Abstract: Inter-organizational information sharing(IIS) research is becoming a topic of great interest to organizations and researchers around the world. The introduction of different theoretical perspectives is crucial to exploring the problems that exists in IIS. Based on a survey of the research literature closely related to IIS, this paper has identified 19 specific theories appearing in the literature which can be categorized into four perspectives in terms of game, information resource, relationship, and tension respectively. Additionally, this paper further summarizes the thematic distribution characteristics of the theories used in this research field, which are roughly focusing on four aspects: barriers, influencing factors, realization paths, and mechanisms of action. Besides, the research team constructs a system of IIS research topics and theoretical application. Finally, according to the current status of IIS theory application, future research directions are proposed. The findings of this research provide reference and guidance for systematically grasping the theoretical system composition of IIS research and the hot topics in the field.

Key words: Inter-organizational, Information sharing, Theory identification, Theory application, Research topics