Strategies for Effective Research:

1. Strategies for Effective Research: Manuscript Preparation for Journals and the Journal Review Process Detmar Straub National Central University August, 2006 (Presentation available at: www.cis.gsu.edu/~dstraub/Present/present.htm)

2. Agenda • Stages of the Research Process • Journal Selection • Why Are Papers Accepted? • Preparing Papers for Submission • Revising Papers • Handling Rejections • The Joys of Acceptance

3. 1. Stages

4. Library, On-line Databases & Literature review Research Design Data Gathering Dissemination of Results to Academics/Practitioners Data Analysis 1. Journals in the Larger Scheme of Things

5. 1. Journal Selection 2. Submission 3. Revisions 1...n 4. Acceptance/Rejection 5. Galleys 6. Publication Dissemination of Results to Academics/Practitioners Research Design Data Gathering Data Analysis 1. Journals & Dissemination But stronger front end processes lead to better back end results

6. 1. The Entire Reviewing Process • Rational (about half the time...DWS) • Ideological • Organizational • Political ....Based on: Frost, P.J. and Taylor, R.N. "Partisan Perspective: A Multiple Level Interpretation of the Manuscript Review Process in Social Science Journals," In Publishing in the Organizational Sciences, Irwin, Homewood, IL, 1985, pp. 35-62.

7. 2. Where?

8. 2. Where Should You Publish? Management Science Communications of the ACM MIS Quarterly Sloan Management Review Information Systems Research Journal of Management Information Systems IEEE Transactions

9. 2. Individual Characteristics of Certain Journals? Contention: Journals as entities do not have personalities. They are not people and, therefore, cannot “like” something. The reviewers might “like” certain things, but it is by no means clear who your reviewers might be for any given paper.

10. 2. Individual Characteristics of Certain Journals? MIS Quarterly - Allen Lee (based on consensus of the SEs) announced that measurement/ instrument papers that do not introduce new constructs, but only test existing ones will not be reviewed This is relatively rare, though.

11. 2. Individual Characteristics of Certain Journals? - Other than that? • Most any IS journal can handle most any type of research • See if there is someone on the editorial board who is known in your subcommunity • If so, recommend that person for the handling of your paper

12. 2. Individual Characteristics of Certain Journals? - Other than that? • Sea story of Robey and Information & Organization (formerly Accounting, Management, and Information Technologies)

13. 2. Individual Characteristics of Certain Journals? Management Science's IS Dept.'s mission (if my notes are accurate): "The department seeks to publish high quality research in information systems, which may draw on a wide variety of disciplines including economics, mathematics, psychology, sociology, and statistics."

14. 2. Individual Characteristics of Certain Journals? - The AEs run the journals (an idiosyncratic view, perhaps) - Their choice of reviewers influences the reception of a paper, but their foresight is not always perfect - So to some extent it is a random, and only partly (at least) rational process

15. 2. Popular Research Themes Reflected in the Major Journals? • Summary data on MISRC Online Faculty Directory (13,700 entries under "research") MOIS Systems Development Technical Issues Economic Issues NEOs Pedagogy 3046 1725 1599 180 811 136 40.1% 23.0% 21.0% 2.4% 10.8% 1.8%

16. 2. Popular Research Themes Reflected in the Major Journals? • Summary data on MISRC Online Faculty Directory (13,700 entries under "research") Security GSS Strategy Int'l AI Ethics Telco DB S'Engineering 116 295 447 247 163 114 191 506 351

17. 2. Target Journals (Explicit, as in case of GSU, or implicit) General MOIS Development Technical ACM Computing Surveys IEEE Transactions/Journals ACM Transactions Acta Informatica Information Systems Research JMIS MIS Quarterly Accounting, Management, and Information Technologies (now Information & Organization) Information Systems VLDB Journal Artificial Intelligence Journal of the ACM SIAM Journal on Computing Where is Management Science? HBR? JAIS? JGIM? • URL: http://www.robinson.gsu.edu/facultyresearch/journals/index.html for GSU target journal lists for all departments

18. 2. What Do You Need for Your Career? • Publication Records are Portable • Branding • Reviewer Expectancies/Hit Rates

19. 2. Where Should You Publish? HICSS IRMA AMCIS ICIS • Do conferences count? • Do you really get useful feedback? • Will it "dead end" your paper? • Some say "YES"; others say "no."

