SJIS has operated since 1989; thus, it has published IS research for close to 30 years. The journal focuses on publishing critical yet constructive studies of IT development, use and design. The journal draws on the rich and well-established Scandinavian research tradition (Iivari & Lyytinen, 1998) that emphasizes engagement with the field, participation from users, and multi-vocality of interests (Bjerknes, 2016; Ehn, 1989; Mathiassen & Nielsen, 2008). A key characteristic of Scandinavian IS research is that it challenges a purely technical perspective and does not focus on technology per se. Instead it extends to sociotechnical issues on different levels: the interaction level (HCI, UX and interfaces), the individual level (job satisfaction, job design and automation), the organizational level (organizational change, decision making, business models and strategy) and/or societal level (including issues such as unemployment, privacy and wealth distribution) (Bjørn-Andersen & Clemmensen, 2017). Furthermore, design has been at the core of Scandinavian IS since its inception (Ågerfalk & Wiberg, 2018). Design-oriented research and research related to purposeful change induced by Information Systems within and beyond organizations are key areas of interest within the Scandinavian tradition. Because geographical boundaries do not confine to this kind of scholarly work, one should interpret the term “Scandinavian” metaphorically rather than literally, as an ambition to foster this tradition. Therefore, the journal welcomes submissions from all over the world that address these topics and engage in a critical discourse with studies informed by Scandinavian IS tradition.
Topical areas
A Scandinavian approach to IS research is characterized by, but not restricted to topical areas such as: organizational politics of IT, participatory design, evolution and use of digital infrastructures and innovations, software development methods and strategies (e.g. open source development, platformization), transformation of leisure and work (following e.g., mobile technologies and the internet of things), strategic and structural transformations of business organizations and public sector, and the life on the Internet and social media.
Research approaches
In research approaches we welcome theoretical and methodological pluralism, such as: micro-studies of actual use, methodological aspects of participatory design, engagement with practice/ users, critical yet constructive studies, socio-technical view on IT/IS, sensible to inherent qualities, or lack of qualities of IT, different approaches to design research.
References
Bjerknes, G., (2016). The Basis for Scandinavian IS Research. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems. (28:2): 78-79.
Bjørn-Andersen, N., Clemmensen, T., (2017) The Shaping of the Scandinavian Socio-Technical IS Research Tradition. Confessions of an accomplice. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems. (29:1): 79-118.
Ehn, P., (1989). The Art and Science of Designing Computer Artifacts. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, (1:1): 21-42.
Iivari J., Lyytinen, K., (1998). Research on Information Systems Development in Scandinavia – Unity in Plurality, Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, (10:1-2): 135-186.
Mathiassen, L., Nielsen, P. A., (2008). Engaged Scholarship in IS Research. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems, (20:2): 3-20.
Ågerfalk, P. J., Wiberg, M., (2018). Pragmatizing the Normative Artifact: Design Science Research in Scandinavia and Beyond, Communications of the Association for Information Systems, (43:4): 68-77.
ISSN 0905-0167 (until Vol. 27, issue 1 (2015)) eISSN 1901-0990