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Defining the intellectual structure of information systems and related college of business disciplines: a bibliometric analysis

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Abstract

Information systems permeate every business function, thereby requiring holistic Information Systems (IS) approaches. Much academic research is still discipline specific. More interdisciplinary research is needed to inform both industry and academe. Interdisciplinary research has been positively associated with increased levels of innovation, productivity and impact. IS research contributes to the knowledge creation and innovation within IS and other College of Business (COB) disciplines. This research defines the intellectual structures within IS and between IS and other COB disciplines. We use a large scale, diachronic bibliometric analysis of COB journals to assess reciprocal knowledge exchange and also to identify potential intra- and interdisciplinary publication outlets. Our findings show an increase in IS knowledge contributions to other COB disciplines, which supports the discussion that IS is a reference discipline. Our research also visually depicts the intellectual structures within IS and between IS and other COB disciplines. Anyone exploring research in IS and allied COB disciplines can peruse the proximity maps to identify groups of similar journals. The findings from this research inform decisions related to which journals to read, target as publication outlets, and include on promotion and tenure lists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Systems, Schneider Social Science, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Room 411, Eau Claire, WI, 54702, USA

    Jean A. Pratt

  2. Management Information Systems, Utah State University, 3515 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Karina Hauser

  3. School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University Bloomington, 1320 East 10th St., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Cassidy R. Sugimoto

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  1. Jean A. Pratt
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  2. Karina Hauser
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  3. Cassidy R. Sugimoto
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Correspondence to Cassidy R. Sugimoto.

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Pratt, J.A., Hauser, K. & Sugimoto, C.R. Defining the intellectual structure of information systems and related college of business disciplines: a bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics 93, 279–304 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-012-0668-y

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