Research

The human side of information systems.

My research examines the unintended consequences of information systems, from choices on online platforms to the information people share and the networks they build.

Online platforms · 3 articlesWhat shapes our choices?

Information networks · 2 articlesWhy does information spread?

Organizational networks · 3 articlesHow do networks shape work?

Selected studies

Three recent studies, with the question each one asks and what it finds.

Org. Science · 2026FT50

Who gains when colleagues move together?

Colleagues that Work Together Move Together: How Co-Moving Among Newcomers Affects Individual and Team Performance

Approach: Archival NBA data and qualitative interviews
What the study shows: Co-movers outperform solo movers, and the advantage persists. Teams with co-movers perform worse than teams with solo movers, with partial evidence that the gap narrows over time.

Publisher page ↗

MISQ · 2022FT50

How do social cues influence choice?

Can Positive Online Social Cues Always Reduce User Avoidance of Sponsored Search Results?

Approach: Three laboratory experiments
What the study shows: Product-related and seller-related social cues have different effects on cognitive, behavioral, and affective avoidance of sponsored search results.

Publisher page ↗

ISR · 2022FT50

Why do we share unverified information?

Seems Legit: An Investigation of the Assessing and Sharing of Unverifiable Messages on Online Social Networks

Approach: Twitter data and a controlled experiment
What the study shows: Unverifiable messages are reshared when people see them as useful or novel. Plausibility works together with vividness and sender credibility in shaping that assessment.

Publisher page ↗

Publications

10 peer-reviewed journal articles, most recent first.

2026
Colleagues that Work Together Move Together: How Co-Moving Among Newcomers Affects Individual and Team PerformanceFT50
Zhao, E., Shea, C., & Li, S. · Organization Science
2025
Virtual Reality, Mental Models, and Mindful Decision-Making
Sun, H., Li, S., Tseng, S., & Peterson, M. · Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 26(4)
2022
Can Positive Online Social Cues Always Reduce User Avoidance of Sponsored Search Results?FT50
Deng, H., Wang, W., Li, S., & Lim, K. · MIS Quarterly, 46(1)
2022
Seems Legit: An Investigation of the Assessing and Sharing of Unverifiable Messages on Online Social NetworksFT50
London, J., Li, S., & Sun, H. · Information Systems Research, 33(3)
2022
Outside Director Social Network Centrality and Turnover Before Stock Performance Crash: A Friend in Need?
Li, S., Qu, T., & Yu, Y. · Journal of Corporate Finance, 76
2022
To Disclose or Not to Disclose: An Evaluation of the Effects of Information Control and Social Network Transparency
Pu, W., Li, S., Bott, G., Esposito, M., & Thatcher, J. · Computers & Security, 112
2018
Social Network Ties and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Evidence of a Curvilinear Relationship
Scott, K., Zagenczyk, T., Li, S., Gardner, W., Cogliser, C., & Laverie, D. · European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 27(6)
2015
Online Recommendation Systems in a B2C E-Commerce Context: A Review and Future Directions
Li, S., & Karahanna, E. · Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 16(2)
2013
Sustainability Performance and CSR Disclosure: The Missing Link
Li, S., Boudreau, M., Huber, M., & Watson, R. · International Journal of Social Ecology & Sustainable Development, 4(2)
2010
Telematics at UPS: En Route to Energy InformaticsSIM Best Paper 2009
Watson, R., Boudreau, M., Li, S., & Levis, J. · MIS Quarterly Executive, 9(1)

Working papers

4 papers under review or in progress.

Revise & resubmit · Round 4
I Go For That Offbeat Option! Examining Contrarian Behavior in Online MarketplacesFT50
Li, S., Sun, H., Zhao, Q., & Wang, Y. · MIS Quarterly
Revise & resubmit · Round 2
To Follow or Not to Follow? Examining Online Herd Cues' Effect on Herd Behavior
Li, S., Sun, H., Wang, W., & Zou, H. · Journal of the Association for Information Systems
Under review
To Craft or Not to Craft? The Impact of Algorithmic Knowledge on Creators' Creative Behavior
Wang, Y., Zhao, Q., & Li, S. · Information Technology and People
In progress
Bridging the Social Divide: How Generative AI Can Foster Understanding and Reduce Polarization
Li, S., & Kohli, R. · AI Initiatives Grant Project — William & Mary 2024