Paper Type

Complete

Paper Number

PACIS2025-1705

Description

We propose a framework to guide PhD students’ knowledge journeys in Information Systems (IS) of tackling novel digital phenomena and related challenges throughout the entire PhD process. The framework captures the full range of potential knowledge contributions from identifying a novel phenomenon and/or related challenges to contributing theoretical knowledge explaining and predicting the phenomenon, as well as design- and action-oriented knowledge to address these challenges. We motivate the need for such a framework through a ‘confessional tale’ of past PhD journeys that struggled to ‘anchor’ themselves paradigmatically in the fluid knowledge space about yet unknown and fuzzy novel phenomena. The framework integrates the conceptual foundations of phenomenon-driven explanatory research with design-oriented research. We illustrate the usefulness of the framework through a single case of an advanced PhD journey. IS PhD students and their supervisors can use the framework throughout the entire PhD process from initial planning to final submission.

Comments

e-Learning

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Jul 6th, 12:00 AM

From Novel Phenomena & Challenges to Insights & Solutions: A Guiding Framework for PhD Knowledge Journeys

We propose a framework to guide PhD students’ knowledge journeys in Information Systems (IS) of tackling novel digital phenomena and related challenges throughout the entire PhD process. The framework captures the full range of potential knowledge contributions from identifying a novel phenomenon and/or related challenges to contributing theoretical knowledge explaining and predicting the phenomenon, as well as design- and action-oriented knowledge to address these challenges. We motivate the need for such a framework through a ‘confessional tale’ of past PhD journeys that struggled to ‘anchor’ themselves paradigmatically in the fluid knowledge space about yet unknown and fuzzy novel phenomena. The framework integrates the conceptual foundations of phenomenon-driven explanatory research with design-oriented research. We illustrate the usefulness of the framework through a single case of an advanced PhD journey. IS PhD students and their supervisors can use the framework throughout the entire PhD process from initial planning to final submission.