Topics of interest in IS: comparing academic journals with the practitioner press

The information systems (IS) discipline has been criticized in the past for lack of secure foundations, frequent shifts in focus, and lack of impact on practice. This study examines differences in IS research and practice using institutionalization and diffusion perspectives. The study deals with two main issues: differences between research and practice in the IS area as evidenced by the publication process and evolution of themes in IS research and practice over time. More than 3,000 articles published over a five year period in four IS journals and five magazines were examined and categorized by thematic areas. The study found journals and magazines focusing on different themes with the former focusing on conceptual and abstract models while the latter devote attention to specific applications. Significantly, the study found that academic themes show more variance over time. No significant increase in the richness of themes being addressed over time was found, but there is evidence of conflicting contemporaneous trends in research and practice.

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