First it is essential to remind the term "theory" derives from the greek theoria, namely "contemplation", "speculation", and it is conventionally related-opposed to the term "practice" from the greek praktike that is concerned with actions.
For a long time experience has been seen as the only source of knowledge, but then aside empiricism historically philosophers of science started defining theory as statements meant to rationally give explanations, predictions and evidence to a phenomenon, characterized by being universal and using a specific set of language, signs and symbols.
A good explanation comes from Habermas and Popper concept of the 3 worlds:
- World 1 - Objective world of the material things
- World 2 - Subjective world of mental states
- World 3 - Abstract objectively existing world of mental man-made identities.
Among the features of theory there are generalization and abstraction, hence how specific it could be with the given case.
Furthermore theory is concerned with giving explanation and often the concept of causality is required to state the relation cause-effect between two phenomena which gives us the possibility to draw some predictions.
From the characteristics of theory we can assume as goals the analysis and description of the given phenomena, the explanation of how, why and on which circumstances it occurs, drawing some approximate predictions with a certain grade of probability and prescriptions in the case the theory describes methods or structures of artifacts.
Talking about the specific case of Information Systems Gregor states that some disciplines are "are concerned not with the necessary but with the contingent, not with how things are but with how they might be" (H. Simon - The Sciences of the Artificial, 1996 ) .
On the other hand Sutton and Staw give their guidelines to define when theory lack this essential features with the text "What Theory is not", basically a "manual" defining 5 worthy features to avoid theory-less papers, addressed to researchers, authors, reviewers and editors.
In a paper they define as non-theory parts:
- References are simple acknowledgements to other theories to ensure the stream of arguments in case of lack of required knowledge.
- Data give evidence to processes but are based on experience, hence useful in confirming, revising or discrediting a theory, but rarely supply causal connections.
- Variables are essential to follow arguments and they require explanations on why and how are implied, but alone they do not constitute theory.
- Figures & Diagrams usually are the graphical valuable part of a research, they do not constitute theory unless they are meant to highlights the causal connections in the steps of an argument.
- Hypotheses & Predictions are essential to define the relationships between theory and data but do not provide logical arguments and so being no theory.
Published by Thomson Reuters, Journal of Adolescent Health has a 2012 Impact Factor of 2.966.
The article I have chosen is "New Media Technology and Youth: Trends in the Evolution of New Media" and is meant to underline the trends of the new media evolution (as the title explains) and on this purpose it has a really detailed and thorough analysis of the different phenomena we can observe from different point of view on this subject, furthermore each paragraph also highlights the causal relationships giving explanation on how, why, and on which contingencies these phenomena occur.
Media evolution in a really changeling and unpredictable subject hence even if it draws current trends on this subject, this text lacks of predictions, thus is meant to supply the reader useful insights to draw his/her own prediction, for the same reason we can not find any prescription theory (design & action).
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