The role of theory and theorising in Design Science research

The literature on Design Science (or Design Research) has been mixed on the inclusion, form, and role of theory and theorising in Design Science. Some authors have explicitly excluded theory development and testing from Design Science, leaving them to the Natural and Social/Behavioural Sciences. Oth...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Venable, John
Other Authors: Chatterjee, Samir
Format: Conference Paper
Published: Claremont Graduate University 2006
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.110.2475
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20936
Description
Summary:The literature on Design Science (or Design Research) has been mixed on the inclusion, form, and role of theory and theorising in Design Science. Some authors have explicitly excluded theory development and testing from Design Science, leaving them to the Natural and Social/Behavioural Sciences. Others propose including theory development and testing as part of Design Science. Others propose some ideas for the content of IS Design Theories, although more detailed and clear concepts would be helpful. This paper discusses the need and role for theory in Design Science. It further proposes some ideas for standards for the form and level of detail needed for theories in Design Science. Finally, it develops a framework of activities for the interaction of Design Science with research in other scientific paradigms.