Choosing an Outlet for Action Research: Publication Patterns in Innovation Journals

What are the best outlets for those of us who are both interested in innovation and action research? Especially for those of us who would like to combine practical impact with an academic career, this is an important question. Bibliometric rules and arguments from institutional managers often favour established procedures, demanding not just any publications, but publications in high-ranked journals, or “proper journals”, as Shani and colleagues (2007) write. As an action researcher, this requirement can be cumbersome given that well-established and high-ranked journals might be hesitant to accept articles based on action research methods, according to MacIntosh and Wilson (2003) and Mathiassen, Chiasson, and Germonprez (2012), but at least “some good journals do sometimes publish action research” as Ahlstrom (2015) phrases it. However, for action researchers, this positive development is quite recent and specific to certain fields (e.g., education and health) and does not encompass technology and innovation, according to Flicker (2014). What distinguishes action research from other research traditions are an interest to make a direct impact on practical problems, that is to create action, and the involvement of those concerned in problem definitions and knowledge constructions. It is based on democratic ideals, where the interests and demands on questions asked, methods used and results, sought from both researchers and those researched are equally respected (Dewey, 1937; Johansson & Lindhult, 2008; Lewin, 1946). One-sided scientific control of the research process, including control of analyses and interpretations, will not do, and this approach therefore challenges dominating scientific ideals that rest on upholding the divide. The mutuality of action research is sometimes highlighted through adding the prefix participative or participatory to action research. Action research has slowly been gaining acceptance over the years, and there are now two well-established dedicated journals: Action Research (established in 2003 by SAGE) and the International Journal of Action Research (established in 2005 by Rainer Hampp Verlag). Browsing published titles, one can note that these two journals are dominated by health, education, With the aim to help innovation researchers choose outlets for articles based on participatory and action research methods, this article describes and discusses publication patterns of action research. A bibliographic study of 33 innovation journals ranked 4, 3, 2, and 1 in the 2018 Academic Journal Guide is complemented by a case study of this journal, the Technology Innovation Management Review, as an example of an established open access journal in the field with a wider scope and target group. From these two studies, we learn that the overall trend is towards more publications of action research articles in a diversity of outlets. Indirectly, the study supports the general view that articles striving towards adding practical relevance to research are becoming more frequent. There is no support for the notion that more renowned and higher-ranked journals would be more hesitant to accept articles with action research methods. The study also notes that there are interesting outlets beside those highly ranked and indexed in more conventional ways. The conclusion reached is that we lack a clear answer to the question of what are the best outlets for those of us who are interested in both innovation and action research. Instead, the study invites us to reflect upon what kind of impact we want to have and then act accordingly. Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?