The readability of information systems research over three decades: An analysis of the Senior Scholars’ Basket of Journals from 1990 to 2020
Graf-Vlachy L (2021)
Publication Type: Conference contribution
Publication year: 2021
Publisher: Association for Information Systems
Conference Proceedings Title: Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems
Event location: Virtual, Online
ISBN: 9781733632577
Abstract
If information systems research is to be widely disseminated, then it is important that its scientific texts are easily accessible. This study analyzes one aspect of accessibility, namely readability. Specifically, this study analyzes 5,467 abstracts of the eight information systems journals included in the Senior Scholars’ Basket of Journals between 1990 and 2020. It operationalizes readability using two common measures, the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and the New Dale-Chall formula (NDC). The study finds a concerning decrease in readability over time. Supplementary analyses show that an increasing number of co-authors partially explains this trend, but that the trend persists even after controlling for this variable. Implications forthe field of information systems and future research opportunities are discussed.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Graf-Vlachy, L. (2021). The readability of information systems research over three decades: An analysis of the Senior Scholars’ Basket of Journals from 1990 to 2020. In Doug Vogel, Kathy Ning Shen, Pan Shan Ling (Eds.), Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems. Virtual, Online: Association for Information Systems.
MLA:
Graf-Vlachy, Lorenz. "The readability of information systems research over three decades: An analysis of the Senior Scholars’ Basket of Journals from 1990 to 2020." Proceedings of the 25th Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, PACIS 2021, Virtual, Online Ed. Doug Vogel, Kathy Ning Shen, Pan Shan Ling, Association for Information Systems, 2021.
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