ISJ has a number of Special Issues, typically around one per year. Special Issues are proposed and edited by Guest Editors appointed by the Editor-in-Chief. They focus on one topic or theme and have a number of papers devoted to various aspects of that topic. The Guest Editors usually provide an extended editorial putting the topic and the papers in context. Special Issues have proved to be very successful and popular with ISJ readers and have been highly cited.
See 'Special Issues' in the top menu above for more details about Special Issues.
Editor-in-Chief
Robert Davison, e-mail: isrobert@cityu.edu.hk
ISJ Editorial Office - Jack Patterson
e-mail: isjadmin@wiley.com
Welcome to the Editor's Website for the ISJ
The purpose of this site is to provide information from the Editors to our readers, authors, potential authors, deans, etc. about the Information Systems Journal (ISJ) over and above that provided on the publishers website which also contains ISJ Table of Contents, access to sample papers and full-text access.Please follow the links of the above menu which provide detailed information and answers to most questions. We hope you find this website useful. Please contact us with any comments you have.
Editor-in-Chief: Robert Davison
ISJ Indicators
This page just provides a brief overview of some key quality indicators for the ISJ. Please see the details in the various menus above, in particular here.
- ISJ is the premier, predominantly qualitative, information systems journal
- ISJ is in the AIS basket of eight top information systems journals
- ISJ has an impact factor of 4.188 (2019 - latest)
- ISJ is 'the' truly international information systems journal
- ISJ was ranked 1st for author experience
- ISJ will respond within 2 weeks indicating if your paper is out of scope or unsuitable
ISJ Free Issue
Wiley provides free access to all the ISJ Editorials and some articles. Click here to access them. Click on a particular volume to see which articles are free - they are marked with an open padlock.
Wiley also provide a whole sample issue free. This is usually issue 1 of the current year but check the Wiley ISJ website, linked above, and see 'Browse free sample issue' in the list on the right hand side.
ISJ Editorials
Wiley provides free access to all the ISJ Editorials.
The Editorials contain information about the content of the ISJ Issue to which they refer but they also contain much more. The Editor often uses them to communicate with the readership and in particular potential authors. So they are well worth looking at.
For example an Editorial for 2019 (29.3) asked the question "For Whom Do We Write?" and another 2020 (30.1) asked "Which journal characteristics best invite submissions?". Such analysis, apart from being interesting and informative in general terms, provides insights into the journal, its ethos, and niche and is a good way of understanding what the Editorial Team are looking for to keep the journal relevant.
Click here to access them.
ISJ EarlyView
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The 2021 impact factor for ISJ was 7.767, for 2022 it was 6.4. These are some of the highest impact factors of any IS Journals. See past ISJ impact factors and the Editor’s comment on impact factors here. The next impact factor (2023) will not be available until around mid June 2024.
Abstract
Westernised paradigms dominate the information systems (IS) field, often overshadowing alternative epistemologies. This study challenges the prevailing hegemonic view and contributes to the decolonization of IS research and practice by proposing a Latin American and decolonial approach to technological development that emphasises community centrality and epistemic justice through recognition of local knowledges and Indigenous traditions. Using design ethnography, we follow the development of a solidarity cryptocurrency in a Brazilian favela. Our paper offers two key contributions. By introducing tecnologia social, an underrepresented perspective in IS, we highlight ecology of knowledges, centrality of the local and decolonial reconfiguration as principles that can enrich the understanding of IS projects from a decolonial perspective. In addition, we propose a new concept—epistemic dialogical tension—as a process wherein different epistemologies coexist and accommodate each other, encouraging a dynamic interplay of distinct human experiences and worldviews. It offers new paths to IS scholars and practitioners in navigating the complexities of epistemic plurality. We argue that tecnologia social and epistemic dialogical tension provide fertile ground for developing reimagined, decolonized approaches where multiple epistemologies can coexist, favouring the often-silenced communities they are intended to benefit.
ISJ impact factor 2022
The 2021 impact factor for ISJ was 7.767, for 2022 it was 6.4. These are some of the highest impact factors of any IS Journals. See past ISJ impact factors and the Editor’s comment on impact factors here. The next impact factor (2023) will not be available until around mid June 2024.
