Assessing Rigour Criteria in Information Systems Research - The Example of Case Study Research Methodology.

Research in information systems (IS) calls for increased validity of research findings through a rigorous research process. This research investigates the approach of researchers to suggested rigour criteria. Drawing upon existing literature on case study research methodology, we identify a set of criteria for establishing the rigour of a case study research. A coding scheme is developed based on these criteria. Our overarching proposition is that a rigorous research process should specify most of the identified criteria. Applying the content analysis approach, we conducted a systematic literature review of case studies published in the basket-of-eight journals in IS to ascertain researchers’ approach towards stipulated rigor criteria. Our result and observation indicate that although researchers prioritise rigour in the conduct of their research, there is an increasing rate of idiosyncratic research practices in addition to dearth of guidelines for analysing qualitative data in information systems research.