Professor Margunn Aanestad has taken up important editorial positions at the Management Information Systems Quarterly (MISQ) and the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS). Because of her depth of knowledge, breadth of experience, strong commitment, and passion for scholarship, Professor Aanestad is well-suited to make significant contributions to the field of information systems research in these highly esteemed journals in Information Systems.
As an Associate Editor, Margunn collaborates closely with the Senior Editor, managing the review process and engaging with reviewers to ensure high-quality and impactful published papers.
In the MISQ editorial process, an AE takes a comprehensive view of all reviewer feedback, focusing on sensemaking, assessment of papers, and evaluating whether a paper is revisable within a reasonable amount of time and effort. The AE then makes a recommendation regarding the paper, which could be to accept, reject, or request revisions. Thus, an AE ensures a holistic assessment of papers based on all available information and ensures that the editorial process runs smoothly while upholding the highest standards of quality and timeliness. In almost all cases, the effectiveness of these papers is significantly improved with the assistance of the AEs who offer guidance and make recommendations regarding the intellectual content of submitted works.
In this role, she will also provide advice to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) on the selection of reviewers and new editorial board appointments at the AE level, thereby contributing to the selection of key evaluators for the journal.
Margunn has accepted the role with an interest in representing the less dominant and less mainstream parts of Information Systems Research, which the local research group, along with Nordic and European groups represents. She volunteers to take on this task because she feels a sense of responsibility to the IS community. As she describes it:
“I feel a sense of duty to the community to represent the less dominant and less mainstream parts of the field. These parts include the use of qualitative research approaches, and an empirical orientation also to sectors beyond the commercial sector such as the public sector. and also an interest for worker and user perspectives, not just managerial perspectives.”
Professor Aanestad's commitment to advancing diverse perspectives is exemplified by her involvement and support in the editorial process of the MISQ 2021 special issue on Digital Technology and Social Justice. The works published in the issue offer a chance to promote a better comprehension of the complex interrelationship between social justice and technology. The issue helps us to understand how technology can promote or hinder social justice and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within the IS community and beyond.
MISQ acknowledges the significant contribution of Associate Editors (AEs) to the journal and the IS community. It highlights that being selected as an AE is a prestigious honour, recognizing both the AE's scholarly expertise and their dedication to serving the community. MISQ also expresses gratitude to AEs for their volunteer work and emphasizes their crucial role in maintaining the high standards of MISQ and advancing the field of information systems.
In addition to her role as an AE in MISQ, Professor Aanestad also assumes the position of Senior Editor (SE) in the European Journal of Information Systems EJIS. As a Senior Editor in EJIS, Margunn will be expected to handle complex cases and provide constructive advice. In this role, she will ensure a thorough evaluation and effective handling of manuscripts in the review process, contributing to the journal's commitment to excellence.
A Senior Editor's role comes with more decision-making capacity regarding, for example, desk rejections and plays a crucial role in the editorial review process by assessing the viability of manuscripts. The Senior Editor reviews and modifies recommendations, makes decisions on the course of action, and communicates the final decision to authors through decision letters.
Margunn believes that this role is important because it helps ensure the thorough evaluation and effective handling of manuscripts in the review process. She says:
“This role comes with an important responsibility of a thorough editorial process which I think is an important process in ensuring quality publications. I would like to see more people in the IS community take turns in this role”.
About Margunn Aanestad
Margunn's research focuses on observing, documenting, and understanding the impact of digital technologies on organizations and societies. Her studies, mostly empirically grounded in the healthcare sector, explore how the digitalization of core systems, patient-facing technologies, and emerging solutions like advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI impact work practices, organizational structures, and broader ecosystems. With an underlying interest in the complexity of interconnected information infrastructures, Margunn's research sheds light on the challenges of designing, developing, using, and managing technologies while considering socio-technical relations and unintended consequences.
A central research problem Marguun addresses is the complexity arising from interconnected information infrastructures, which pose challenges to the design, development, use, and management of technologies, requiring a nuanced understanding of socio-technical relations and unintended consequences.
To learn more about Professor Margunn Aanestad's work, publications, research interests, and contact information, visit here.
It is with great excitement that the entire DIN research group congratulates and appreciates Margunn Aanestad for her roles as an AE in MISQ and SE in EJIS. These roles reflect her outstanding scholarship, passion and commitment to the field of information systems (IS). We wish her the best on this fulfilling journey and encourage more members of the IS community to take turns in similar roles.