Understanding the IS nuances

A significant number of submissions received by iSys – Journal of Information Systems are returned during desk review due to misalignment with the Information Systems (IS) field. Many manuscripts treat information systems as a synonym for software systems, applications, or technical computing artifacts, which does not fully reflect the scope of the discipline.

The IS field is inherently interdisciplinary, drawing insights from computing, management, organizational studies, economics, and the social sciences. We value and encourage this interdisciplinary dialogue, as it has historically shaped the development of the field and enriched its research agenda. At the same time, it is important to maintain clarity about the conceptual boundaries and nuances of IS research. While technical artifacts such as software systems, algorithms, or architectures may be part of an information system, IS research typically investigates how these technologies interact with people, organizations, processes, and societal contexts.

This page aims to clarify what constitutes IS research, how it differs from other computing fields, and how authors can properly position their work before submitting to iSys.

What is Information Systems Research?

IS research investigates how digital technologies are designed, implemented, managed, and used within organizational and societal contexts. Rather than focusing solely on technical artifacts, the IS field traditionally adopts a socio-technical perspective, examining how technologies interact with people, organizational processes, and institutional environments (Araujo et al., 2015). In this view, information systems are not merely software applications, but systems of work in which human participants and technological components jointly perform activities to process information and support decision-making (Alter, 2008; Araujo, Fornazin & Pimentel, 2017). This perspective highlights that the value of information systems emerges from their integration into organizational practices and social contexts, rather than from technological functionality alone (Avgerou, 2000; Córdoba, Pilkington, & Bernroider, 2012).

Consequently, research in IS typically explores the organizational, managerial, and societal implications of digital technologies, including their adoption, governance, use, and impact on decision processes and performance. IS scholars often investigate how information technologies enable coordination, support organizational transformation, or reshape interactions between individuals, organizations, and digital infrastructures (Boell & Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2015; Winter et al., 2014). This broader socio-technical orientation distinguishes IS from neighboring computing disciplines, which tend to emphasize the technical design and implementation of software systems rather than their organizational and societal roles.

Examples of IS research topics include (but are not restricted to):

  • Design, implementation, and governance of organizational information systems
  • Digital transformation and organizational change
  • IT governance and IT service management
  • Decision support systems and data-driven decision-making
  • Human interaction with information systems
  • Adoption and diffusion of digital technologies
  • Digital platforms and ecosystems
  • Data governance and information management
  • Societal impacts of digital technologies

In this perspective, technology is rarely studied in isolation, but rather as an instrument that supports organizational processes, decision-making, and societal activities.

When Technical Artifacts Fit the IS Scope

Technical artifacts (systems, tools, architectures, or models) may fall within the scope of iSys when they are positioned within a broader IS research context. This is particularly common in Design Science Research (DSR), where researchers design and evaluate artifacts to solve organizational or societal problems. In such cases, the manuscript should clearly describe:

  • The organizational or societal problem addressed
  • The design rationale of the artifact
  • The evaluation of the artifact in a relevant context
  • The implications for organizations, users, or society

Without this broader perspective, purely technical contributions may be more suitable for venues in Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Distributed Systems, or Computer Networks.

Typical Contributions to Information Systems Research

Submissions to iSys are expected to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the IS field. Typical contributions include:

  • Explaining how digital technologies influence organizational practices or decision-making
  • Investigating adoption, usage, and impacts of information systems
  • Designing and evaluating socio-technical systems
  • Advancing theories and frameworks related to digital technologies in organizations
  • Understanding how digital platforms reshape organizational and societal interactions
  • Evaluating digital innovations in real-world contexts

These contributions typically combine technical knowledge with organizational, behavioral, or societal perspectives.

Examples of Information Systems Research Questions

Authors should ensure that their research questions are aligned with the IS perspective.

Examples include:

  • How do recommender systems influence decision-making in digital platforms?
  • How do observability metrics support IT governance and service reliability in organizations?
  • What factors influence the adoption of AI-based decision-support systems?
  • How do digital platforms reshape organizational processes and coordination mechanisms?
  • How can analytics systems support strategic decision-making in organizations?

In contrast, purely technical questions such as the following are typically outside the scope of IS research:

  • Which neural network architecture performs better in benchmark datasets?
  • How can a specific algorithm improve prediction accuracy?
  • How can a microservice architecture be optimized for performance?

Examples of Out-of-Scope Submissions

Submissions that focus exclusively on technical aspects of computing without addressing organizational or societal contexts are generally outside the scope of iSys. Examples include:

  • Machine learning model benchmarking without real-world application context
  • Algorithm development or optimization studies
  • Software architecture or microservices design focused solely on technical performance
  • Programming techniques or frameworks
  • Network protocols or distributed systems infrastructure
  • Cloud computing performance studies

Recommended Resources for IS Research

Authors unfamiliar with the IS field may consult the following resources:

  • National venues and research agendas: iSys – Journal of Information Systems, Brazilian Symposium on Information Systems (SBSI), National Meeting of the Brazilian Academy of Management (EnANPAD), and the Grand Challenges in Information Systems Research in Brazil (GranDSI-BR 2026–2036), and others.
  • Leading international IS journals: MIS Quarterly (MISQ), Information Systems Research (ISR), European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS), Information Systems Journal (ISJ), Journal of Information Technology (JIT), Journal of Strategic Information Systems (JSIS), Information & Management (I&M), and Decision Support Systems (DSS), and others.
  • Major international IS conferences: International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), and Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS), and others.

References
Alter, S. (2008). Defining information systems as work systems: implications for the IS field. European Journal of Information Systems, 17(5), 448–469.
Araujo, R., Fornazin, M., & Pimentel, M. (2017). Uma análise sobre a produção de conhecimento científico nas pesquisas publicadas nos primeiros 10 anos da iSys (2008–2017). iSys – Journal of Information Systems, 10(4), 45–65.
Araujo, R., Ralha, C., Graeml, A., & Cidral, A. (2015). A Comunidade de Pesquisa em Sistemas de Informação no Brasil na perspectiva do Simpósio Brasileiro de Sistemas de Informação. iSys – Journal of Information Systems, 8(1), 5–17.
Avgerou, C. (2000). Information systems: what sort of science is it? Omega, 28(5), 567–579.
Boell, S. K., & Cecez-Kecmanovic, D. (2015). What is an information system? In 2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 4959–4968). IEEE.
Córdoba, J. R., Pilkington, A., & Bernroider, E. W. (2012). Information systems as a discipline in the making: comparing EJIS and MISQ between 1995 and 2008. European Journal of Information Systems, 21(5), 479–495.
Tarafdar, M., Beath, C. M., & Ross, J. W. (2019). Using AI to enhance business operations. MIT Sloan Management Review, 60(4).
Winter, S., Berente, N., Howison, J., & Butler, B. (2014). Beyond the organizational ‘container’: Conceptualizing 21st century sociotechnical work. Information and Organization, 24(4), 250–269.