Lets get straight to it. The first thing you encounter, when constructing a topic for your thesis/dissertation or selecting an appropriate project, is the ambiguity related to the scope of your degree and the discipline you are enrolled in. Students generally face the pressure of keeping their research projects aligned with their degrees, and defining an appropriate path for research objectives to make sure they don’t get off-track-a risky territory. Our research team took on the onerous task of making the process easier for you; in that regard, our first aim was to define the scope of “Information Systems”. Some basic research made it clear that there is no set globally acceptable definition of a certain focus area (let alone, information systems) and almost all major institutions and research journals have defined their own interchangeable terms for disciplines and their respected focus areas.
Information systems encapsulates multiple focus areas and can be defined in many different ways. The technological advancement powered with the data revolution and cloud computing has really accelerated the adaptation of digital information systems across industries; thereby, giving an unprecedented increase in demand of professionals with degrees in information systems. Fundamentally, information systems are data intensive systems based on integration of software and hardware. Hence, in a broader construct the topics coincide vastly with other focus areas within the discipline of computer science and IT.
In order to further specify the kind of topics that can be selected by the students pursuing degrees in information systems, our team scanned through the most reputable Information systems journals and specification of degrees being offered by highly ranked institutes. We identified, with the use and integration of big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence on the rise, modern computer science degrees, regardless of focus area or name are designed to cover state-of-the-art within these trends in technology. However, a distinction can be created for topics that fall in the confines of information systems, these are mainly the topics which are based on manipulation of data or interpretation of data in different forms and at multiple levels with a focus on helping organisations to achieve their business objectives. Here is a fun infographic, based on the descriptions from the curriculum of information systems and scope of journals focusing on information systems:
Popular topics mainly contribute towards the integration of IT based data manipulation applications within an organisational construct, hence, enabling and empowering complete digital transformation of organisations, making them more efficient and effective. This video may provide you a better perspective:
Journals
To provide you some better context we have identified some of the highly ranked journals as well as top “information systems” degree offering institutes and collected their version of scope for “Information Systems”:
Journal: Management Information Systems; Impact Factor: 5.430
Scope: “The editorial objective of the MIS Quarterly is the enhancement and communication of knowledge concerning the development of IT-based services, the management of IT resources, and the use, impact, and economics of IT with managerial, organizational, and societal implications. Professional issues affecting the IS field as a whole are also in the purview of the journal.”
Journal: Information Systems; Impact Factor: 2.066
Scope: “Information systems are the software and hardware systems that support data-intensive applications. The journal Information Systems publishes articles concerning the design and implementation of languages, data models, process models, algorithms, software and hardware for information systems.
Subject areas include data management issues as presented in the principal international database conferences (e.g., ACM SIGMOD/PODS, VLDB, ICDE and ICDT/EDBT) as well as data-related issues from the fields of data mining/machine learning, information retrieval coordinated with structured data, internet and cloud data management, business process management, web semantics, visual and audio information systems, scientific computing, and data science. Implementation papers having to do with massively parallel data management, fault tolerance in practice, and special purpose hardware for data-intensive systems are also welcome. Manuscripts from application domains, such as urban informatics, social and natural science, and Internet of Things, are also welcome. All papers should highlight innovative solutions to data management problems such as new data models, performance enhancements, and show how those innovations contribute to the goals of the application.”
Journal: Strategic Information Systems; Impact Factor: 4.000
Scope: “The Journal of Strategic Information Systems focuses on the strategic management, business and organizational issues associated with the introduction and utilization of information systems, and considers these issues in a global context. The emphasis is on the incorporation of IT into organizations' strategic thinking, strategy alignment, organizational arrangements and management of change issues. The journal publishes research from around the world which:
• investigate the changing nature of business in the context of emerging IT
• discuss the justification and evaluation of information systems
• discuss the organizational implications of IT
• consider how organizations have been transformed as a result of the astute management and application of IT
A transdisciplinary, critical approach/perspective is welcome.
Topics covered include:
• organizational transformation on the back of IT
• information systems/business strategy alignment
• inter-organizational systems
• global issues and cross-cultural issues
• the impact and significance of emerging IT”
Journal: “INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH”; Impact Factor: 2.457
Scope: “The journal serves the interest of the information systems research and practitioner communities by providing an effective forum for the timely dissemination of research and addresses prominent and topical issues that are relevant to executives in practice. Topics covered in Information Systems Research include:
Computer-Mediated Communication
Data Communications
Decision Support Systems
E-Learning
Electronic Commerce
Information Technology
IT Diffusion and Adoption
Knowledge Management
Network Economics
Outsourcing
Software Development Methodologies
Systems Design and Implementation
Virtual Teams
Workflow and Process Management”
Institutes
Similarly, we scanned and collected the scope defined by the top degree offering institutes in information systems:
Institute: Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University offers two kinds of programs in information systems: Information Systems, at Carey Business School and Information systems engineering at Whiting School of Engineering.
