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Editorial Objective Review Information MIS Quarterly Departments
 


Editorial Objective 

The topics of all articles in all departments of MIS Quarterly must relate to the journal’s editorial objective, which is the development and communication of knowledge concerning both the management of information technology and the use of information technology for managerial and organizational purposes.1 A detailed explanation of this editorial objective can be found in Robert Zmud’s Editorial Comments of June 1995. 

Review Information

Type of Review? 
Blind (senior and associate editors know the identity of the authors)
Number of External Reviewers? 
Average is three
Time Required for Review? 
45 days (initial review)
Authors Receive Reviewers' Comments?
Yes 
Are Editor's Comments Sent to Authors?
Yes
Are Fees Charged to Review Manuscript?
No
Percentage of Invited Articles?
Zero
Sponsorship?
MIS Research Center (University of Minnesota) and the Association for Information Systems
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Departments

Articles reviewed for inclusion in the MIS Quarterly are designated as Research Articles, Issues and Opinion, Research Notes, Research Essays, MISQ Review, and Discovery. Each category is described below, and more detailed descriptions of these departments are provided in the "Editor's Comments" in the March 1992, March 1993, December 1996, June 1998, and March 1999 issues of the MIS Quarterly. 

Research Articles 

[Note: An expanded description of the Research Articles section can be found in the Editorial Comments of March 1999.] 

The Research Articles department merges, and slightly expands, the former Theory and Research department and Application department. Submissions to this department should: 

  • Offer a contribution that is sufficiently original and significant so as to warrant a full-length article for the authors to develop and present their argument. 
  • Have a strong grounding in theory, whether it is a new theory the authors are advancing or an existing theory the authors are illustrating, testing, refining, challenging, or (in the case of some articles for an executive audience) simply applying. 
Over the past few years, the theory component of articles in the Application department has become as strong as the theory component of articles in the Theory and Research department. Naturally, there have been differences in style and emphasis in how articles in the two departments have presented theory and data. However, these differences in style and emphasis no longer provide sufficient reason to segregate full-length, theory-based contributions into different categories, especially when there have been some submissions that did not seem to fit neatly or necessarily into one category or the other. And often, MIS Quarterly authors and reviewers have been confused by whatever editorial distinctions were offered to explain the difference between an Application submission and a Theory and Research submission. All new submissions that would have been previously deemed suitable for the Theory and Research department or the Application department will now be considered for the Research Articles department. 

The Research Articles department also provides a home for "pure theory" submissions, which would fall into the same genre as the articles appearing in Academy of Management Review. Robert Zmud provided a detailed explanation of "pure theory" submissions in his editorial statement of June 1998. 

In summary, the Research Articles department will publish articles that: 

  • Are "pure theory"
  • Empirically test or illustrate theory
  • Apply existing theory
The audience should be academics, practitioners, or both. A submission should clearly and prominently make known its intended audience so that the editors, reviewers, and readers will know how to approach it. 

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Issues and Opinions

This department provides a forum for the communication of well-developed and well-articulated position statements concerning emerging, paradoxical, or controversial issues in the field of MIS. It is expected that such articles would open new areas of discourse, close stale areas, and/or offer fresh, insightful views on topics of importance to MIS academicians and executives. An Issues and Opinions submission should: 
  • Identify the issue(s) in terms that are easy to understand.
  • Provide appropriate conceptual frameworks for the issue.
  • Offer opinions and supportive arguments.
  • Describe the implications of these opinions to research, practice, and/or teaching.
All Issues and Opinions should be submitted to the editor-in-chief, who will then serve as the senior editor for the submission. Generally, the referees commenting on these submissions will be members of the MIS Quarterly Editorial Board. 

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Research Notes

This section provides an outlet for two types of concise contributions.

First are commentaries that relate to a methodological issue (or issues) associated with a published MISQ article. The connections between a Note's content and earlier articles published by MIS Quarterly must be made obvious. In many cases, the Note may arouse controversy and encourage dialogue within the field on an important methodological issue. In other cases, the Note may lead to new research directions or approaches. Such commentaries should:

  • Address an important methodological issue with broad appeal to MIS Quarterly readership.
  • Provide sufficient advance in knowledge beyond already published papers.
  • Be as succinct as possible.
Where Notes pertain to a specific paper published by MIS Quarterly, we may invite authors of the referenced paper to provide a "Reply" to the Note.

Second are incremental contributions of an empirical nature on research topics that frequently appear in MIS Quarterly. Generally, incremental validity and/or reliability studies would not be viewed with favor. Such commentaries should: 

  • Address an important theoretical issue with broad appeal to MIS Quarterly readership.
  • Provide sufficient advance in knowledge beyond already published papers.
  • Be as succinct as possible.
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Research Essays

Occasionally manuscripts are received that solely address methodological issues but apply a depth of exposition and analysis that goes beyond what is normally associated with a "Note." This section provides an outlet for such submissions. 

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MISQ Review

MISQ Review promotes research by publishing articles that conceptualize research areas and survey and synthesize prior research. These articles will provide important input in setting directions for future research. MISQ Review is designed as a readily available, widely recognized repository of the accumulated knowledge and research progress in the field of information systems.

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MISQ Discovery

MISQ Discovery is the electronic outlet of MIS Quarterly, intended for innovations in the creation and dissemination of knowledge about information technology management. Discovery publishes both archival and living works. Information for authors is available.

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