research

Dr Ravindra Deshmukh

Setting a Sturdy Base

for a Research Journal
in Architecture
There appears to be a dearth of media for architects to express
information in a professional manner. This is where research
journals can play a significant role and facilitate the acquisition
and dissemination of reliable information

T
here has been a paucity of scientific architecture journals in
India for a long time now. It is mainly because architects are
involved in professional and fieldwork, which leaves them
little or no time for research-oriented writing. Lately, a few
institutes have made successful attempts at publishing good
research periodicals. Here, we try to capture the essentials of creating a
strong foundation for such an effort.

Publications on Architecture
JSTOR, the research database, lists 180 titles under architecture and
architectural history, out of which 43 are research journals. It does not list
many more, which are published by renowned university presses and list-
ed by other research databases. Until the year 2000, there was no journal
in India devoted exclusively to research in
architecture, like the Architectural
Science Review from Austra-
lia. The Journal of the
Indian Institute of Archi-
tects is a mouthpiece of
the architecture frater-
nity in India. It covers
topics of mutual interest
and occasionally pub-
lishes research-oriented
material. Since 2013, it
has been carrying a tag
of a ‘refereed journal’
specially highlighted on

16 ARCHITECTURE - Time Space & People May 2014

its cover page as its members contrib-
ute in writing, referring and selecting
what should be published.
The monthly magazine called the
Indian Architect, was a very popular
professional periodical during the
1960s and part of the 1970s. During
the same time, a magazine named
the Architect’s Trade Journal was
gaining popularity due to its expo-
sure to some good architectural proj-
ects. The print media was gearing
for advancement in various fields.
Architecture remained elusive to me-
dia inclusiveness. Academia was not
keen toward architectural journal-
ism, although books like Fountain-
head gained incredible popularity
and applause from the architecture
fraternity and others at a global level.
During that time, Media Transasia
launched Architecture+Design,
popularly known as A+D, a quality
professional magazine intermix-
ing projects, theory, academics
and ancient wisdom. It occasion-
ally showed research inclination. It
owed its instantaneous popularity,
in professional as well as academic
circles, to its rich content, layout and
print quality. It ruled the popularity
index for almost three decades and
continues to do so. The Council of
Architecture came up in 2001 with
Architectures Time, Space and People
a professional magazine catering
to a variety of writing needs. Lately,
some efforts have been made to lay
a foundation for academic research
in architecture, giving a platform
for exclusive research interests. In
India, the journal seems to be quite a
popular medium. ‘Indeed, the schol-
arly peer-reviewed journal tends to
enjoy unchallenged leadership as the
preferred and traditional, publication
outlet for academics and profession-
als’ (Tenopir & King, 2001).
An architect can publish his/
her scholarly writing in a variety of
print media— a neighborhood level
news weekly, a regional or national
newspaper, a fortnightly periodical,
a professional magazine, or even a
coffee-table magazine. An author who
wishes to publish in any of these can
also present his research at a confer-
ence, resulting in the same being
documented in its proceedings or in a
research journal of choice. Publishing
in a research journal of international
standing brings credibility to the
research findings proposed.
What makes a good
research journal?
There are seven important attributes
of a good research journal. They are:
• Journal age: As a journal grows in
age, it matures to attain a status
in the professional community,
like the Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) Journal, which
is quite old and popular in the
profession and widely respected
within and outside the United
Kingdom.
• Circulation: Distribution of
the journal can be analyzed in
many ways—on the basis of the
audience or readers, the region
receiving the largest number of
copies, the gender bias in the
readership, etc.
• Number of articles published:
The number of articles per issue
is indicative of the general health
of a journal. However, it is more
important to see the number of
quality articles a journal is capable
of publishing in a year. Other
important features worth noticing
May 2014 ARCHITECTURE - Time Space & People
are, the manner in which articles
are sub grouped into themes and
the chronology of such themes
until present times and the
announcement of future themes.
• Subscription cost: Scientific
journals are expensive. There is