Scope: Information Systems
“The Master of Science in Information Systems offers an immersive educational experience at the intersection of business, technology, and human behavior. Regardless of your technical acumen, through this STEM-designated program you'll learn to leverage the art and science of information systems to become a better leader.”
Scope: Information Systems Engineering
“The Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals Information Systems Engineering program will give you the tools you need to develop and manage complex systems that solve real-world problems.
Focus Areas: Cybersecurity, Data Engineering, Enterprise and Web Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Management, Network Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering.”
Institute: Georgia State University
Scope: Information Systems
“Concentration in big data management and analytics focuses on managing and deriving value from big data
Concentration in digital innovation explores systems for enabling digital transformation of organizations
Concentration in cybersecurity examines security, privacy and assurance of information and information systems”
Institute: Stanford University
Scope: Information Management and Analytics
“Information Management and Analytics provides coverage of the principles underlying modern database and information management systems, as well as methods for mining massive data sets. The track spans topics ranging from developing applications for database and information systems; to system design, architecture, and management; to applying algorithms and techniques from data mining and machine learning to perform analyses over massive data sets. Related topics include distributed systems, networking, and security on the system side, as well as text mining, bioinformatics, web search, and social media on the applications side.”
Institute: Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College
Scope: Information Systems Management
“Industry is innovating like never before, and a new generation of leaders is needed to harness technology and big data to propel organizations—and society—forward. Our Master of Information Systems Management (MISM) program blends technical and leadership skills, equipping you with the ability to transform organizations through technology…..
Some of the world’s greatest challenges, that our faculty and students are working to solve:
Securing the Internet of Things with blockchain Using machine learning to predict consumer behavior Making health care IT more efficient with text analytics Measuring social media’s impact on the box office
Building chat bots to drive sales for legacy brands Revolutionizing human-computer interaction, at the birthplace of automated vehicles Using voice recognition to help diabetics manage their home care Stopping the proliferation of counterfeit drugs”
Topics
After a careful analysis of the scope of information systems, our team followed a standard process of peer-review to select the most lucrative topics with great potential for the years to come. We sent out invitation to 134 PhDs on-board with us, to submit the most valuable research topics in CS and IT for the year 2020. Our QA Team received more than thousand topics, which were then thoroughly discussed in expert groups to funnel out a list for our valuable readers. These topics are based mainly on the recent trends in awarded grants and national agendas, as well as potential focus areas that are expected to rise exponentially in next five years. So, please pay close attention to the topics, our team has also defined basic introduction and a strategic overview for each topic in the list, which can be provided to you upon request; kindly feel free to contact us in that regard using the contact provided at the end.
Migration to cloud-based microservices: A case of Banking Industry relying on monoliths
Making medical data interoperable using Artificial Intelligence for coding
Analysis of Twitter Streams in real-time based on visual inferences
Migrating business data and operations to cloud based services: Issues faced by Payment Cards Industry
Predicting Ranking Algorithms user generated data and ranking: A case of Google
Network analysis for the fake news prediction in social media before it spreads
Text Analysis of biomedical data for information extraction with the help of cloud based machine learning
Using Random Forrest algorithm and spectral learning to create a hybrid recommender system
A data driven framework for optimal design and ownership structures: A case of retail payment systems
Examining the theoretical mechanisms underlying health information exchange impact on healthcare outcomes: A physician agency perspective
Using data from internet of things to generate workflows with the help of machine learning
Topic based summarizations for analysis of class discussions using data from online forums
Intelligent Transport systems: Using deep learning for recommendations and embedding explorations
Logistics management using Data Visualization: A case of retail industry
Analyzing heterogeneous information networks with adversarial learning
On analyzing supply and demand in labor markets: Framework, model and system
A framework for Intelligent Intrusion Detection system: Based on Blockchain integrated with digital signatures
Using context-assisted multiple instance learning for Satisfaction analysis on data from customer service dialogues
A framework of Multimodal review generation for recommender systems
Generative adversarial learning for rumor detection by promoting information campaigns: A case of Twitter
Encrypted database querying in a cloud environment
Helping Construction industry by Predicting real estate trends using data mining
A solution for medical imaging problem: A study of deep learning models
A framework for Big Data Transportation Engineering using cyberinfrastructure
Search Query Reproducibility and Resulting Variation in Search Results: A case of MEDLINE
Improving Reimbursement and Improving Clinical Operations: An analysis of use of healthcare IT in Skilled Nursing and Post-Acute Care facilities
Building IoT Based Applications for Smart Cities: A focus on using ontology catalogues
Evaluating Motivational Interviewing and Habit Formation to Enhance the Effect of Activity Trackers on Healthy Adults’ Activity Levels
A classification model for smarthome devices using machine learning algorithms
A systematic approach for Privacy protection in IoT based healthcare systems
Agile development in organisations: An adaptation overview and the role of IT
Facilitating Natural Conversational Agent Interactions: Lessons from a Deception Experiment
Is it safe and effective to use digital procurement systems: An analysis of cybersecurity risks in relation to the efficiency gains for organisations
What role IT plays in customer service offshoring and how does it impact customer satisfaction?