Decolonizing IS through tecnologia social: Fostering epistemic plurality in the design of solidarity cryptocurrency in Latin America
Abstract
Westernised paradigms dominate the information systems (IS) field, often overshadowing alternative epistemologies. This study challenges the prevailing hegemonic view and contributes to the decolonization of IS research and practice by proposing a Latin American and decolonial approach to technological development that emphasises community centrality and epistemic justice through recognition of local knowledges and Indigenous traditions. Using design ethnography, we follow the development of a solidarity cryptocurrency in a Brazilian favela. Our paper offers two key contributions. By introducing tecnologia social, an underrepresented perspective in IS, we highlight ecology of knowledges, centrality of the local and decolonial reconfiguration as principles that can enrich the understanding of IS projects from a decolonial perspective. In addition, we propose a new concept—epistemic dialogical tension—as a process wherein different epistemologies coexist and accommodate each other, encouraging a dynamic interplay of distinct human experiences and worldviews. It offers new paths to IS scholars and practitioners in navigating the complexities of epistemic plurality. We argue that tecnologia social and epistemic dialogical tension provide fertile ground for developing reimagined, decolonized approaches where multiple epistemologies can coexist, favouring the often-silenced communities they are intended to benefit.
Social media?enabled crisis response in Vietnam: A t??ng thân t??ng ái perspectiveAbstract
A growing amount of information systems (IS) research is examining the use of social media to enable effective crisis response. However, existing studies have overlooked the impact of indigenous concepts, which play an important role in crisis response. Our study intends to offer an indigenous perspective to this research stream by examining how social media-enabled crisis response is enacted in Vietnam. We used COVID-19 as the focal crisis and collected a rich set of discussion threads from social media. By analysing the data through the grounded theory method, our study identifies the indigenous theoretical concept of t??ng thân t??ng ái. We further unveil a process model consisting of six mechanisms through which t??ng thân t??ng ái inspires crisis response on social media and three roles assumed by social media during this process. Our study contributes to the literature on social media-enabled crisis response by providing an indigenous perspective and a context-specific explanation. It also enriches IS theory in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by investigating how the indigenous concept of t??ng thân t??ng ái influences Vietnam’s crisis response on social media. Our findings also provide guidelines that can help communities beyond Vietnam to promote the values of t??ng thân t??ng ái during crisis response.
Towards decolonial IS: Insights from applying pluriverse and conviviality to analyse a co?production intervention in PeruAbstract
While there is a growing interest in applying decolonial approaches within the field of information systems (IS), effective avenues for engagement remain largely unexplored. To this end, our paper introduces a framework focused on decolonial IS research informed by the notions of the pluriverse and conviviality. These concepts emphasise a focus on ontological, epistemological and methodological dimensions, with a strong orientation to justice. We illustrate the application of the framework through a re-analysis of our own research project, the co-production of the Metropolitan Water Observatory (MWO) in Lima, Peru. Applying the framework to learn new insights about the MWO, this paper contributes to the IS field by providing a framework from which to examine IS interventions from a decolonial perspective. In addition to advancing theoretical understanding, our framework serves as a valuable resource for scholars navigating the complex landscape of decolonial approaches in IS.
The 4Rs: A collective reflexive methodology for realising critical self?transformation in ICT4D research practiceAbstract
The “critical turn” in information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) research emphasises a transformative and ethical research practice which can be addressed by developing the critical intent and agency of ICT4D researchers through reflexive practice. There exist, however, limited methodological insights into existing reflexive approaches and a limited understanding of how self-transformation and change can take place through more critically reflexive ICT4D research practice. To address these issues, this paper proposes a reflexive methodology for ICT4D research, labelled “the 4Rs”, which comprises four interrelated reflective and potentially self-transforming processes of Retrospection, Representation, Review and Reinterpretation. We present the explanations and justifications of the methodology in detail with illustrative examples. We also employ a metacognitive process to understand how self-transformation can be realised through the use of this methodology and demonstrate the applicability of the 4Rs for other ICT4D researchers. Our main contribution lies in illustrating how this collective and critical approach can be used to deepen the self-reflexivity of traditional individual confessional accounts. We also demonstrate how the approach can lead to new collective knowledge and contribute to achieving more critical agency.