a specific and limited subscriber
base for it. International journals
in developed countries are in the
range of USD 80 to 100 per year.
However, unlimited Internet access
to current as well as previous
issues, for three months, may cost
between USD 250 and 400.
• Frequency of publication: The
number of issues in a year may be
two (bi-annual), four (quarterly)
or six (bi-monthly). Rarely is it a
monthly issue. These days, online
subscription is preferred by most
people. Not only is it cheaper but
it is eco-friendly and can be easily
stored after download.
• Size: Most of the publications are
in a standard A4 format. Some may
be half or two thirds of it.
• Article length: Typically, a
submission should be of 3000-
5000 words for a full research
paper. Anything less than 1600
words and accepted, is normally
carried under the heading ‘Letters
to the Editor’.
The outlets for publishing schol-
arly works can range from a tradi-
tional book or journal to an in-house
magazine or monograph. The article
can be either in the print or electronic
form. In India, there are a few research
journals published in the field of ar-
chitecture. Some of them are: ABACUS
(An Internationally Refereed Bi-Annual
Journal of Architecture, Conservation
& Urban Studies), by Birla Institute of
Technology, Mesra, Ranchi; JA: Journal
17
research
of Architecture by Chandigarh College
of Architecture, Chandigarh; SPAN-
DREL, Journal of School of Planning
and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal; Con-
text: Built, Living and Natural, Journal
of the Development and Research
Organization for Nature, Architecture
and Heritage by DRONAH, Gurgaon
(Refer Figure 1).
Do’s and Don’ts
There are many factors that go into
making a good research journal. There
are many features that should exist
Figure 1: Facsimiles of some Indian Architecture Research Journals
18 ARCHITECTURE - Time Space & People May 2014
and many things that should
be avoided.
If an institute wishes to publish a
research journal, here is a list of do’s:
1. Maintain a Corpus Fund: It
is of primary importance to
have a good body of funds on
which the journal can survive.
Research has no room for being
partial in its objective. Inserting
advertisements for income
supports a partial nature. This
creates bias, which is contrary to
the very purpose of research.
2. Shun Glitz: Glitz and glamour
can create a diversion from the
main focus of research. Simply
put, the cover page should not be
jazzy or in multi-color. It should
be simple, neat and attractive.
Ideally, not more than two colours
should be used and it should
reflect the research status of a
quality international journal
(Refer Figure 2).
3. Flaunt an Impressive Editor’s
Profile: The editor should be of a
very high quality and the person
should be known in the research
domain, and beyond. This not
only builds confidence but also
increases the contribution toward
the journal in terms of research
papers. Therefore, the editor
should be of international acclaim,
selected through a rigorous
selection process and in no way an
ad-hoc appointee.
5. Choose Editorial Team: The core
editorial team should be carefully
structured, as they form the driv-
ing force for the journal’s success.
They are responsible for giving
direction and focus to the journal.
They keep a check on the qual-
ity of the contents by subjecting
the submitted papers to rigorous
scrutiny. Hence, the editorial team
should comprise eminent people
from different fields of research,
representing various segments
of architecture and from diverse
nationalities and regions.
6. Avoid being Directionless: The
goal of the journal should be
precise. It should be focussed
on what it decides to publish. It
should have a specific research
aim and the objectives should be
interlinked with the aim. This aim
 Figure 2: Cover Pages of some International Journals
should appear, as a continuous
reminder, in the inside page of
the cover.
7. Outline Policy: The selection
process of articles/research
papers should be clearly stated
(preferably inside the back cover).
Being a refereed journal, each
short listed paper must go through
a double blind review process, for
final selection and publication.
8. Establish Quality: The success
and quality of a research journal
is determined by the number of
times the published papers therein
are referred for other researches
over a specified period of time.
The journal should strive to
establish its research publication’s
quality to earn a very high Journal
Impact Factor (JIF) for its content,
quality and citing. This, in turn,
will help it earn worldwide
credibility in the domain of
architectural research.
9. Get Listed: One of the vital
aspects of a research journal is its
international visibility alongside
other eminent journals. This can
be achieved by endeavouring to
May 2014 ARCHITECTURE - Time Space & People
list on popular research databases
