Dear Andrew and Ken
Abbie Griffin's recent article in the Journal of Product Innovation
Management 'Legitimizing Academic Research in Design: Lessons from
Research on New Product Development and Innovation' provides some useful
suggestions to how design research can be 'legitimized' by drawing upon
approaches from new product development and innovation research. The
article proposes the development of high-quality peer-reviewed journal
focusing on design issues and in some ways is a call to arms for design
researchers. The article should be of value to this thread as it
contextualises the challenges design researchers face in terms of the
credibility of their published output (particularly as perceived in
non-design fields). The article comes from a Special Issue on Product
Design Research and Practice which contains a number of interesting
articles.
Martyn
Dr Martyn Evans
Director - MA Design Management
Lancaster University
Twitter: http://twitter.com/martyn_evans
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and
related research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Ken Friedman
Sent: 09 April 2011 13:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Journals
Dear Andrew,
There are several design journals of the highest quality, and these
journals easily equal the rigor and quality of the top journals on the
ABS list. Nevertheless, ABS journals specifically address the discipline
concerns of business schools, where design journals generally do not do
so, not even the best design journals. Further, many ABS journals are
highly quantitative in approach and methods, whereas this is not the
case for most design journals. Even our most rigorous journals only
rarely publish articles noted for serious use of quantitative research
methods.
The challenge you face is to persuade ABS to change their journals list
to include the appropriate journals by demonstrating the value of design
research to the business and management fields.
That said, some design research journals and conferences are distinctly
problematic. A colleague of mine who heads a major international
consultancy recently reviewed over one hundred journals in design and
design research to get a sense of the field for a
government-commissioned research project. As an author, this is one of
the most highly cited scholars in a specific management field, and a
person who also publishes in technology. The verdict rendered on the
vast number of our journals was not favorable to our field.
It is vital for us to support and contribute to the best journals, and
I'd argue that we ought to promote these journals more widely and
effectively than we seem to do.
The recurring argument in our field that journal articles are not as
important as artifacts or exhibitions does not help. Creating a robust
literature is vital to the growth of any discipline, and a robust
research discipline is the foundation for a strong practical profession.
Yours,
Ken
--
Andrew Jackson wrote:
18 months ago, after many years working in university design
departments, I
started work in a business school. Soon after I arrived I was dismayed
to
find that none of the journals that are appropriate outlets for my
research
would be counted in my faculty's submission to the REF (the UK's next
research assessment exercise). Apparently this is because the REF panel
for
business and management will only consider publications in journals that
have been included in the Association of Business Schools (ABS) approved
journal rankings.
Whilst I don't object to this in principle, their ranking does not seem
to
include a single journal devoted to design research. So, by implication,
either the ABS thinks that design is not part of business and
management, or
that the work of design researchers is not of a high enough quality to
be
considered in an assessment of business and management research? Both
assumptions are patently incorrect.
As someone who has done work in this area, I wondered what your thoughts
were on this issue?
--
Professor Ken Friedman, PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS | Dean, Faculty of Design |
Swinburne University of Technology | Melbourne, Australia |
[log in to unmask] | Ph: +61 3 9214 6078 |
www.swinburne.edu.au/design
Conference Co-Chair: Doctoral Education in Design - Practice, Knowledge,
Vision | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | May 22-25, 2011 |
www.sd.polyu.edu.hk/DocEduDesign2011
Fluxus and the Essential Questions of Life | University of Chicago Press
|
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/presssite/metadata.epl?isbn=9780226033594
|