Harambee as a decolonial digital fundraising approachAbstract
Deployment of digital crowdfunding platforms, which predominantly are designed in line with Western norms, into Indigenous communities often leads to significant cultural tensions. This study uses the Kenyan Indigenous tradition of Harambee to elucidate how these cultural tensions manifest and are navigated in the context of digital crowdfunding. The study employs a qualitative approach, conducting narrative interviews with individuals experienced in both Harambee and digital crowdfunding within the Kenyan context, to advance our understanding of decolonial digital crowdfunding. The findings reveal significant cultural tensions, including those related to inclusive access, diminished communal engagement and erosion of social capital. These tensions highlight the marginalisation of Indigenous cultures and the reinforcement of colonial tendencies in digital spaces. Additionally, the study uncovers the ingenuity of Indigenous users who are integrating Indigenous knowledge and Harambee norms with digital technologies, to balance cultural sensitivity, strengthen technological inclusivity and preserve their communal values within decolonial digital fundraising. This study advances decolonial scholarship by demonstrating how the integration of both Indigenous and local practices with digital technology not only advances digital decoloniality but also enriches the technology’s cultural responsiveness. The findings have practical implications for designing inclusive digital crowdfunding platforms that acknowledge and align with local cultural norms.
Token?based reviewer economies: Proposed institutions for managing the reviewer shortage problemAbstract
This opinion paper presents two proposed token-based systems to fix the information system academy’s review system. At present, the review system consumes more human resources than the information systems academy has by an order of magnitude. The cost of this overflow is borne entirely by information systems researchers. I argue this is because the review system is based on a gift economy that cannot handle the currently sized market. Both proposals involve the creation of tokens and a central governing body. The first proposal involves a market built around a review bank (central governing body) that issues review tokens that function as a proxy currency. Journals function as intermediaries between authors and reviewers. Authors pay journals for reviews, and journals pay experts such as reviewers and editors for their services. Reviewers exchange their review tokens on the open market or trade review tokens for favours with institutions like universities. The second proposal involves a gift economy where reviewers transfer their allegiance from peers to the information systems academy. In this proposal, each individual token is unique, like a trading card and an affiliation board tracks the transfer of tokens, linking former possessors of a token together in a review ring. As tokens are regifted, they accumulate history, and thereby social worth, captured in the form of messages each possessor writes. Former possession of a large number of tokens and of tokens with particular histories confers status benefits. These benefits in turn lock reviewers into the review ring system encouraging them to do further reviews. Economic, social, and other implications of both policies are discussed and questions are posed for the information systems academy to grapple with. Example issues discussed include the effect of the proposals on the political power of reviewers and shifts in political power in the information systems academy.
Extending the process frontier of digital transformation: A flow?oriented perspectiveAbstract
Strong interest in digital transformation to increase business value calls for new and improved theorising of the digital transformation process. Traditional perspectives fail to address the complex socio-technological challenges and entanglement of actions at multiple levels that characterise the process. This research adopts a flow-oriented perspective to extend the process frontier of digital transformation. This entails analysing the lines of action that intertwine to form storylines of digital transformation. Drawing on a multilevel longitudinal qualitative study, the research offers three valuable contributions: First, the paper advances the discourse on digital transformation by introducing the heretofore unrecognised phenomenon of transitional moments. Second, by introducing a novel taxonomy for lines of action, the paper demonstrates the evolving nature of the digital transformation process, surpassing conventional rational-system model interpretations. These two contributions broaden the process frontier of digital transformation by underscoring the dynamic and continuous nature of digital transformation, emphasising its non-linear progression, and rejecting the notion of an idealised direct path to a predefined goal. These two additions to the digital transformation discourse lay the foundations for our third contribution, which is a set of proposed research approaches for future investigations into digital transformation, regardless of research focus, phenomena, or domain.
Transcending the qualitative?quantitative divide in is research using QCA as a configurational, comparative approachInformation Systems Journal, EarlyView. Source
The new wave of ‘hybrid’ work: An opportunity to revise assumptions and build theoryInformation Systems Journal, EarlyView. Source
Digitally enabled sharing economy models at the base of the pyramidInformation Systems Journal, EarlyView. Source