Crossing Methodological Borders: Mixed-/Multi-Methods in Contemporary Industrial and Information Systems Management

Call for Papers – Special Issue: “Crossing Methodological Borders: Mixed-/Multi-Methods in Contemporary Industrial and Information Systems Management”

Journal: Industrial Management & Data Systems
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission deadline: 30 September 2026

Overview

This special issue—published by Emerald—aims to advance methodological pluralism within industrial and information systems (IS) research. While the field has traditionally favored quantitative modeling and structured data, many complex industrial challenges—such as AI deployment, digital transformation, and organizational resilience—require "mixed-methods" (integrating qualitative and quantitative data) or "multi-methods" (combining multiple techniques within a paradigm) to fully capture the richness of digital-industrial contexts. The issue seeks research that strategically combines primary data (e.g., surveys, interviews) with secondary data (e.g., ERP logs, platform analytics) to reveal both behavioral patterns and underlying mechanisms.

Key Research Themes

• Digital Transformation & Innovation: Methodological integration for examining technology-enabled changes in workflows, decision-making, and organizational processes.

• Supply Chain & Resilience: Multi-method investigations into logistics transformation, disruption management, and sustainable operations in volatile environments.

• Human-AI Collaboration: Combining qualitative and quantitative lenses to study trust, cognition, and co-production dynamics in evolving AI-augmented systems.

• Platform & Ecosystem Governance: Utilizing mixed-methods to study online engagement, influencer strategies, and platform-based consumer behavior.

• Sustainability & Green IS: Integrating technical, organizational, and social lenses to investigate circular economy practices and environmental performance.

• Ethics & Security: Methodological inquiries into the privacy, trust, and AI literacy challenges posed by Generative AI and automated decision-making.

Submission Details

• Submission window: 02 April 2026 – 30 September 2026.

• Submission portal: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/imds

• Special Instructions: You must select the special issue title from the drop-down menu during the submission process to ensure correct routing.

• Submission Standards: The journal welcomes original research that demonstrates strong empirical relevance and innovative integration logic. All manuscripts must adhere strictly to the IMDS Author Guidelines.

Guest Editor Team

• Ling-Yen Pan, National Taipei University (claudiapan@mail.ntpu.edu.tw)

• Wen-Lung Shiau, Chang Gung University (mac@cgu.edu.tw)

• Christian M. Ringle, Hamburg University of Technology (c.ringle@tuhh.de)

• Jun Hwa (Jacky) Cheah, University of East Anglia (j.cheah@uea.ac.uk)

• Yide (Vincent) Liu, Macau University of Science and Technology (ydliu@must.edu.mo)

Why This Issue Matters

Methodological boundaries often limit our ability to understand the "how" and "why" behind successful digital transformation. By fostering a cross-disciplinary dialogue on mixed- and multi-method designs, this issue helps build the rigorous, theoretically grounded frameworks needed to navigate the increasing complexity of modern industrial and information systems.

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