An Analysis Framework to Assess IS Papers' Consideration of Boundary Conditions

Titelangaben

Drechsler, Andreas ; Hönigsberg, Sarah ; Watkowski, Laura Marie-Luise:
An Analysis Framework to Assess IS Papers' Consideration of Boundary Conditions.
In: Proceedings of the 31st Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS). - Montréal, Canada , 2025

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Abstract

We develop a framework to investigate how well top IS journal papers consider boundary conditions when scoping the research, drawing on extant knowledge, or developing and (design) theorizing the findings. Boundary conditions are assumptions about values, time, and space that specify the conditions for relationships in an explanatory theory to hold true until falsified. Despite this prominent role, boundary conditions are one theory component that – unlike constructs, variables, and the relationships between them – have received surprisingly little explicit attention in the literature. Similar considerations exist in design-oriented research around the tension between abstract artefacts / design theories and their applicability to specific contexts. Insufficient attention to boundary conditions may lead to IS research drawing on unsuitable knowledge or making unreflected or too grand claims for the validity, accuracy, or applicability of their findings. We plan to draw on the framework to analyze IS research papers in the future.