Intellectual Diversity in IS Research: Discipline-Based Conceptualization and an Illustration from Information Systems Research

This paper advances the understanding of the information systems (IS) discipline by developing a multidimensional conceptualization of the discipline's intellectual diversity. It also provides an empirical analysis of the intellectual diversity exhibited by the full set of articles published in Information Systems Research (ISR) over the last 10 years. We categorize IS intellectual diversity into four intellectual dimensions of IS research-namely, domain-topic, level of phenomenon, type of contribution, and method-and highlight differences along these dimensions. We develop a framework for evaluating the ebb and flow of the topics, methods, and contributions of IS scholarship over time. Regarding ISR specifically, our study offers a glimpse of the IS intellectual diversity found in the research topics, methods, and contributions of papers published during 2012-2021. Our analysis shows a preponderance of econometric and modeling studies. It also shows that there is a substantial variety of topics, research questions, and methods. Based on these conceptual and empirical insights, we identify implications for intellectual diversity and inclusion in the broader IS discipline.