The role of IT in hazard crisis: A framework for emergency management and planning
Social Network analysis for visual inferences: A Case Study of Tweets on the Boston Marathon Bombing
Making healthcare IT patient-centric: Using knowledge base effectively alongside digital healthcare systems
Brain activity analysis using temporal dynamics: A case of human connectome project
Network Analysis for vote cast prediction: A focus on tweet patterns
Improving classification based on a model for feature set selection: A focus on Static Analysis alert
Feature Set Selection for Improved Classification of Static Analysis Alerts
Digital Transformation of knowledge libraries: A case of investment in big data and knowledge integration
Cloud Migration of RPAT Tool
A framework for research graph generation using open knowledge
Does using IT in Project management for cost and time estimation improves performance?
Enabling transformation toward data governance frameworks: A case of financial industry
Online shopping in Saudi Arabia: Using network analysis to predict the factors influencing e-commerce switch
IT based reporting in project management: A focus on benefits in planning, budgeting and implementation
A framework for cybersecurity based on machine learning for information protection in small-scale financial institutes
Cybersecurity Policy Development at the State Level: A Case Study approach
A framework for healthcare quality improvement using mobile technology
Data Quality and Management in Healthcare Information Systems: A Best Practices analysis
Improving profitability in retail firms: A strategic approach for using information and communication technology
Obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis: Doppler radar-based non-contact health monitoring
Integration of Health IT in primary healthcare: A review of hospitals in Middle East
Business Intelligence systems: Analysis of relationship between perceived usefulness, rate of acceptance and ease of use.
Exploration of Firm-Level Cloud Adoption: A case based approach
A review into applications, challenges and prospects of clinical big data analysis using deep learning
Assistive technology devices: A framework for user-centric design for Clinical Brain Computer Interface
Can social media be an effective management tool? A case of Facebook
A best practice framework for using organisation wide knowledge management systems
Using data intensive knowledge management systems: A novel framework for organisation wide implementation
Security layers and their implementation in Big data solutions for organisations
Interoperability issues in bioinformatics datasets: A strategic approach
Digital transformation using Cloud based services: A case of Insurance company
Adoption of internet of things in the manufacturing sector: An analysis of influential determinants
Influential Determinants of Internet of Things Adoption in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector
Strategies for cloud based digital transformation: Case of firms in Saudi Arabia
Exploring Data Security Management Strategies for Preventing Data Breaches
Cloud based ride sharing services: An analysis of labor supply techniques
Privacy in a business intelligence platform: A framework for secured data masking
Blockchain based academic transcript database
Network analysis of ride share market using artificial intelligence
Enhancing patient care by using clinical support systems to improve quality and reduce costs
Fine grained air quality analysis using machine learning
Digitization of Electronic Health Records: Adverse drug events extraction using deep learning
Fuzzy cognitive maps for business systems modelling
An intelligent knowledge exploration framework for career recommendations and recruitments
Real time network analysis using streams of data extracted from social media
Prescription pattern analysis using EHRs: Focus on Antidepressants in Nonpsychiatric Outpatient Settings
Analysis of student feedback comments using machine learning
Combining machine-based and econometrics methods for policy analytics insights
Strategies for E-Commerce Adoption in a Travel Agency
Resources
Here are some important resources that you may find useful in building your understanding on the focus areas associated with completing the thesis on information systems:
“Information Systems Specialization” offered by university of Minnesota
“IBM Data Science Professional Certificate” offered by IBM
“Data Engineering with Google Cloud” offered by Google Cloud
Feel free to ask for our services or assistance: support@thesis-state.com
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