Our contribution aims kick off a nuanced debate about theories and theorising in higher education research. Drawing on sociological literature that reflects on theories and theorising, we introduce the notion of 'theory work.' Theory work emphasises that theories are practical tools that can be used for a variety of purposes. To make different forms of engagement with theories visible, we develop in a first step three conceptual lenses that facilitate a nuanced observation of different forms of engagement with theories in higher education research: the lenses focus on (1) ranges of theories, (2) ways of engaging with theories, and (3) degrees of epistemic autonomy of theory work. In a second step, we operationalise these lenses for two thematic fields: we discuss theory work in research concerned with organisation and governance, and theory work in research on academic careers. Our contribution shows that there are both differences and similarities in theory work across thematic fields with in higher education research. Across these differences and similarities our conceptual lenses reveal a variety of forms of theories and theory work in higher education research. We conclude by discussing several benefits a conceptual toolkit on theory work can have for higher education research more generally.