Be Seen: ISSNs, ISBNs, DOIs, and CITES

Insights and progress from RSD and Contexts

Over the past few years, as we established the RSD repository (RSDsymposium.org) and moved into journal publishing with Contexts—The Systemic Design Journal, we have deepened our understanding of citation tracking and how to make it easier for researchers to find, cite, and track contributions to systemic design through our proceedings. While the editors prioritise open access and are committed to reducing financial barriers to publishing scholarly work, visibility is a crucial factor for many career academics—evaluation often depends on citation counts, and there are restrictions on what qualifies as a publication. Discoverability is also vital for inter- and transdisciplinary work and is key in advancing the field.

We’ve made significant advances in this regard since launching RSDsymposium.org in 2020. “We” because this is decidedly a collective achievement—authors continue to dedicate their time to contributing papers, ranging in length from the presentation format for reports and exploratory work to symposium papers to full journal articles. The editors work to keep the website running smoothly and the content searchable. A word of acknowledgement is warranted to SDA members, fee-paying event participants, and donors, who provide the funds to keep the website and digital communications live and operational.

As it stands, we have had indexing success on Google Scholar by holding publication protocols that follow the Inclusion Guidelines for Webmasters, which essentially boil down to four things:

• the full text of your paper is in a PDF file that ends with “.pdf”,
• the title of the paper appears in a large font on top of the first page,
• the authors of the paper are listed right below the title on a separate line, and
• there’s a bibliography section titled, e.g., “References” or “Bibliography” at the end (Google, n.d.).

In addition to strict adherence to these four criteria, the SDA maintains the ISSN 2371-8404 for RSD and ISSN 2704-0542 for Contexts. An ISBN is used to identify serial publications like journals and proceedings. I often get asked about an ISBN, a unique identifier for books and monographs. In the current model, publishing the proceedings as a monograph rests with the annual RSD host. Establishing an ISBN involves preparing a PDF that combines all the proceedings and registering the publication through their institution. This was a priority for TU Delft (RSD10) and Politecnico di Torino (RSD7) but less so for North American hosts.

Regarding DOIs (digital object identifiers), we’ve successfully deployed a DOI process across the first two volumes of Contexts, and each article is registered with the DOI registration agency, CrossRef. Each Contexts article is assigned a unique, permanent identifier indicating scholarly content and the metadata associated with each article, facilitating citation tracking and improving discoverability. So we are learning a lot about this with the journal entity. However, from a financial standpoint, the RSD publishing model does not include the fees that would allow us to establish and monitor a DOI protocol for a collection as extensive as RSD’s annual output. Although DOIs would enhance our chance of being indexed on scholarly publishing platforms such as Scopus, SDA would need to raise (and prioritise) the funds for indexing fees and database support, for instance, through APCs (article processing charges), a university partnership, or grants to optimise a DOI initiative. SDA is not currently pursuing these options, instead operating as an independent, non-profit, volunteer-driven membership association.

Balanced against these constraints are the SDA’s aspirations and strategies (as set out in the SDA statutes) to make systemic design more accessible across academic platforms. While the addition of DOIs for RSD13 and subsequent volumes is still in the exploratory phase, we are actively investigating how to implement DOIs for future proceedings.

• The first step is to e-publish a bound monograph for RSD13 and include a DOI.
• The second is considering what years might qualify for a DOI in consultation with CrossRef, as some of the older articles are incomplete or missing PDF versions of papers.
• Another initiative includes registering RSD with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). SDA is a DORA signatory, so this is in progress.

These are activities within reach—SDA is a DORA signatory and holds a CrossRef account, and the required metadata is included with each RSD article. Rest assured that the editors’ ongoing work includes enhancing citation tracking and ensuring long-term access to the articles and resources entrusted to us.

If you have questions or comments or would like to be involved as an editor, please get in touch with editors@rsdsymposium.org.

Please take a moment to scan the general academic publishing FAQs developed in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-4. Machine-assisted and human-edited on March 1, 2025.

FAQs: Citation tracking and discoverability in systemic design

Why Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is one of the most widely used academic search engines. It offers researchers a straightforward way to find scholarly articles, conference proceedings, books, and other resources. Google Scholar indexes RSD articles, offering enhanced visibility to researchers and practitioners, and it is often included in university databases. Besides following the inclusion guidelines and best practices, the editors don’t have direct control over what gets indexed. Despite being an editor and my best efforts, it took two years for my RSD11 article (Asynchronous Ecosystem Development) to be indexed (sigh).

It is also important to note that citations on Google Scholar are sometimes incomplete or may not appear in the correct format. While RSD follows best web development and indexing practices to support accurate citation tracking, the formatting and completeness of citations on Google Scholar may depend on how the platform aggregates and displays metadata. The correct citation format is always listed in the footer of each article on the RSD website, along with the available metadata and citation guidelines. Authors can use this format to ensure their citations are consistent and correct when referencing their work in other publications or databases.

How do I ensure there are stable URLS?

Stable URLs are an essential part of the publication process, and all editors should ensure that articles have stable URLs, whether through a DOI or web-based application, to provide an enduring connection to the published content. Although RSD doesn’t issue DOIs, we use Yoast’s redirect system, which guarantees that URLs remain active and correctly linked to the corresponding article, even if changes occur. Although Contexts registers DOIs for each article, this protocol operates as a fallback. Stability prevents broken links and inaccurate citations, providing confidence that the article will always be found through its assigned URL.

How do I reference and validate published work for my CV?

The ISSN can be included for those who need to reference RSD proceedings in records of academic achievement or when including publications in their CVs. Currently, RSD does not issue DOIs, but the URLs are stable (see How do I ensure there are stable URLs?). As mentioned in the intro, the editors are looking into options for DOI compliance with academic credentialing for RSD. Since very few requests are made for ISBNs or DOIs, it appears that many universities accept RSD as a valid publication. However, this varies by institution and academic publishing norms in countries or regions.

If scholarly publishing is a priority for your CV or academic record, consider Contexts—The Systemic Design Journal. Contexts was established by an experienced editorial team as an academic journal and overseen by a distinguished editorial board. The editors set up DOIs for each article and are actively pursuing registration with the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

How can my university library help?

You can ask your university library to add your work to the institutional repository, as it can enhance the visibility and accessibility of your research. It increases the likelihood of discoverability by academic databases and search engines, which can ultimately lead to more citations. Additionally, repository inclusion can add academic credibility to your author record and make it easier for others to reference and cite your work. Depositing articles in a university’s repository also supports long-term, stable access.

What can authors do to boost citations?

While the editors handle the management of stable URLs, you can take additional steps to increase the visibility and citation of your work:

• Update your Google Scholar profile: Create and maintain an up-to-date Google Scholar profile and ensure that all your publications, including RSD articles, are easy to find and track.
• Share your article on the research-sharing platforms you participate in: Once the article is published, share the stable URL across social media, academic networks, and research platforms like ResearchGate or Academia.edu. Sharing increases the chances of being cited and broadens the reach of your work.
• Don’t be shy: Encourage colleagues, collaborators, and other researchers to cite your work when applicable. Citation is one of the primary ways to raise the profile of your article and increase its impact.
• Engage with the RSD community: Participating in the RSD symposium, SDA, and adjacent events, writing articles, and producing videos and podcasts help raise awareness of your work and facilitate connections with other researchers, which can lead to further citations and collaborations.