{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]],"date-time":"2026-06-02T06:18:29Z","timestamp":1780381109278,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2001,3,1]],"date-time":"2001-03-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":983404800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2001,3,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Action research (AR), which emphasises collaboration between researchers and practitioners, is a qualitative research method that has much potential for the information systems (IS) field. AR studies of IS phenomena are now beginning to be published in the IS research literature. However, the rigour of many AR studies in IS can be improved. When AR has been published, the findings have frequently been emphasised at the expense of the process. In this article, we look at the process in AR projects, and look at some of the key choices and alternatives in controlling AR. We discuss three aspects of control: the procedures for initiating an AR project, those for determining authority within the project, and the degree of formalisation. We analyse seven recent AR projects in IS and from this analysis distil recommendations for determining these control structures.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1108\/09593840110384762","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2004,9,14]],"date-time":"2004-09-14T08:47:25Z","timestamp":1095151645000},"page":"28-45","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":158,"title":["Controlling action research projects"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"David","family":"Avison","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Richard","family":"Baskerville","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Myers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Avison, D. and Wood\u2010Harper, A. (1991), \u201cInformation systems development research: an exploration of ideas in practice\u201d, The Computer Journal, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 98\u2010112.","DOI":"10.1093\/comjnl\/34.2.98"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Avison, D., Lau, F., Neilsen, P.A. and Myers, M. (1999), \u201cAction research\u201d, Communications of ACM, Vol. 42 No. 1, pp. 94\u20107.","DOI":"10.1145\/291469.291479"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baburoglu, O.N. and Ravn, I. (1992), \u201cNormative action research\u201d, Organization Studies, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 19\u201034.","DOI":"10.1177\/017084069201300104"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baskerville, R. (1993), \u201cSemantic database prototypes\u201d, Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 119\u201044.","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2575.1993.tb00119.x"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baskerville, R. and Wood\u2010Harper, A.T. (1996), \u201cA critical perspective on action research as a method for information systems research\u201d, Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 235\u201046.","DOI":"10.1177\/026839629601100305"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b6","unstructured":"Checkland, P. (1981), Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester."},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chiasson, M. and Dexter, A.S. (2001), \u201cSystem development conflict during the use of an information systems prototyping method of action research\u201d, Information Technology & People, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 28\u201045.","DOI":"10.1108\/09593840110384799"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b8","unstructured":"Clark, P. (1972), Action Research and Organizational Change, Harper & Row, London."},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kock, N. (1997), \u201cNegotiating mutually satisfying IS action research topics with organizations: an analysis of Rapoport\u2019s initiative dilemma\u201d, Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 9 No. 7, pp. 253\u201062.","DOI":"10.1108\/13665629710190059"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kock, N. and McQueen, R.J. (1998), \u201cAn action research study of effects of asynchronous groupware support on productivity and outcome quality of process redesign groups\u201d, Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 149\u201068.","DOI":"10.1207\/s15327744joce0802_4"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lau, F. (1997), \u201cA review on the use of action research in information systems studies\u201d, in (Lee, A., Liebenau, J. and DeGross, J. (Eds), Information Systems and Qualitative Research,  Chapman & Hall, London, pp. 31\u201068.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-0-387-35309-8_4"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lau, F. and Hayward, R. (2000), \u201cBuilding a virtual network in a community health research training program\u201d, Journal of American Medical Informatics, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 361\u201077.","DOI":"10.1136\/jamia.2000.0070361"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b13","unstructured":"Myers, M.D. (1997), \u201cQualitative research in information systems\u201d, MISQ Discovery, Vol. 2, http:\/\/www.misq.org\/misqd961\/isworld\/index.html"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b14","unstructured":"Nosek, J. (1998), \u201cExploring IT support for organizational learning in the virtual corporation\u201d, technical report, David D. Lattanze Center, Baltimore, MD."},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Rapoport, R. (1970), \u201cThree dilemmas of action research\u201d, Human Relations, Vol. 23 No. 6, pp. 499\u2010513.","DOI":"10.1177\/001872677002300601"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b16","unstructured":"Root\u2010Bernstein, R.S. (1989), Discovering: Inventing and Solving Problems at the Frontiers of Scientific Knowledge, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA."},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Schein, E. (1987), The Clinical Perspective in Fieldwork, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA.","DOI":"10.4135\/9781412986137"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b18","unstructured":"Simon, S. J. (1998), \u201cThe reorganization of the information systems of the US Naval Construction Forces: an action research project\u201d, Florida International University working paper, Miami, FL."},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Straub, D.W. and Welke, R.J. (1998), \u201cCoping with systems risk: security planning models for management decision\u2010making\u201d, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 441\u201069.","DOI":"10.2307\/249551"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Susman, G. and Evered, R. (1978), \u201cAn assessment of the scientific merits of action research\u201d, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 582\u2010603.","DOI":"10.2307\/2392581"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Whyte, W.F., Greenwood, D.J. and Lazes, P. (1991), \u201cParticipatory action research: through practice to science in social research\u201d, in Whyte, W.F. (Ed.), Participatory Action Research, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA, pp. 19\u201055.","DOI":"10.4135\/9781412985383.n2"},{"key":"key2022013119490761600_b22","unstructured":"Willcocks, L. and Mason, D. (1987), Computerising Work, Paradigm, London."}],"container-title":["Information Technology &amp; People"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/09593840110384762","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/09593840110384762\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/09593840110384762\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,25]],"date-time":"2025-07-25T00:36:33Z","timestamp":1753403793000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/itp\/article\/14\/1\/28-45\/181314"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2001,3,1]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2001,3,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/09593840110384762"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/09593840110384762","relation":{},"ISSN":["0959-3845"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0959-3845","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2001,3,1]]}}}