like JSTOR, EBSCO and Science
Direct.
Let us look at what a research journal,
should not do:
1. Provide insufficient theoretical
foundations.
2. Use subjects or variables
in the research that are not
representative of the subjects or
variables described in the theory.
3. Provide insufficient explanation or
definition of the concepts used.
4. Provide insufficient clarification
19
research
of the reasoning behind methods
and procedures.
5. Comprise individual paragraphs
that do not form a logical whole.
6. Use amateurish tone and style,
which reduces the quality of
presentation.
7. Carry out research incorrectly
through illegitimate or invalid
procedures.
8. Contain content irrelevant to the
discipline of the journal or not
interestingly innovative enough to
be published.
9. Overemphasize the methodical
and technical components at the
cost of interpreting and drawing
meaning from the results.
10. Have a weak conclusion.
11. Use the same data/research results
in a slightly differently manner in
various publications to increase
the chances of publication.
Source: Tenopir & King 2001
Reach and Richness
Once a decision about setting up a
research journal is reached, the manag-
ing board should be made aware of
the characteristics associated with a
respectable research journal. ‘Publish-
ing attributes include journal age and
size, circulation, number of articles
published, annual subscription cost,
frequency of publication and article
length, attributes that have all been
alluded to as being associated with a
journal’s standing and quality (Sellitto,
2013). These variables determine the
wide diffusion and quality of a journal.
Sellitto also observes that surprisingly
there is a correlation between the
length of articles (richness) and the
journal’s circulation (reach). These two
factors, therefore, play a key role in
transmitting knowledge.
20 ARCHITECTURE - Time Space & People May 2014
Nowadays, scientific publishing is
rapidly shifting from a paper-based
system to one of predominantly elec-
tronic distribution, in which universi-
ties purchase site licenses for online
access to journal contents (Bergstrom
& Bergstrom, 2001). This saves cost,
shows efforts toward sustainability
and has better dissemination power. It
is an important aspect in considering
publication of a research journal. Also,
many libraries do not consider acces-
sibility to back issues while subscribing.
In fact, back issues or facility to refer to
archives is essential.
Most readers of scholarly articles are
people who have to sift through moun-
tains of information before they find
exactly what they need. Therefore, it is
important for readers to be able to de-
termine, within a few minutes, whether
an article is relevant for their research
or not. If that is not immediately clear,
the article is usually just set aside in
favour of some other, more useful
article. Therefore, the editorial team
should make sure that the article under
consideration provides the reader with
the following information instantly:
• Aim: The aim of the article
should be clearly formulated on
the first page.
• Key points: The important
information should flow logically
from one point to the next,
clearly indicated with subtitles,
introductions and conclusions.
• Implication: The implication of
the article, its intended audience
and its use should be clearly
described.
• Readability: The article should
be jargon-free, with recognizable
diction, short, crisp sentences and
an easy-to-follow thread
of thought.
• Appeal: The article should be
written in a way that is appealing
enough to encourage a reader to
read it carefully.
Clearly, the primary aim of
a quality professional research
journal is to disseminate scholarly
knowledge amongst members,
peers, other interested professionals
and researchers. ‘…the advent of
the peer-reviewed journal provides
one of the important and significant
avenues for the dissemination and
extension of knowledge’ (Bergstrom
& Bergstrom, 2001). This underlines
the rigor that goes into setting up a
vision for a robust journal in the field
of architecture in India.
References
1. Bergstrom, C & Bergstrom, T.
2001. The Economics of Scholarly
Journal Publishing, University of
Washington; Retrieved August
16, 2008, available at: http://web.
archive.org/web/20021201013750/
octavia.zoology.washington.edu/
publishing/ecology_citationprice.
html
2. Sellitto, C. 2013. ‘A study of journal
publication attributes: Some
considerations for academics in
the information systems discipline’,
Centre for Tourism and Services
Research, Victoria University,
Melbourne; available at:
3. http://www.webology.org/2009/
v6n1/a66.html
4. Tenopir, C & King, D 2001, ‘Lessons
for the Future of journals’, Nature
413 (6857), pp 672-673
Dr. Ravindra Deshmukh is Professor,
Dr. BN College of Architecture, Pune, India.
Contact: ravindra.deshmukh@bnca.ac.in
Photographs: Courtesy the Author.