Mapping the Intellectual Structure of MIS, 1980-1985: A Co-Citation Analysis

• Published in: MIS quarterly Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 341 - 353
• Main Author: Culnan, Mary J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Minneapolis The Society for Information Management and The Management Information Systems Research Center of the University of Minnesota 01-09-1987; University of Minnesota, MIS Research Center
• Subjects: Bibliographic citations; Citation analysis; Co citation analysis; Curricula; Information management; Information storage and retrieval systems; Knowledge; Literature; Management information systems; Management science; Mapping; Research papers; Structure; Studies; Theory and Research; Writers
• ISSN: 0276-7783; 2162-9730
• DOI: 10.2307/248680

This study is the second of two studies which assess the intellectual development of MIS. The present study documents the current intellectual structure of MIS research based on an author co-citation analysis. Five invisible colleges, or informal clusters of research activity, were identified (foundations; psychological approaches to MIS design and use; MIS management; organizational approaches to MIS design and use; and curriculum). When contrasted with the earlier study, these results suggest that MIS has made significant progress toward a cumulative research tradition. Acknowledgement The author would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of Dan Robey, Burt Swanson, Bob Zmud, and an anonymous editor of the MIS Quarterly on an earlier version of this paper.