Subject: Reference and Citation in Design Research - msg#00031

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Re: Reply to Ken

I can understand where Rob is coming from but I think he simplifies the citation issue. Plenty of people use citations exactly as he suggests, to claim some authority from predecessors, rather as many pre-enlightenment scholars regarded ancient texts as giving access to some lost "wisdom of the ancients". This is re-inforced by the practice, in many of the sciences, of using citations as a kind of shorthand for very specific findings, eg "21.33% of all designers in Alberta have moustaches, (Friedman 2003)". We assume that Friedman has carried out a thorough statistical analysis following the conventions of moustache mcience and we move on to examine the consequences of Friedman's research for our own. However there is another, much more important way to use citations and it comes in two parts. The first part is the question I ask all my students as often as I can: "how do you know that?" The answer will be one of three, (a) they have conducted some empirical research and can explain their method, (b) (most often) they have deduced it from what they have read or (c) They only know it in some way that they cannot explain, in which case it may be valid but it's very difficult to sell in a text. The second part is that, if your answer is (b) you have to build an argument around the citation, you can't just wear it as a badge, you must show us that you understand your source and explain to us how it supports your assertion.** Best wishes Chris **eg "Ken Friedman, an experienced investigator in the field of moustache population studies, reported (2003) that 21% of designers in Alberta have moustaches. Given the size of his sample (more than 50% of 8000 Albertan designers were observed) we can use this figure with a good degree of confidence but evidence from the field of family name studies (Curedale 2001) indicates a need for caution before we extrapolate Friedman's findings to the whole of Canada. Curedale's work at the Seattle Surname Centre provides evidence that most designers in British Columbia have family roots Southern Europe while designers in Alberta are mainly descended from a group of Sri-Lankan sailors shipwrecked in the Great Lakes around 1927 and this difference in cultural origins may indicate different moustache preferences." *************************************** Professor Chris Rust Head of Art and Design Research Centre Sheffield Hallam University Psalter Lane Sheffield S7 1SF, UK +44 114 225 2686 c.rust@xxxxxxxxx www.chrisrust.net ________________________________ From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design on behalf of Ranulph Glanville Sent: Sun 16/04/2006 09:04 To: PHD-DESIGN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Reply to Ken While agreeing with David I would add that proper referencing is also the demonstration of an act of joining a common pursuit in research, and of thanking those on whose shoulders we stand. I believe it is enormously important also in this respect. In a world where we strive desperately to show tiny bits of originality, it is good to act with courtesy, grace and gratitude! (This is not to downplay the need for critical thinking, though much of what I see paraded as critical thinking is, I fear, booth mere polemic and seriously flawed.) Ranulph On 16 Apr 2006, at 08:16, David Durling wrote: > On 16 Apr 2006, at 12:32 am, rob curedale wrote: > >> I believe that there is a greater need for analysis >> and critical thinking than collating existing >> material.Citations are a historical legacy. > > Knowing where one's own contribution is placed among other claims > to originality, is the bedrock of evidence based reasoning. > Researchers cannot know if their work is original unless they know > with some degree of certainty that others have not been there before. > > I agree that there is ALSO a need for analysis and critical > thinking. The quality of such analysis may be excellent or > otherwise, just like design practice. Quality of research outcomes > will be influenced by evidence based reasoning, and facilitated > greatly by proper citation and reference. That is why such process > is used in other domains - take pharmaceuticals for example - where > originality of research leading to breakthrough products is no less > prized than it is in design. > > David Durling > > ___________________________________ > > David Durling PhD > Professor of Design > School of Arts, Middlesex University > Cat Hill, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN4 8HT, UK > tel: 020 8411 5108 > 00 44 20 8411 5108 > email: intuitive@xxxxxxx > > ___________________________________

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Re: Reference and Citation in Design Research

Dear All, Will I might agree with all the sundry comments in connection with the purpose, use and procedures of citations etc., I thought the original posting was more about the issue of ad hominens? happy easter keith russell >>> Ken Friedman <ken.friedman@xxxxx> 04/17/06 5:46 AM >>> Dear All, David, Ranulph, and Chris stated my views well in their replies to Rob's note. Referencing and citation serve the goals stated in their three notes. Reference and citation is a research skill that involves far more than history. These are analytical and critical tools. I may add a few short thoughts on this in a day or so. For now, I will be happy to send the document that occasioned Rob's comments to anyone who wishes it. This is a paper I prepared for teaching a workshop on research writing when Joao Lutz and his colleagues invited me to Rio de Janerio last October. (Abstract below.) If you'd like a copy in PDF format, please send a note to me at <ken.friedman@xxxxx> Place the word "Reference" in the subject header Subject: Reference You'll have a copy by return post. Warm wishes, Ken Friedman, Ken. 2005. Reference and Citation in Design Research. Research Writing Workshop. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Third International Conference on Design Research Abstract Good referencing is central to the growing literature of design research for four main reasons: reasoned argument, access to common evidence, building the field, and improving the intellectual and practical quality of the discipline. This article outlines the foundations of referencing and citation. It clarifies central issues in referencing and citation. It discusses literature review as an exercise linked to good referencing and it offers resources and tools for design research. Most important, it discusses the role of evidence in analyzing and solving problems in design research. While some design problems involve taste and interpretation, most design arguments rest on statements of fact. Statements of fact have truth-value established by evidence. References make evidence accessible distinct from the person and claims of the writer. By providing evidence for reasoned argument, good referencing and citation serves both the field of design practice and the discipline of design research. A challenge to the value of referencing and citations is sometimes heard in design research circles. This challenge questions the value of good referencing and citations to research and practice in design. This article will address the misunderstandings that give rise to these challenges.

