Digital Experiments in Information Systems Research (Ph.D., M.Sc.)

Application

• Via the application form (available until March 31)

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of philosophy of science and the role of theory in research
• Basic statistics skills (i.e. descriptive statistics, analysis of variance/regression)
• Interest in conducting academic research, in particular experiments on information systems or in digital environments

Course content

This course is concerned with behavioral experiments in digital environments (in contrast to economic experiments). Examples and papers will be drawn from the Information Systems discipline, but competencies should be applicable in adjacent fields. The students will be introduced to the rationales and philosophy of experimental research and discuss different types of experiments using existing papers. Then, students will craft their own research idea and develop a randomized online experiment. The students will then be given the opportunity to conduct their experiment on an online platform (possibly in a small group of two students), analyze their data, and write their study up in a term paper.

Learning goals

Upon completion of this course, students will understand the rationale, potential, challenges, and limitations of experimental behavioral research, particularly randomized online experiments. They will have enhanced their skills in developing research ideas and conducting scientific research. Students know the quality criteria for experimental research and can apply them when designing and conducting digital experiments. Finally, students will improve their discussion, presentation, and writing skills.

Requirements and formalities

Students should attend each meeting, be well-prepared by completing the readings or other preparatory assignments before each meeting and actively participate in the discussion during the meeting. After completion, each student will submit a term paper and receive a certificate. The seminar is listed under "P.WIWI.0002: Forschungsmethoden und Forschungslogik in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften" for doctoral students and open to Master students.

Applying Master Students should have an interest in conducting a PhD or work in scientific institutions in the future. Doctoral students should be matriculated doctoral students at University of Göttingen with a focus on Information Systems Research or adjacent fields.

Further Information can be found in eCampus.