IS discipline can likewise benefit from adopting this paradigm. In this paper an approach for structuring, evaluating, and representing empirical research results (external evidence) is presented. It intends to guide the consolidation of existing research findings for a practical focused application-oriented research and practice.