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A Critical Perspective on Action Research as a Method for Information Systems Research

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Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems: Volume 2

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review critically the origins, techniques and roles associated with a growing information systems (IS) research method known as ‘action research’. This method is widely cited as an exemplar of a post-positivist social scientific research method, ideally suited to the study of technology in its human context. We seek to illuminate both the attractions and the detractions that this method holds for IS researchers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

    Richard L. Baskerville

  2. Information Research Centre, University of Salford, UK

    A. Trevor Wood-Harper

Authors
  1. Richard L. Baskerville
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  2. A. Trevor Wood-Harper
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

    Leslie P. Willcocks

  2. Oxford University, UK

    Chris Sauer

  3. University of Missouri-St Louis, USA

    Mary C. Lacity

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© 2016 Association for Information Technology Trust

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Baskerville, R.L., Wood-Harper, A.T. (2016). A Critical Perspective on Action Research as a Method for Information Systems Research. In: Willcocks, L.P., Sauer, C., Lacity, M.C. (eds) Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems: Volume 2. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29269-4_7

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