SDA aims to increase the availability of systemic design literature by building presence and relationships with high-quality design journals.
There are several journals and niche publications; however, only about five per cent of studies or theoretical work presented at RSD culminates in peer-reviewed publications. Despite the lack of research flow, systemic design shows up in many fields, and high-quality design journals have been responsive to initiatives by RSD proceedings editors to collaborate on special issues and submit systemic design literature. As systemic design gains recognition across disciplines and fields, it is expected that the number of collaborative and specialised publishing initiatives undertaken by SDA editors and members will continue to grow.
Nonetheless, the dearth of scholarly journals dedicated to systemic design literature or the contributions of systems, cybernetics and complexity in design studies is an ongoing challenge. Recognising that systemic design is a developing interdisciplinary field with researchers coming to systems theory from design – and design practitioners engaging in systems theory – members agreed that a systemic design publishing platform is timely and necessary. Therefore, SDA members supported the development of a dedicated journal – Contexts – The Systemic Design Journal – and 2022 marks the inaugural issue.
As Contexts gains recognition as a field-identified journal, it will work to increase the impact of systemic design literature in academia and practice and advance systemic design’s emergence as a discipline. Importantly, Contexts will further the potential for scholarly publishing collaborations to support scholarship and maintain the interdisciplinary nature of systemic design’s research network.


Scholarly Publishing Collaborations
The following design journals have published special issues dedicated to systemic design or featured systemic design articles developed from RSD proceedings.

DMI Journal
Vol 16 Issue 1 (2019)
Towards systemic theories of change: High-leverage strategies for managing wicked problems
Ryan Murphy & Peter Jones

FORMAkademisk
Research Journal of Design and Design Education
Systemic Design Themed Issues
Vol 13 No 2 (2020)
Relating Systems Thinking and Design VI
Vol 12 No 2 (2019)
Relating Systems Thinking and Design V
Vol 11 No 4 (2018)
Relating Systems Thinking and Design IV
Vol 10, No 1 (2017)
Relating Systems Thinking and Design III
Vol 7, No 4 (2014)
Relating Systems Thinking and Design II (Theory Issue)
Vol 7, No 3 (2014)
Relating Systems Thinking and Design I (Practice Issue)

Policy Design and Practice
Volume 5, Issue 1 (2022)
Participatory policy design: Igniting systems change through prototyping
André Nogueira & Ruth Schmidt
Systemic design practice for participatory policymaking
Emma Blomkamp




SHE JI
Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation
Systemic Design Themed Issues
Vol 5, Issue 2 (2019)
Pathways to Systemic Design
Editors: Birger Sevaldson & Peter Jones
Vol 3, Issue 3 (2018)
The Systemic Turn: Leverage for World Changing
Editor: Peter Jones
Articles
Vol 7, Issue 4 (2021)
A Co-evolutionary, Transdisciplinary Approach to Innovation in Complex Contexts: Improving University Well-Being, a Case Study
Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer, Diedre Kligyte, Tyler Key
Vol 7, Issue 2 (2021)
Issue Systemic Mapping and Design Research: Towards Participatory Democratic Engagement
Juan de la Rosa, Stan Ruecker, Carolina Giraldo
Designerly Approaches for Catalyzing Change in Social Systems: A Social Structures Approach Josina Vink, Katarina Wetter-Edman, Kaisa Koskela-Huotari
Vol 6, Issue 3 (2020)
Systemic Design Principles in Social Innovation: A Study of Expert Practices and Design Rationales Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer, Bridget Malcolm

Strategic Design Research Journal
Vol 13, Issue 2 (2020)
Special Issue: Relating Systems Thinking and Design. Systemic Design and Co-creation Processes for Territorial Enhancement
Editors: Silvia Barbero & Amina Pereno

Touchpoint
Vol 12, No. 2 (2021)
Special Issue: Service Design and Systems Thinking
Editors: J. Tuomas Harviainen & Josina Vink
Note: Service Design Network membership or pay-as-you-go options are required to access Touchpoint.
See Design Dialogues for Peter Jones’ review of the publication and the Touchpoint article, co-written with Kristel Van Ael, “Design for services in complex system contexts”.