The use of data mining techniques for defining strategies in scientific communication processes in design journals

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the core themes and research methods of design research by analyzing citations of papers in the journal Design Studies. It also aims to find out the evolution and future trends of design research. Employing bibliometrics and network analysis, the paper analyzes features of papers from Design Studies, looking for variables that identify factors of higher quality papers of this journal. Due to the limitation of the Scopus database, this study only managed to extract articles with full citations in Design Studies from 2001 to 2011. The main contribution of this paper is the use of a network analysis technique to analyze research methods in the 317 papers published in Design Studies between 2001 and 2010. Among the factors identified, we highlight the possibility of partnerships, and issues facing the Management and Graphic Web Design. Armed with information on success factors for publication in this journal, it becomes possible to highlight some procedures for submission to this journal. Keywords: epistemology of design, design science, systematic review, data mining, data analysis.