On the Veridicality of Claims in Design Science Research

As more design science research is being conducted based on diverse underlying philosophical perspectives, it becomes important to pause and study ways by which the warranty of claims of such research is being addressed. Using the philosophy of science as a guiding framework, we explore the complexity of the warranty of claims under the current controversial paradigmatic status of design science. The inability to objectively certify knowledge claims in design science research is a serious communication barrier that hinders the dissemination of knowledge across the different philosophical perspectives in the IS community and ultimately the advancement of IS knowledge. In this paper, we explore potential controversies on the veridicality of knowledge claims in design science research and propose that adopting scientific realism as the underlying philosophical stance is the way to address these controversies. It is our intent that this discussion be beneficial for design science scholars as they continue their efforts to develop and disseminate the foundations for design science research.