Philosophical framing and its impact on research

The variety of lenses and openness that is brought to the research process shapes both academic research and the application of knowledge to real-world settings. Researchers who endeavor to contribute both rigor and relevance require a wide range of methodological tools and a clear understanding of how such tools frame the questions to be answered, as well as the methods used and potential outcomes. It is important that both researchers and publication gatekeepers clearly understand the impact of philosophical framing on research methods and findings. Drawing on research related to the use of social media to facilitate product innovation "crowdsourcing," the authors consider the implications of alternative research scenarios on five key dimensions of research: epistemology, theory, review of literature, stakeholder perspective, and rigor-relevance. Examples of existing and emergent topics within the research field of crowdsourcing are provided to illustrate methodological pluralism.