Reference citations are a critical ingredient of a good paper. Reference citations help to show where there are gaps in knowledge that the presented work fills. It is important to provide reference citations for relevant work that has previously appeared in JMD or in related design journals that JMD readers are likely to also follow. These provide context for the JMD readership. Some of JMD’s sister journals are: ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics; ASME Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering; Journal of Mechanisms and Machine Theory; AI for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing; Journal of Product Innovation Management; Computer-Aided Design; Research in Engineering Design; Journal of Engineering Design; Design Studies; Mechatronics; Engineering Optimization; Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. The list is not exhaustive. See also the January 2012 Editorial.

Most references should be in English to be accessible to JMD’s English-speaking readers. While it is acceptable for some portion of the references to be non-English language publications, these cannot dominate the reference list. If some seminal work has appeared in a language other than English it will be of service to the JMD readers if the authors articulate and summarize the referenced findings for the benefit of those who cannot access or understand the original source. Simply listing several papers without explaining why they are listed is not useful. For further information on the rationale for referencing see the November 2011 Editorial. For further information on formating standards see the ASME’s Author Resources.