A Review of Research Methods in ISPIM Publications

Abstract

Scientific research is a systematic effort to discover new knowledge. A research methodology defines the overall strategy to execute research actions and justifies why certain kinds of research methods are used to resolve the defined research question(s). Research methods can be considered to be tools or series of techniques, which are needed to accomplish the goals of the research. However, what kind of research methods are popular among the innovation scholars and how these research methods have evolved overtime is not well understood. A research method typology derived from the social sciences was applied to investigate what kind of research methods are popular within the ISPIM innovation community. Results from 3148 ISPIM publications from 2003 to 2017 are presented and research method gaps are identified.