20. 3. Why?

21. 3. Why Are Papers Accepted? In RANK ORDER.... 1.... 2.... 3... • Having a doctoral program ( = collaboration ) • External and internal funding • Spending time at research (just time???) ...Based on: Daft, R.L., Driffin, R.W. and Yates, V. "Retrospective Accounts of Research Factors Associated with Significant and Not-So-Significant Research Outcomes," Academy of Management Journal (30:4), 1987, pp. 763-785. Furthermore, Athey and Plotnicki (2000) found in their study that 23 of the top 24 publishing universities had a doctoral program

22. 1.... 2.... 3... 3. Why Are Papers Accepted? In RANK ORDER.... • Has a good theory base that is applicable • Interesting topic that makes advances in the field (contribution-academic and practice) • Good research design (well executed) • Well presented and written ...Based on: Straub, D.W., Ang, S. and Evaristo, R. "Normative Standards for MIS Research," DATA BASE (25:1, February), 1994, pp. 21-34. http://www.cis.gsu.edu/~dstraub/Papers/Resume/Straubetal1994.htm

23. 3. Why Are Papers Accepted? In RANK ORDER.... 1.... 2.... 3... • Theory base • Well written • Etc. ...Based on: Daft, R.L. "Why I Recommended That Your Manuscript be Rejected and What You Can Do About It," In Publishing in the Organizational Sciences, L. Cummings and D. Frost (Ed.), Irwin, Homewood, IL, 1985, pp. 193-209.

24. 3. Tale of a Program of Research on Culture and Information Technology Transfer

25. 3. Key Research Question: Cultural Studies in IT What bearing does culture have on: the use and spread of computing (hardware, software, telecomm, etc.) and the Internet?

26. 3. International Management Implications (of Knowing some Answers to this Question) -Greater Cultural Sensitivity to Improve Effective IT Diffusion -Adaptation to Culture to Improve Development Methods -"Global" Managers Managing Personnel Abroad More Effectively Knowledge of Culture and IT Could Lead to...........

27. 3. Specific Contributions • Research results, we argue, will lead to practical outcomes, such as new practices for diffusing IT and new/revised governmental IT policies

28. 3. Theory Base Building Blocks for Cross-Cultural Studies Theory Bases -Social Presence/Information Richness Theory -Social Influence Theory -Innovation Diffusion Theory -Attitudes-Behavior Theory -Task-System Fit Theory Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

29. The Technology Acceptance Model I love 'em! I hate 'em! and............

30. Model 3. IT Diffusion Phases: TAM Theoretical PU = Perceived Usefulness (of IT) PEU = Perceived Ease of Use (of IT) + + + + PU Attitudes Intentions USE + + -adapted from Davis' Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1986, 1989) PEU

31. TAM Explanation of IT Use TAM Explanation of IT Use TAM Explanation of IT Use U.S.A. 3. Cultural Influences on IT Diffusion Japan Europe Switzerland Sources: • Straub, Information Systems Research, 1994. • Straub, Keil, Karahanna, and Brennan, JGIM, 1998 • Gefen & Straub, MIS Quarterly, 1997

32. 3. The Specific Culture we are Studying is: Arab Culture

33. 3. The Non-Monolithic Nature of Arab Culture • Past-oriented versus future-oriented • Collectivism versus individualism • Obedience versus rebellion • Mosque versus mall • Tribalism versus urbanism

34. 3. The Non-Monolithic Nature of Arab Culture • The Dominant Culture (Partially the result of a single language and religion) • Subcultures (e.g., Palestinians and Saudis viewed as "upper class" intelligentsia and/or wealthy; Sudanese and Yemenese viewed differently) • Countercultures (Doves versus hawks)

35. 3. Arab Cultural Values and IT Outcomes

36. Cultural Sets Micro-level effects Technological Culturation IT/System Outcomes Macro-level effects Technology Infrastructure/ Gov't Policy 3. A Culture-Specific Model of Information Technology Transfer

37. Cultural Sets -Cultural and social responses of individuals and groups -Beliefs and values -Social norms, such as influence of family members, heads of organizations, peers, etc. -Socio-culturally influenced motivations IT/System Outcomes -Performance impacts -Actual use -Intention to use -Diffusion -Choice/Success of System Development Methodologies National Technology Infrastructure/Policy -Status of the technology infrastructure of nation; effect of government policy on promoting IT transfer 3. Constructs Technological Culturation -Influence of external, high technology (technologically advanced cultures such as Western industrialized cultures, Japanese, etc.) on individual/group/ culture as a whole

