Submission guidelines for documents
The RSD Style Guide provides basic submission guidelines so authors can actively contribute to the process of publishing articles online and developing a coherent set of proceedings. RSD contributes to the ethos of a shared and collaborative inquiry into the nature and potential of systemic design. The process starts with the submission—and as the saying goes, “the devil is in the details.”
Why guidelines for preparing a paper?
When authors follow the basic formatting protocols provided here—from the proposal stage (i.e., the call for submissions), to updates, to the final version included in the proceedings—the process works like a collaborative publishing venture between authors and publishers. The digital and print quality of presented work is improved, and the process reduces duplication and intensive editing for formatting and consistency across the RSD repository.
Please take a moment to read through the style guide; they will likely look familiar as they are closely aligned with the accepted standards for academic work and closely adhere to APA (7th edition) conventions.
TWO DEADLINES: The call for abstracts will be open until May 31, after which no new submissions will be accepted. Authors will have until June 15 to complete their submissions.
Before you start: Read about the theme, sub-themes, and focus areas.
If you plan to submit a paper, workshop, or systems map or exhibit, please register on EasyChair right away.
Documents accompany all submissions
A formatted document that follows the RSD guidelines is required for all submission formats: full papers, presentations (short papers), workshops, and systems maps and exhibits.
As of 2022, RSD requires a document per the RSD styles described below to accompany each contribution. This requirement supports continuity across the repository, helps better site search results, and improves the potential for each article to be indexed for web searches and inclusion on Google Scholar.
Accepted papers and presentations represent a searchable scholarly and leading practice resource in systemic design. RSDsymposium.org is a dual-purpose event site and repository with an astonishing 930+ contributions and supports a collaborative approach to working with authors and other contributors. We have an efficient approval-to-proceedings workflow—thanks to the help of host partners who make adjustments that result in continuous improvements. We look for opportunities to streamline the approval-to-proceedings online publishing process, improve the collection’s presentation, and reduce volunteer overheads.
- The RSD12 Programme Committee distributes reviews and decide whether to accept or reject a submission.
- The accepted presentations and papers constitute the online proceedings.
- The proceedings are published as online proceedings on RSDsymposium.org.
- The online proceedings are an ongoing RSD series published by the Systemic Design Association (ISSN 2371-8404).
- Some hosts also produce a downloadable PDF version of the proceedings comprising the submissions or abstracts bound together as a book. When the host organisation creates a downloadable print version, they post it with the online proceedings. (ISBN/EAN).
General guidelines for documents
Authors should follow the minimum requirements carefully. The Programme Committee checks submissions to ensure they meet the minimum submission requirements before distributing them for review. Be sure your document meets the following guidelines, as there may not be time to turn around incomplete submissions or documents that do not meet the standard format.
Document structure
1. An abstract of 200-400 words
2. a) A full paper of 2000 to 5000 words
OR
2. b) All other formats, provide a description of up to 1000 words
3. References following APA (7th edition) conventions
4. Author(s) profile(s) and contact information (optional)
Abstract: The abstract on the EasyChair submission form must be the same as the abstract in the paper or proposal (cut and paste from the final version of the paper or proposal).
Template: To be reviewed, you must submit work in the RSD12 template.
References: All cited content must be correctly referenced (the references are not included in the word count). References help the reviewers to judge the context and trustworthiness of the work.
SEO and indexing: The 200-400 word abstract is used to improve search results across the website and by search engines. We also embed the submitted PDF on the same page. PDFS are indexed by search engines. Note that a correctly formatted PDF increases the likelihood of your work being indexed on Google Scholar. (Reference: Google Inclusion Guidelines for Webmasters)
Additional sections: Your reflexivity statement, land acknowledgement, or other acknowledgements are welcome additions.
Note: References, authors, appendices, and special statements or resources are not included in the word count.
Setting up your document
With a little attention to detail, documents can look professional and align with RSD content requirements.
Getting started
- Download the appropriate RSD template (these differ from year to year). Download the RSD12 template.
- Save your completed paper as a PDF and submit the PDF via EasyChair (upload paper).
- RSD uses the University of Oxford Style Guide for styles such as dates, times, and titles. The one-page style guide covers the basics.
Using the RSD12 template
- The template is a Word (.docx) document but should translate to other systems.
- If a different format is required, please contact cheryl@systemic-design.org
- Note that the headings have been set in the template and should be followed.
- Do not format without using the styles.
Title
- Use Heading 1.
- Use Title Case (Capitalise each word, except articles (a, the) and conjunctions (and) in the title.)
Subtitle
- Use the Subtitle style.
- The subtitle is optional, do not add a period at the end.
Author names & affiliations
Use the following format:
first-name last-name, first-name last-name, and first-name last-name
IMPORTANT: For author(s), use the H3 style only and list names with commas; separate author names using a comma, and for the last author “, and” (Oxford comma).
Affiliation: Please add affiliations at the bottom of your paper. The template provides an example. As of 2023, affiliations will not be placed below the author(’s) name(s).
Abstract
- Indent abstract and use “Normal” from the Quick Style List.
- Your abstract must be between 200 and 400 words. Since RSD is an online repository, the minimum ensures search engines will scan it.
Keywords
- List 4-6 keywords after the abstract.
- Do not use a heading style.
- Format keywords with a colon and commas (see example below).
Keywords: systemic design, holistic diagnosis, agricultural sector, ecosystem services, micro-enterprises
RSD Topic(s)
- List up to three RSD topic areas.
