Retrospect and Prospect: Information Systems Research in the Last and Next 25 Years

To its detriment, past research in information systems (IS) has taken for granted many of its own key concepts, including ‘information,’ ‘theory,’ ‘system,’ ‘organization,’ and ‘relevance.’ This essay examines these concepts, shows how they have been neglected, and offers the prospect in which research in IS no longer models itself on the research disciplines found in the natural and social sciences, but Instead charts a course for its future development by modeling itself on the research disciplines found in the professions, such as medicine, engineering, architecture, and law.