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Reply to Ken

I would like to reply to some comments Ken made about a previous discussion on this Forum that I have have included below. There are some innaccuracies and material included that is surprising but perhaps not. The point that I made in the past discussion that Ken has partly quoted out of context is that I believe that the system of citations used in academia is a measure of how much a researcher has investigated existing written material. It is not a measure of the quality of analysis or critical thinking applied to the ideas contained in that material to move the body of knowledge of the research field forward. So to read the particular items Ken has quoted a reader would get the wrong impression of my later discussion. I believe that there is a greater need for analysis and critical thinking than collating existing material.Citations are a historical legacy. Ken suggests that this is a confusion and lack of understanding of the nature of research but I disagree. It is a comment about the emphasis and consequent quality of some research. A bibliography of original ideas in a paper would for me be a better measure of that paper's quality. This question difference in the perception of the value of analysyis and originality between practicing designers and design researchers. A fundamental difference in cultures that is an important issue for discussion in a design research group. Western designers despize the lack of originality shown by Chinese manufactueres when they make copies of western products. Designers value insight and analsis. If Ken had done his research properly he would have discovered that I have been compiling bibliographies for several decades including some of the first product design historical research that had been undertaken in Australia. Best Wishes Rob Curedale Research Writing WorkshopThird International Conference on Design ResearchRio de JaneiroBrazil October 2005 Abstract Reference and Citationin Design Research Ken Friedman Professor of Leadership and Strategic DesignDepartment of Communication, Culture, and LanguageNorwegian School of Management Design Research CenterDenmark?s Design School "In a thread on the PhD-Design discussion list, a leading design professional (Curedale 2001 unpaged) wrote, ?teachers are sometimes more concerned about the traceability or accuracy of statements rather than whether statements present progress in ideas. Teaching is about understanding the existing body of knowledge. Teaching is about knowing the past to prepare students to deal with the future. There is no greater crime for a teacher than to quote inaccurately or to show poor scholarship.? This short paragraph suggested several kinds of confusion. It failed to distinguish between studio teaching, research teaching, and research. It also suggested a failure to understand the purpose of research literature. This lack of understanding is common in many fields of professional practice. It is troubling for two reasons. The first reason is that a successful and highly respected practicing designer represents both advanced professional knowledge and the gaps in understanding that typify many design professionals. The second is that this statement was published on a research list. PhD-Design is a forum for the exchange of ideas on research and research training. This is the last place one would expect a failure to understand the value and use of literature. While the author of that post was an active contributor to many lists in design education and research, he comes to an interest in research without a research background. This flavored both his interest and the gaps in his perspective. Five years later, Rob Curedale is a professor and chair of product design at the College of Creative Studies in Detroit. He has also been developing bibliographies and using the research literature. Nevertheless, many of the ideas in the post to PhD-Design remain common in the field. It is easy to answer the challenges implicit in that long-ago post. "

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Re: Reference and Citation in Design Research

Dear All, Will I might agree with all the sundry comments in connection with the purpose, use and procedures of citations etc., I thought the original posting was more about the issue of ad hominens? happy easter keith russell >>> Ken Friedman <ken.friedman@xxxxx> 04/17/06 5:46 AM >>> Dear All, David, Ranulph, and Chris stated my views well in their replies to Rob's note. Referencing and citation serve the goals stated in their three notes. Reference and citation is a research skill that involves far more than history. These are analytical and critical tools. I may add a few short thoughts on this in a day or so. For now, I will be happy to send the document that occasioned Rob's comments to anyone who wishes it. This is a paper I prepared for teaching a workshop on research writing when Joao Lutz and his colleagues invited me to Rio de Janerio last October. (Abstract below.) If you'd like a copy in PDF format, please send a note to me at <ken.friedman@xxxxx> Place the word "Reference" in the subject header Subject: Reference You'll have a copy by return post. Warm wishes, Ken Friedman, Ken. 2005. Reference and Citation in Design Research. Research Writing Workshop. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Third International Conference on Design Research Abstract Good referencing is central to the growing literature of design research for four main reasons: reasoned argument, access to common evidence, building the field, and improving the intellectual and practical quality of the discipline. This article outlines the foundations of referencing and citation. It clarifies central issues in referencing and citation. It discusses literature review as an exercise linked to good referencing and it offers resources and tools for design research. Most important, it discusses the role of evidence in analyzing and solving problems in design research. While some design problems involve taste and interpretation, most design arguments rest on statements of fact. Statements of fact have truth-value established by evidence. References make evidence accessible distinct from the person and claims of the writer. By providing evidence for reasoned argument, good referencing and citation serves both the field of design practice and the discipline of design research. A challenge to the value of referencing and citations is sometimes heard in design research circles. This challenge questions the value of good referencing and citations to research and practice in design. This article will address the misunderstandings that give rise to these challenges.