Design Studies Template
Get your Design Studies paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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How to Use the Design Studies Template | A Step-by-Step Guide
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 10 August, 2026
Submitting to Design Studies goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Design Studies guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
What is the Design Studies Template?
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Design Studies. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Design Studies journal page before you draft.
What's actually in a Design Studies submission:
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Design Studies guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
What separates a clean submission from one that gets kicked back:
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Design Studies guide for authors before you submit.
What does this Design Studies Template include?
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through the journal's submission system.
Steps to Use This Template with SciSpace Agent
- Click Start Writing on this page. The SciSpace Agent prompt screen opens with the template loaded.
- Use the loaded template, or upload a version your group already uses for Design Studies.
- Edit the prompt with your topic and article type, and note any requirement from the Design Studies guide for authors.
- Run the prompt. The agent drafts into the correct structure and reference style.
- Use View Outputs to verify required statements and formatting are present.
- Export and submit through the journal's submission system.
Design Studies Template Structure at a Glance
| Element | Design Studies requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract with maximum 250 words. The abstract should be concise and factual, briefly stating the purpose of research, principal results and major conclusions. Must be able to stand alone. Avoid references (if essential, cite author(s) and year(s)). Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations (if essential, define at first mention). No specific requirements by article type stated |
| Main text | Research Papers and Case Studies: 5000-8000 words. Review Papers: 7000-10000 words. Design Perspective Papers: 3000-4000 words. Word counts apply to the overall article length for each article type |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Required: 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Authors should try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Abbreviations in keywords should only be used if they are firmly established in the field |
| References | APA style (American Psychological Association). Citations follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020). Reference list arranged alphabetically and then chronologically. Multiple references from same author(s) in same year identified by letters 'a', 'b', 'c', etc. after year |
| Peer review | Double-blind/double-anonymized review process. Author identities are concealed from reviewers and vice versa. Submissions initially assessed by editors for suitability, then typically sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment of scientific quality. Final decision made by editors |
| Submission | submit.elsevier.com/DESTUD |
Quick Tips for Using the Design Studies Template
Read the Design Studies guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Design Studies in under a page.
Best Practices
Skim two or three recent Design Studies papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Design Studies journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Before You Submit: Final Check
Do one focused pass against the Design Studies guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal's submission system.
