Update on research
With my application for promotion to Professor on the horizon, it is time to provide a research update, reviewing where I’m at and what I plan to accomplish in the coming year.
This past year, I achieved my 20th article publication. Quite a proud milestone, as it entailed countless hours of thinking, writing, work, and rework. In the past half-dozen years, I have started to find a sweet spot for my research stream, that place where I’m very knowledgeable about and passionate about studying – information privacy violations. This stream combines my interest in ethical decision-making and online interactions.
Three of my four current projects focus on this research stream. Since I’m targeting more prestigious journals with these projects, fewer projects are active at any one time than I did in the past. In fact, I have one big goal left for research, to publish at least one article in a top tier journal. Since I have never had much luck with that, I’m trying to partner with some other researchers that have published at that level to help me learn what it takes.
Current research projects
1. What happens when healthcare data is shared on social media?
Target: MIS Quarterly, Status: Editing
Today, I am working on this manuscript, editing the literature review and discussion. Chris Furner, Nikhil Mehta, and I collected data and analyzed the results back in 2021. The results were fascinating. I convinced Chris and Nikhil we should target MISQ with it. But since none of us had achieved that before, we knew we need help. So about a year ago, I asked Lucky Xue to join this project to help us get the manuscript accepted to MISQ. She graciously accepted the challenge. After her first look at the manuscript, she tore it up (and rightly so), highlighting all the issues that need to be resolved before we even attempt the submission. But on the positive side, she didn’t say we have no chance. So today, I’m working to drastically improve the quality of this paper in hopes we get the it closer to ready.
2. Content analysis of privacy research
Target: Journal of Management Information Systems, Status: Editing
A project I started back in 2020 with Dianne Hall and Teresa Lang, which has unfortunately been rejected from our first submitted journal and since fallen into a holding patterns in part because both Dianne and Teresa have decided to retire. The content analysis only explored article published to 2020. Meaning I will have to update the data analysis if I want any hope of getting this accepted. But I’ve lost momentum on this. Perhaps adding a new co-author would help.
3. The components of privacy violations
Target: Information & Management, Status: Collecting data
This project was inspired while working on the first project above, when I realized that the scenarios could have literally infinite options. The problem was nobody had outlined what those options might be. So I teamed with Christine Kowalczyk to conduct a two part study. First, we interviewed individuals to build a general framework of factors influencing privacy violation perceptions (where we’re at now). Second, we will build a survey that verifies that framework. Since Christine is in the Marketing department, we may target a marketing journal, but that’s still up in the air. For now, I’ll say we’re targeting Information & Management.
4. A Critical look at Social Media’s architecture and its impact on spreading misinformation
Target: European Journal of Information Systems, Status: Writing
Brian Amerige, founder of the Thoughtful app, inspired this project during an interview I conducted with him. His thought provoking statements on the nature and limitations of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, led me to some revelations about the role those platforms play in misinformation. I original imagined this manuscript might be a fit for a practitioner oriented journal. However, a recent call for papers in a special issue of EJIS made me reconsider that plan. I’ve asked Nikhil Mehta to help me with this paper, which he has graciously accepted. He seems motivated to see it done well.
