Helping Early-Career IS Scholars Get a Head Start in Design Science Research - A Proposed Framework for Conceptualizing Design Principles from Literature and Theory

Design principles are central to Design Science Research (DSR), guiding the creation of effective artifacts and prescriptively bridging theory and practice. For early-career IS scholars, their rigorous conceptualization is crucial and necessitates a comprehensive and structured methodology. While existing research addresses the formulation and anatomy of design principles, there is a notable lack of guidance specifically tailored to assist early-career scholars with literature-based derivation. This study proposes a theoretical framework designed to systematically guide these scholars in deriving design principles from literature and theory. Based on a structured literature review and content analysis, the framework responds to calls for methodological innovation by prioritizing theoretical rigor. It offers adaptable steps for DSR theorizing and facilitates the development of theory-informed design principles. While the framework prioritizes theoretical rigor, further empirical validation is needed to confirm its robustness and replicability, to provide a solid foundation and entry point for early career IS scholars.