Aims and scope

The European Journal of Information Systems provides a distinctive European perspective on the theory and practice of information systems for a global audience. We encourage first-rate articles that provide a critical view on information technology – its effects, development, implementation, strategy, management and policy.

Manuscript Genres

EJIS categorizes papers according to the genre of research. More detail about these genres can be found in earlier EJIS editorials (Te'Eni et al., 2015; Rowe, 2012; Rowe, 2014).

Please note, authors will be able to indicate manuscript genre on step two of the submission form under "Section". Step one of the submission form will ask for an article type — used for indexing purposes — and authors should select the closest match.

    Literature review
    A literature review ‘synthesizes past knowledge on a topic or domain of interest, identifies important biases and knowledge gaps in the literature, and proposes corresponding future research directions’ (Rowe, 2014, p. 243). Researchers need to have a good conceptual framework or theory that they will use as an analytical lens to study a set of carefully selected papers (Rowe, 2014).

    Theory development
    EJIS, as a European journal, accepts pure theory papers. We need theory to guide our reflections and endeavours. A good theory paper rests on arguments that build on the literature. However, unlike the first genre, these articles do not need to have a comprehensive literature review. The act of being reflexively critical is essential and is a distinguishing feature of this genre (Te'Eni et al., 2015).

    Empirical research
    This genre includes papers that provide empirical data. However, these papers must also provide a theoretical contribution. Apart from ‘ethnographies and narratives’ which are singled out at EJIS as a separate genre, all other genres based on an analysis of empirical data fall under the ‘empirical research’ category. This category includes all types of empirical research strategies such as qualitative, quantitative and design science research (Te'Eni et al., 2015).

    Ethnographies and narratives
    Of the many streams of empirical research, we distinguish ethnographies and narratives (Rowe, 2012). This genre responds to the need to better understand what people really do, how intentions develop, and how people take stances or make compromises. Using ethnographic fieldwork, the researcher not only gains an in-depth understanding of the actors’ viewpoints. but also of the broad context within which they act (Te'Eni et al., 2015).

    Research essay
    Research essays usually relate to research methods, research practice or research philosophy.

    Clinical IS Research
    The Clinical IS Research genre provides opportunities for practitioner-researchers working in practice to offer their experiences and insights as contributions to the body of information systems knowledge. As such work is interventionist, it is necessarily empirical, and should be based on sound qualitative, quantitative, and/or design science research methods. Papers need to describe the authors’ experience, explain in which organizational context this experience took place, and specify by which methodology the evidence and conclusions were established.

    Issues and opinions
    An ‘Issues and Opinions’ paper generally addresses an institutional problem or a disciplinary challenge or opportunity. This genre involves the articulation of a well-developed position statement concerning emerging, paradoxical, or controversial research issues.

    Response
    This genre is simply a response to a paper previously published in EJIS, of any genre. For example, an empirical response paper might replicate a previous study with a different method but come up with contradictory findings.

References

ROWE F (2012) Toward a richer diversity of genres in information systems research: New categorization and guidelines. European Journal of Information Systems 21(5), 469-478.

ROWE F (2014) What literature review is not: Diversity, boundaries and recommendations. European Journal of Information Systems 23(3), 241-255.

TE'ENI D, ROWE F, ÅGERFALK PJ and LEE JS (2015) Publishing and getting published in EJIS: Marshaling contributions for a diversity of genres. European Journal of Information Systems 24(6), 559-568.