- Less is best—pick only the topic areas that fully align with your paper.
- The RSD topic areas are Architecture & Planning, Cases & Practice, Economics & Organizations, Health & Well-Being, Learning & Education, Mapping & Modelling, Methods & Methodology, Policy & Governance, Society & Culture, Socioecological Design, and Sociotechnical Systems (see example below).
- Check the site menu for examples of papers in each category.
Example
RSD: Health & Well-Being
Headings
- Use Heading 2 only and sentence case.
- For other headings, use the “normal font” and bold.
Content Requirements
A cleanly formatted document makes it easier for reviewers to compare like-to-like—and not be distracted by inconsistencies in formatting, spelling, and style. Also, accepted submissions are posted online and available as preprints before and during the symposium.
- Please prepare your submission using Microsoft Word if possible.
- You must have the ribbon enabled to see the Quick Style List (view>ribbon).
- Using the following naming convention— RSD11_AuthorLastName_Title
- Add your name and information to the Word file’s Properties> Summary.
Here are some tips for bringing your content into this document.
- When you are cutting & pasting, put your cursor where you want the content to appear and use Edit> Paste and Match style.
- If your text is not displaying correctly, you might need to use Edit> Paste special> Unformatted text.
- Do not use a simple paste, as this will bring formatting from your draft document into this one.
- Use bullets and numbers from the home ribbon—make sure your punctuation is consistent for each bulleted or numbered section (i.e., sentence case or not, commas or not, etc.).
Referencing styles and conventions
- Use the APA (7th edition) conventions.
- Note: A variance to APA referencing is that we do not indent paragraphs for references, and the references are numbered. This is a customisation to conform with Google Scholar’s Inclusion Guidelines for Webmasters.
Spelling and grammar
- RSD uses British English for grammar and punctuation. After reviewing over 400 proceedings from RSD1 to RSD8, British English was selected as the RSD standard because the majority of articles used this standard.
- Please ensure that your document settings are “English” (United Kingdom).
- The Word template should also default to this setting. Please check to be sure it is set in your spellcheck for your RSD document.
Consider also using Grammarly or the Hemmingway Editor to check your work.
- RSD uses Grammarly to line-edit content; settings expert>formal>academic>[intent as appropriate].
Headings
- Sentence case—no period at the end of the heading.
- Click on “Heading 1” or “Heading 2” from the Quick Style List to format headings.
- If you need a lower heading style, use the “normal” style with bold or italics. All caps may also be used for headings in the “normal” style. Do not use H3; this is reserved for authors’ names.
Body
- Use the “normal” style above. Do not format text using the font and font size options. Apply “normal” by highlighting the text and clicking “normal.”
- Do not add spaces between paragraphs. One space following a period, please.
- If the font does not look right: highlight the content and click on “Normal” (or the style you want to use) in the Styles Pane.
Images
- Place images inline where you would like them to appear. You may also provide them as separate files if you would like to include them in the web post that accompanies your paper.
- Use .png (best for graphics) or .jpeg (best for photographs).
- All images must be relevant to the text and include captions. Use the “normal” style and drop the size to 10 points. Do not italicise or centre.
Example:
Figure 2. A contribution to the methodological repertoire of systemic design. Source: Author.
Other notes on style
Refer to APA (7th edition) conventions for guidelines on italics and quotation marks.
In-text citations follow APA conventions.
An easy-to-follow reference for style can be found on Grammarbook.com.
Use lowercase for terms:
Common RSD examples:
- gigamap
- systemic design
- systems oriented design
Citations & Referencing
For convenience, here are examples of reference formats. Note that RSD referencing differs in format from APA 7; please use numbering for the reference section and do not indent or change the line spacing. This format helps web crawlers to identify the content as scholarly work and supports indexing on Google Scholar.
Authored book
- Krippendorff, K. (2006). The semantic turn: A new foundation for design. Taylor and Francis.
- Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child (H. Weaver, Trans.; 2nd ed.). Basic Books. (Original work published 1966)
Edited book
- Fischer, T., & Herr, C. M. (Eds.). (2019). Design cybernetics: Navigating the new. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18557-2
Chapter within books
- Jones, P. H. (2014). Systemic design principles for complex social systems. In G. Metcalf (Ed.), Social systems and design (pp. 91-128). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54478-4_4
Journal articles
- Bunnell, P. (2017). Reflections on learning as designing. Kybernetes, 46(9), 1486-1498. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-11-2016-0308
Conferences: When citing a conference paper published in published conference proceedings, cite it as a book chapter if the publication has an ISBN or a journal article if it has an ISSN.
Conference presentations or sessions
- Krippendorff, K. (2021, July 7-13). A critical cybernetics [Paper presentation]. The Art and Science of the Impossible: The 65th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences, online.
Published proceedings ISSN
- Krippendorff, K. (2021). From uncritical design to critical examination of its systemic consequences. Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD10) Symposium. https://rsdsymposium.org/professor-dr-klaus-krippendorff/
Published proceedings ISBN
- Krippendorff, K. (2021). From uncritical design to critical examination of its systemic consequences. In Diehl, J.C., Tromp, N. & van der Bijl-Brouwer, M. (Eds.) Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD10) Symposium. TU Delft. https://rsdsymposium.org/professor-dr-klaus-krippendorff/
Theses and dissertations
- Fantini van Ditmar, D. (2016). IdIOT: Second-order cybernetics in the ‘smart’ home [Doctoral dissertation, Royal College of Art]. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.690638