38. 3. The Value of Collaboration • Collaboration helps with journal selection, designing and conducting the research (Evidence of prevalence is Pfeffer study just published in CAIS) • Veteran scholars know how to make the article sound right! • One reason you probably chose the school you are at is for the colleagues and potential collaborators • Not as fully utilized as it might be • Sigh...no one asks the senior faculty to dance • So, to exploit your environment, a diverse team can be put in place from start • Other Advantages?

39. 3. Interdisciplinary Team • One DSci team member of Egyptian heritage had consulted in Middle East; he also brought strong statistical and grantsman skills to the project; he was fluent in Arabic • One DSci team member had had success in researching and publishing in the international IT area; she had traveled extensively abroad and spoke French well

40. 3. Interdisciplinary Team • One CIS team member had consulted in the Middle East for 20 years and spoke Arabic • One CIS team member had had extensive grant experience and had traveled abroad extensively • One Anthropology team member had expertise in ethnographic and qualitative methods; obviously, she was also knowledgeable about cultures

41. 3. Good Research Design Cultural Sets Technological Culturation IT/System Outcomes

42. 3. Activities/Research Methods being Utilized in ACIT 1. Focus Groups/Interviews/Pretesting of Questionnaire • Sample: 30 Arab-American business people and students of Arab extraction 2. Pilot Test of Methods • Sample: 60 Jordanian business people • Ethnographic techniques (rapid assessment techniques such as structured, systematic observation, free listing, and semi-structured interviews) triangulated questionnaire results

43. 3. Activities/Research Methods being Utilized in ACIT 3. Major Investigation • Team spent months rather than weeks in Arab cultures gathering data • Ethnographic (rapid assessment techniques) along with questionnaire scenarios were used to study key questions • The total sample size was close to 300

44. 2 = 54.26* df = 12 GFI = .95 AGFI = .88 SMC = .50 3. Good Research Analysis (LISREL) Theoretical Model Culture-Specific Beliefs & Values .58* .14* ITT/ System Outcomes Technological Culturation (1)

45. 2 = 53.62* df = 29 GFI = .96 AGFI = .93 RMR = .045 SMC = .44 3. Good Research Analysis (LISREL) Culture-Specific Beliefs & Values .91* (6.23) ITT/ System Outcomes .11* (1.97) Technological Culturation (1) .13 (.80) Technological Culturation (2)

46. 3. Findings --->>> Contributions • Those with greater exposure to technically-advanced cultures are more likely to be in favor of computerization • This effect is directly linked to social class and professional class • It is also linked to gender • Culture directly affects systems outcomes

47. 2. Reprise on Journal Selection Target --->>> ISR then JGIM • ISR has published some work on international topics over the years, but... • After encouraging reviews for 2+ years, the paper was rejected • These experiences are heart-breaking and commonplace at the same time

48. 2. Target --->>> Mainstream then niche • The paper went through several rounds of review at the Journal of Global Information Management (on the "A" list of the International Institute of Business at GSU) • Straub, Detmar W., Karen Loch and Carole Hill, "Transfer of Information Technology to the Arab World: A Test of Cultural Influence Modeling," Journal of Global Information Management, 9, 4, (2001), 6-28.

49. 2. Target --->>> Back to Mainstream • Later work from this stream has been published by IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (on the "A" list of CIS Dept.) • Loch, K., D. Straub, et al.. "Diffusing the Internet in the Arab World: The Role of Social Norms and Technological Culturation." IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 50, 1 (February, 2003) 45-63.

50. 2. Target --->>> Mainstream then niche Problems with this stategy??!!! • Publications and tenure • Tough to publish in very top journals in IS • Sources: Athey and Plotnicki (2000) & Chua et al. (2003) References Athey, Susan and John Plotnicki, "An Evaluation of Research Productivity in Academic IT," Communications of the AIS, 3, 7, (2000), 1-20. Chua, Cecil, Lan Cao, Karlene Cousins, and Detmar Straub. "Assessing Researcher Production in Information Systems." Journal of AIS, 3, 6 (January, 2003), 145-215.