Although the community of Information Systems scholars who are interested in Information Systems evaluation is not especially large it is certainly diverse. This is once again demonstrated by the range of papers published in this edition of the Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation.

The five papers in this edition range across subjects as diverse as Using Value‑at‑Risk for IS/IT Project and Portfolio Appraisal and Risk Management through A Process Capability Approach to Information Systems Effectiveness Evaluation to Stock Price Reaction to Investments in Information Technology: The Relevance of Cost Management Systems. Furthermore this edition again demonstrates the geographic spread of the interest in this field.

Looking at these papers from the point of view of locating a common theme we are once again reminded that organisations tend to have many problems with Information Systems evaluation and that not all of these problems are to do with choosing an evaluation technique. Perhaps at the heart of the Information Systems evaluation conundrum is the question of who should be responsible for the evaluation process. The debate as to whether this is better performed by Information Systems people or by others is indeed an on‑going one and perhaps does not lead itself to a simple answer. But whether or not this important issue is left in the hands of the Information Professional or given to others the support of top management is clearly essential. And the problem is that this top management commitment has been known from the very earliest days of computerisation. Maybe the Information Systems community has not tried hard enough to ensure top management commitment?