Review process
The DESIGN 2026 review process is carried out in three stages:
- Initial check by the Programme Chairs
All full-paper submissions are reviewed for scope and compliance with the submission instructions. Submissions that match the DESIGN 2026 topics and formatting requirements are assigned for peer review. - Double-blind peer review
Papers that pass the initial check are evaluated through a double-blind peer-review process managed by the DESIGN 2026 Scientific Advisory Board. Each paper is assessed by at least two to three independent reviewers. The Scientific Advisory Board is composed of distinguished members of The Design Society, as well as respected researchers and practitioners in the field.
The review criteria include the novelty and level of contribution, the validity of conclusions, relevance to practice or industry, and the formal quality of the manuscript. - Programme Chairs’ selection
Based on the evaluations provided by the Scientific Advisory Board, papers are selected for presentation at DESIGN 2026. The final selection decisions are made by the Programme Chairs.
Reviewer transparency & feedback
In accordance with The Design Society policy, the following measures are implemented to enhance transparency and feedback in the review process:
- Reviewers are able to view the reviews of their co-reviewers after completing their own reviews
- Authors are able to provide feedback to both the reviewers and the Programme Chairs regarding the quality of the reviews
- The final acceptance status of each paper is shown to the reviewers after the final decision is made
Confidentiality, ethics, and use of AI tools
To ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and scholarly quality of the review process, and in alignment with the publication ethics and confidentiality policies of Cambridge University Press for the Proceedings of the Design Society, the following principles apply:
- Reviews must reflect the reviewer’s own independent scholarly judgement
- Manuscripts under review are confidential and unpublished, and must not be uploaded to external systems or shared with third parties, including AI-based tools
- AI-assisted tools must not be used to generate or substantially shape the content of peer reviews
By accepting a review invitation, reviewers confirm that they take full personal responsibility for the independence, confidentiality, and ethical integrity of their reviews.
Reviewer guidelines
Detailed reviewer guidelines outlining the evaluation criteria and scoring structure are available here.
Publication and indexing
The proceedings are published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) as Proceedings of the Design Society: DESIGN Conference. Accepted papers will receive DOIs and be deposited with CrossRef. The proceedings are regularly indexed in Scopus. Inclusion in the Web of Science ---Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) is handled by the publisher (CUP) and therefore cannot be guaranteed by the organisers.
