Reconstructing the Giant: On the Importance of Rigour in Documenting the Literature Search Process

摘要: Science is a cumulative endeavour as new knowledge often created in the process of interpreting and combining existing knowledge. This why literature reviews have long played decisive role scholarship. The quality particularly determined by search process. As Sir Isaac Newton eminently put it: If I can see further, it because am standing on shoulders giants. Drawing this metaphor, goal writing review to reconstruct giant accumulated specific domain. And doing so, represents fundamental first step that makes up giant's skeleton largely determines its reconstruction subsequent analysis. In paper, we argue searching must be comprehensibly described. Only then readers assess exhaustiveness other scholars field more confidently (re)use results their own research. We set out explore methodological rigour articles published ten major information systems (IS) journals show many these do not thoroughly document search. drawn from our analysis lead us call for documenting present guidelines crafting IS