Global diversity in design research: A bibliometric investigation of design journals

Design, as a field, is inherently multifaceted. For this reason, it might be expected that design research would be reflective of this diversity, not only regarding research themes, but also geographic representation. This paper employs bibliometric methods to explore the issue of country of institutional affiliation of the authors of 14 design journals. Through the analysis of data on paper authorship, cited references and patterns of co-authorship collaboration, we develop a profile of country participation in the design research field. Our findings indicate that the distributions of country affiliation are alarmingly concentrated. As a result, we aim to foster a deeper discussion on the topic of geographic inclusivity in design research, suggesting probable causes and possible ways forward aimed at alleviating this reality.