Seminal Papers in Information Systems

  • Keen, P.G.W., "MIS Research: Reference Disciplines and a Cumulative Tradition", Proceedings of the First Conference on Information Systems, E.R. McLean (ed.), December, 1980, pp. 9-18.
  • Markus, M. L., "Power, Politics, and MIS Implementation," Communications of the ACM (26:6), June 1983, pp. 430-444.

  • Kwon, T. H. and Zmud, R. W., "Unifying the Fragmented Models of Information Systems Implementation," in Critical Issues in Information Systems Research, (ed.) R. J. Boland and R. Hirschheim, 1987, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, pp. 227-251.

  • Malone, T. W.; Yates, J.; and Benjamin, R. I., "Electronic Markets and Electronic Hierarchies: Effects of Information Technologies on Market Structure and Corporate Strategies," Communications of the ACM (30:6), June 1987, pp. 484-497.

  • Markus, M. L., and Robey, D., "Information Technology and Organizational Change: Causal Structure in Theory and Research," Management Science (34:5), 1988, pp. 583-598.

  • Hirschheim, R. and Klein, H. K, "Four Paradigms of Information Systems Development," Communications of the ACM (32:10), October 1989, pp. 1199-.

  • Davis, F. D.; Bagozzi, R. P.; and Warshaw, P. R., "User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models," Management Science (35:8), 1989, pp. 982-1003.

  • Attewell, P., "Technology Diffusion and Organizational Learning: The Case of Business Computing," Organization Science (3:1), 1992, pp. 1-19.

  • Orlikowski, W. J., "The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations," Organization Science (3:3), 1992, pp. 398-427.

  • DeSanctis, G. and Poole, M. S. "Capturing the Complexity in Advanced Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory," Organization Science (5:2), May 1994, pp. 121-147.

  • Brynjolfsson, E. and Hitt, L. "Paradox Lost? Firm-Level Evidence on the Returns to Information Systems Spending," Management Science (42:4), April 1996, pp. 541-58.

  • Ngwenyama, O. K. and Lee, A. S., "Communication Richness in Electronic Mail: Critical Social Theory and the Contextuality of Meaning," MIS Quarterly (21:2), June 1997, pp. 145-167.

  • El Sawy, O. A.; Malhotra, A.; Gosain, S.; and Young, K. M., "IT-Intensive Value Innovation in the Electronic Economy: Insights from Marshall Industries," MIS Quarterly (23:3), September 1999, pp. 301-336.

  • Klein, H. K. and Myers, M. D., "A Set of Principles for Conducting and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in Information Systems," MIS Quarterly (23:1), March 1999, pp. 67-88.

  • Fichman, R. G., "The Illusory Diffusion of Innovation: An Examination of Assimilation Gaps," Information Systems Research (10:3), Sep 1999, pp. 255-.

  • Harter, D. E.; Krishnan, M. S.; Slaughter, S. A., "Effects of Process Maturity on Quality, Cycle Time, and Effort in Software Product Development," Management Science (46:4), April 2000, pp. 451-467.

  • Alavi, M. and Leidner, D. E., "Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues," MIS Quarterly (25:1), March 2001, pp. 107-136.

Some of the key referent discipline papers (from psychology, sociology, economics, etc.) that have influenced contemporary IS research are listed below. Most of these are theory-oriented papers, however, this list is grossly incomplete:

  • Whetten, D. A., "What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution," Academy of Management Review (14:4), 1989, pp. 490-495.

  • Eisenhardt, K. M., "Building Theories from Case Study Research," Academy of Management Review (14:4), 1989, pp. 532-550.

  • Rogers, E. M., Diffusion of Innovations (3rd ed.), Free Press, New York, 1995.

  • Emerson, R. M., "Social-Exchange Theory," American Sociological Review (35), 1976, pp. 335-362.

  • Williamson, O. E., "The Economics of Organization: The Transaction Cost Approach," American Journal of Sociology (87:3), 1981, pp. 548-577.

  • Cohen, W. M. and Levinthal, D. A., "Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation," Administrative Science Quarterly (35: 1), March 1990, pp. 128-153.

  • Barney, J. B. "Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage," Journal of Management (17:1), 1991, pp. 99-120.

  • Van de Ven, A. H. and Poole, M. S., "Explaining Development and Change in Organizations," Academy of Management Review (14:4), 1989, pp. 532-550.

  • Nonaka, I., "A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation," Organization Science (5:1), 1994, pp. 14-37.

The above list was compiled by Dr. Anol Bhattacherjee, based on his personal assessment of their "inspirational value" (ability to provoke a new way of thinking) and impact (potential impact for more recent papers) on subsequent IS research. If any other paper should be included on this list, please inform me at abhatt@coba.usf.edu, and I'll try to keep this list updated as much as possible.
Copyright © 1999-2002 Anol Bhattacherjee. All rights reserved.