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Given that the synthesis of cumulated knowledge is an essential condition for any field to grow and develop, we believe that the enhanced role of IS reviews requires that this expository form be given careful scrutiny. Over the past decade, several senior scholars have made calls for more review papers in our field. While the number of IS review papers has substantially increased in recent years, no prior research has attempted to develop a general framework to conduct and evaluate the rigor of standalone reviews. In this paper, we fill this gap. More precisely, we present a set of guidelines for guiding and evaluating IS literature reviews and specify to which review types they apply. To do so, we first distinguish between four broad categories of review papers and then propose a set of guidelines that are grouped according to the generic phases and steps of the review process. We hope our work will serve as a valuable source for those conducting, evaluating, and/or interpreting reviews in our field.

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Literature reviews play a key role in academic research by describing, understanding, explaining, and testing the constructs and theories within a particular topic area. In recent years, various commentaries, debates, and editorials in the information systems (IS) field's top journals have highlighted the importance of a trustworthy literature review process, including detailed discussions on systematicity and transparency. Although the reproducibility of a literature review has also been noted as important, it remains less recognized because of several terminology-related issues. This ambiguity could result in misunderstandings regarding the degree of trust that should be placed in a literature review's process. In this research essay, we seek to clarify what makes a literature review reproducible, how it is distinct from related concepts, and when achieving it is desirable and feasible. We propose a series of clarifications and remedies to assist scholars within and outside the IS field in the preparation of stand-alone reviews.

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