Design as Scholarship | Review Criteria

JAE’s distinction as a venue for creative work is its focus on design as a vehicle of inquiry. The editors are thus interested in not only well produced works, but works that contribute broader critical ideas about the medium, methods, sites, and/or agendas that it engages. These critical ideas must, furthermore, be advanced in the design itself – its mode of appearance or fabrication, its artefactual and relational qualities, and so on. In other words, while design submissions do involve textual explanation, persuasively described intents, topics, or polemics do not, in themselves, recommend a project for acceptance as a design article. JAE seeks design work and teaching that, through their creative innovation, can offer critical insights upon the context, medium, practice, subjects of architecture. Authors should thus clearly articulate in both graphic and textual form the theoretical underpinnings, design process, and reflective outcome of the submitted work so as to position it in 'the body of knowledge' of architecture.

The following questions may be used as a guide to the qualities sought by the Design Committee:
1. Does the submission offer critical content beyond the specific terms of the illustrated work? Is this content a contribution to the understanding, practice, and/or teaching of architecture?
2. Does the illustrated work merit publication for its measure of innovation or creative excellence?
3. Does the creative work reflect or engage the stated critical intents in a meaningful way?

Clearly written explanations and demonstrative illustrations are key to the review process. Authors are urged to give careful consideration to the articulation of the text, its relationship to the graphic material, and to the selection, coordination, and description of images.