SU’s Ping Zhang named a top information systems researcher in CAIS study

SU’s Ping Zhang named a top information systems researcher in CAIS studyDecember 08, 2006Margaret Costello Spillettmcostell@syr.edu

Ping Zhang, an associate professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, was named a top information systems researcher in a study published this month in Communications of the Association for Information Systems (CAIS). The article identified all researchers who had published five or more articles in the seven leading information systems journals between 2001 and 2005. Zhang published five articles during that time, including four in CAIS and one in the Journal of the Association of Information Systems (JAIS).

The article — “In search of primary suppliers of research: Who are they and where did they come from?” — was written by Jan Guynes Clark and John Warren of the University of Texas at San Antonio and published in CAIS, Vol.18. The authors aimed to provide a means to assess productivity within the research field. “High quality research can greatly enhance the reputation of researchers and their affiliated universities,” write Clark and Warren. “Research offers visibility and prestige, as well as greater opportunities for attracting better students and faculty.”

Syracuse University made the list of universities that produce the most information systems resources, which included all universities whose researchers produced 10 or more articles in the top seven journals between 2001 and 2005. SU contributed 10 articles written by six authors.

The study reported that the number and quality of journal publications ranked third in a survey that asked information systems recruiters to describe their ideal candidate, making it an essential skill for successful researchers. The study will serve as a benchmark for assessing authoring productivity within the information systems field.

“Our results are of value for both IS researchers and institutions,” Clark and Warren write. “They offer IS researchers suitable publication outlets and provide greater insight into the publication outlet focus of institutions. Additionally, research institutions are better able to compare their students, faculty and graduates with others to aid in determining if they are producing high quality IS research.”

Zhang’s research interests include the intellectual development of information-related fields; human-centeredness in information and communications technology (ICT) development, evaluation and use; affective, cognitive, motivational and behavioral aspects of individual reactions toward ICT; and the impact of ICT design and use on individuals, organizations, societies and cultures. She publishes in information systems, human-computer interaction and information science journals and conference proceedings.