Abstract
ICT4D researchers have since the inception of the field engaged in analyzing its emerging contours, as well as continuously pursued critical self-examination to support academic growth. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the outcome of the efforts of pushing a relatively young field forward, by analyzing the field’s level of academic maturity. Through a literature review of ten years of ICT4D research (2011–2020), which include all papers published in ITD, ITID and EJISDC as well as all ICT4D papers published in the Senior Scholars' Basket of 8 Journals, the study observes that ICT4D research fulfills several criteria associated with academic maturity. Furthermore, the results indicates that the most cited ICT4D research output is actively contributing to disciplines outside the reference disciplines of IS and development studies, suggesting that ICT4D research has established itself beyond the reference disciplines. The later constitutes a key milestone in disciplinary development.
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Notes
- 1.
Note that Information Technologies & International Development Journal are currently not publishing any papers. Last issue was in 2020.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge Sirajul Islam, Associate professor at Örebro University, Sweden for his valuable assistance during a first round of coding.
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Strand, C., Hatakka, M. (2022). Understanding Evolution and Progress Towards Academic Maturity - A Review of Ten Years of ICT4D Research. In: Zheng, Y., Abbott, P., Robles-Flores, J.A. (eds) Freedom and Social Inclusion in a Connected World. ICT4D 2022. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 657. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19429-0_25
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