International Recognition of FormAkademisk

Abstract

FormAkademisk was invited to the Design Journal Editors' Meeting at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), University of Cincinnati in late October, as the only design research journal from the Nordic region. The meeting was organized in advance of the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR) 2017 conference.

Liv Merete Nielsen, who initiated the creation of  FormAkademisk and has been a Section Editor since the start-up and I, who have been the Editor-in-Chief for the entire period, travelled to the meeting.

FormAkademisk   was in good company - among the others invited, we can mention the American Design Issues and the British Design Studies, both of which are at Level 2 of the Norwegian Science Index - NVI. Other reputable journals invited were the International Journal of Design from Taiwan, She Ji - The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation from Tongji University in Shanghai, China, Design and Culture from the United States, Co-Design from the United Kingdom, Information Design Journal published in the Netherlands with an international editorial board, Journal of Design, Business & Society with an international editorial board, the French Sciences du Design and Visible Language published at the University of Cincinnati, USA who hosted the meeting.

First, we warmed up by describing each journal's editorial profile. For FormAkademisk we emphasized that we have two equal focuses – research in design, but also research in design education for the general public. This combination seems to be unique internationally.

Common issues we discussed further were challenges with the quality of submitted articles and obtaining qualified peer reviewers. We also discussed whether we would agree on a common understanding of what it means to be included as an author of an article. Based on the discussions, FormAkademisk comes well prepared compared to the other internationally leading design research journals.

After the meeting in Cincinnati, there have been lively discussions on email between those invited to the Design Journal Editors' Meeting in Cincinnati in October. We look forward to the next meeting to discuss common challenges for research journals in design and design education, especially in connection with the largest international design research conferences.

We also want workshops in peer review and article writing. A common issue for the journals is finding good peer reviewers who can review the articles. We therefore encourage anyone who is asked to say yes. Keep in mind that for each article you submit for review, there are two peer reviewers who stand up for you!