Investigating Information Systems Research in Canada

• Published date: 01 March 2012
• Author: Alexander Serenko,Changquan Jiao
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cjas.214
• Date: 01 March 2012

Investigating Information Systems Research

in Canada

Alexander Serenko*

Lakehead University

Changquan Jiao

Lakehead University

Abstract

This project reports on the state of Information Systems (IS)

research in Canada by analyzing research output and impact

of Canadian IS scholars appearing in the form of peer‐

reviewed journal articles. Specif‌ically, we (a) measured

individual productivity and impact, (b) measured institution-

al productivity and impact, (c) listed journals in which these

works have appeared, (d) identif‌ied the most inf‌luential

articles, (e) developed a ranking of IS scholarly journals from

a Canadian perspective, and (f) compared the obtained

journal ranking with the global IS journal rankings. Based on

the f‌indings, it was concluded that the Canadian IS discipline

exhibits signs of academic maturity. Copyright © 2011

ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

JEL Classification: M15

Keywords: information systems, scientometrics, research

output, research productivity, research impact, citation

impact, Google Scholar, discipline identity, journal ranking,

Publication Power Approach

Résumé

La présente étude rend compte de l’état de la recherche en

Systèmes d’information (IS) au Canada. Elle s’appuie sur

l’analyse du résultat et de l’impact de la recherche des

universitaires canadiens tels qu’ils apparaissent dans les

articles publiés dans les revues à com ité de lecture.

L’article se propose de (a) mesurer la productivité et

l’impact individuels; (b) mesurer la productivité et l’impact

institutionnels; (c) faire la liste des revues dans lesquelles

les travaux sont publiés; (d) répertorier les articles les plus

inf‌luents; (e) faire un classement des revues scientif‌iques en

IS dans le contexte canadien; et (f) comparer le classement

canadien aux classements mondiaux. Les résultats montrent

qu’au Canada, le domaine des Systèmes d’information

présente des signes de maturité. Copyright © 2011 ASAC.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mots-clés : systèmes d’information, scientométrie, résultat

de la recherche, productivité de la recherche, impact de la

recherche, impact citationnel, Google Scholar, identité de la

discipline, classement des revues, Publication Power

Approach

The goal of this study is to investigate the state of

Information Systems (IS) research in Canada by presenting

a snapshot of publications of Canadian IS scholars

appearing in peer‐reviewed journals. The framework for

the stakeholder approach to identity construction of the IS

discipline was adapted, and six research questions were

proposed with the purpose to: (a) measure individual

productivity and impact, (b) measure institutional produc-

tivity and impact, (c) list journals in which these works have

appeared, (d) identify the most inf‌luential articles, (e)

develop a ranking of IS scholarly journals from a Canadian

perspective, and (f) compare the obtained journal ranking

with the global IS journal rankings. Various reasons suggest

the need for such an endeavour, as explained below.

Compared to most other management and business

disciplines, IS is relatively new. Since its inception,

numerous studies have been conducted to understand the

nature and direction of IS research (Benbasat & Weber,

1996; Benbasat & Zmud, 2003; Dearden, 1972; Mason &

Mitroff, 1973). Prior investigations developed frameworks

that guide IS research (Ives, Hamilton, & Davis, 1980),

explored IS research diversity issues (Robey, 1996), created

mechanisms to classify IS research topics (Barki, Rivard, &

Talbot, 1993), examined what constitutes the (IT) artifact

(Orlikowski & Iacono, 2001), and explored the employment

of IS scholarly output in practical settings (Benbasat &

Zmud, 1999; Pearson, Pearson, & Shim, 2005). As part of

these efforts to understand where we were, where we are,

and where we want to be (Holsapple, 2008b), many

*Please address correspondence to: Alexander Serenko, Faculty of Business

Administration, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay,

Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1. Email: aserenko@lakeheadu.ca

Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences

Revue canadienne des sciences de l’administration

29:3–24 (2012)

