Design science research in PhD education: designing for assistance tools

Abstract

scholars. Major conferences have tracks dedicated to DSR, and even leading journals have publishedspecial issues on it. In line with this momentum, DSR has also gained acceptance among PhD students.Indeed, DSR is well regarded for its ability to bring together theoretical and practical knowledge,addressing both rigor and relevance. But in exchange, DSR calls for high levels of commitment andmaturity. PhD students, as they are transitioning towards becoming independent researchers, usually lacksuch maturity. On top of that, the lack of widely accepted software tools for conducting DSR does nothelp.This Thesis is aimed at providing PhD students with tool support for carrying out DSR. To thatend, we focus on problematic situations related to four basic activities conducted throughout thedoctorate: inquiry, reading, writing and peer review. For each of these problems, a purposeful artifact isdesigned, developed and evaluated with real stakeholders. The outcome: DScaffolding and Review&Go,two browser extensions for Google Chrome currently in use by practitioners.