Microsoft Word - AJIS Vol13-2 Marina.doc


 

5  Australasian Journal of Information Systems     Volume 13 Number 2    May 2006 

AJIS  EDITORIAL 

 

AJIS publishes high quality contributions to theory and practice in the world-wide Information 

Systems (IS) discipline, with an emphasis on the Australasian context of the research. The journal 

welcomes submissions on research and conceptual development based in a very wide range of 

inquiry methods, ways of thinking and modes of expression. 

 

IS is a complex and dynamic field of study and activity. Its scope as a field of research and practice 

is contentious. An agreed hard and fast disciplinary boundary does not exist, and it would probably 

be counter-productive if it did. I expect, and hope, that the debate about what topics, issues, theories 

or methods are core to the discipline will be never-ending.  

 

However, for an editor these matters are not 'merely academic'. I, with the advice of editorial board 

members and colleagues, need to make judgements as to the relevance of submissions to AJIS. In the 

development of this edition judged three submissions to be outside the scope of AJIS and suggested 

alternative journals to the authors. In these cases the submissions did not go to review. With some 

trepidation I list below broad topic areas that are of interest to AJIS and hasten to add that they are, 

of course, not exclusive.  I have declined four papers on recommendation of reviewers and more 

papers are in their second or third revision.  

 

This edition features three 'themes'. The idea of a featured theme is to allow parts of the discipline to 

present some of the best of their current work. Theme editors selected and evaluated papers then 

wrote an introduction showing why the theme is important in IS and how the papers contribute to it. 

My compliments and thanks to the theme editors. I am keen to continue this idea as it is an 

opportunity to look at a facet of IS more coherently and in more depth than is possible in a single 

paper. Themes that have been suggested for the future include IS and Governance, IS Philosophy 

and Virtual Communities. Please contact me with suggestions and offers to edit a theme in your area 

of interest.  

 

My thanks to the paper authors and to Jennifer Bradley for her work on copy editing this edition. 

Thanks also to the School of Information Sciences and Engineering, University of Canberra for its 

financial support. 

 

Craig McDonald 

Associate Professor of Information Systems 

University of Canberra, ACT, AUSTRALIA 

Email: craig.mcdonald@canberra.edu.au 

 

 

Broad Information Systems Topics 

 

The nature of data, information and knowledge and their role in understanding, representing and 

acting in our personal, social and physical worlds. 

The systematic interaction of people, organisations and information technologies; architectures and 

the impact of unsystematic technology adoption. 

The analysis, design, deployment and management of information systems and the impacts of 

information systems on individuals, organisations and society. 

Content domains (e-business, health informatics, government informatics, e-learning, etc) and 

cultural contexts for IS. 

Multi-disciplinary integration to address information and systems in complex situations.