Published online 11 June 2011 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/CJAS.214

Can J Adm Sci

29(1), 3–24 (2012)Copyright © 2011 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 3

scientometric investigations were also conducted to under-

stand who the most inf‌luential IS researchers and institutions

are, how the IS community perceives the quality of its

journals, and what inquiry methods are utilized (Lowry,

Karuga, & Richardson, 2007b; Lowry, Romans, & Curtis,

2004; Palvia et al., 2004). However, very few projects

investigating the development of IS research in Canada have

been conducted. In his seminal work, Erkut (2002)

measured the productivity and impact of Canadian business

academics and their institutions; however, he di d not

analyze the IS discip line specif‌ically. Wh ile Serenko,

Cocosila, and Turel (2008) studied the Canadian IS

discipline, they limited their study to the analysis of the

proceedings of a single conference. The lack of research on

the Canadian IS discipline is regrettable since there are

various stakeholders who need to understand the state of the

f‌ield.

Most previous studies of the state of IS research were

done in the US, but their results may not be fully applied to

Canada. First, the nature of academic institutions in both

countries is different; whereas there are public and private

universities in the US, all major Canadian universities are

public. Second, the stakeholders of IS research in Canada

are different. For example, national IS research is supported

by the Canadian granting agencies, which have their own

preferences and expectations. It is possible that the research

behaviour of IS scholars in Canada will be somewhat

different from that of their international colleagues.

Therefore, it is critical to explore the state of IS discipline

in Canada, which will provide the national stakeholders with

a realistic picture of the domestic IS discipline.

Framework

The stakeholder approach to identity construction of the

IS discipline (Scott& Lane, 2000; Sidorova, Evangelopoulos,

Valacich, & Ramakrishnan, 2008) also indicates the impor-

tance of this investigation. IS identity, which includes the

central, distinctive, and enduring aspects (e.g., goals, values,

and practices) of the f‌ield, is formed through interactions

among its various stakeholders. The results of this study may

be of interest to the discipline’smostinf‌luential, internal, and

external stakeholders. Each of these groups plays a rolein the

identity construction process of the Canadian IS domain

(Figure 1).

Most Inf‌luential Stakeholders

There are several highly inf‌luential stakeholders who

develop desired discipline images through their actions. They

include journal editors, organizers or executives of domestic

and international conferences, government research policy

agencies, and leading scholars who are recognized both

nationally and globally. These most inf‌luential stakeholders

envision an ideal Canadian IS discipline as having presence in

Figure 1.

The framework for the stakeholder approach to identity construction of the IS discipline in Canada –Adapted from Scott

and Lane (2000) and Sidorova et al. (2008)

Most Influential Stakeholders

Journal Editors

Domestic / International

Conference Organizers /

Executives (e.g., ASAC, ICIS)

Government Research Policy

Agencies

Leading Scholars

Considerations

Potential Discipline Crises

Current Field Development

Impact of Reference

Disciplines

Technological Changes

IT Project Failures

Globalization

Desired Discipline Images

Presence at the Domestic and

International Research Arenas

Research Productivity and

Impact

Reference Discipline

Progressive Research Direction

Reflected Stakeholder

Appraisals

Submitted Papers

Peer Review

Grant Applications

Collaboration

Conference Participation

External Stakeholders

Industry Professionals

Prospective Students

Public & Private Funding

Agencies (e.g., SSHRC,

NSERC, CIHR, industry

sponsors)

Universities

Other Disciplines

Internal Stakeholders

IS Scholars

IS Students

Considerations

Research Preferences

Career Impact

Networking and Collaboration

Internal and External Pressures

Job Market Conditions

Financial Pressures

Research Funding

Canadian IS

Discipline

Identity

INVESTIGATING INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH IN CANADA SERENKO & JIAO

Can J Adm Sci

29(1), 3–24 (2012)Copyright © 2011 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 4