SUBMISSION

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Submission Formats

Long Papers

We invite submission of advanced and high-quality papers of up to 6000 words (including abstract, tables, references, and figure captions) that address the Conference theme. The papers should offer original insights, contribute to the theoretical and practical understanding of Service Design, and spark new directions for research and practice in relation to the conference theme. Papers must be written and presented in English only. Download Long Paper Template

Short Papers

We invite concise, thought-provoking contributions (up to 3000 words including abstract, tables, references, and figure captions) that engage with the conference theme in exploratory, speculative, and/or provocative ways. This track welcomes works that are still in progress, offering a space for discussion and feedback. These papers should present new ideas, challenge existing assumptions, or explore novel methodologies–aiming to provide opportunities for lively and respectful discussion. Short papers should be written and presented in English only.  Download Short Paper Template

Workshops

We welcome workshop proposals that engage with the conference theme through hands-on, participatory sessions. Workshops submitted should address one of the conference themes. We invite workshop proposals that explore concepts, theories, processes, frameworks, practices, and pragmatics through a smaller workshop format. Workshop duration should be around 120 minutes. Venues will be provided but please include specific requirements, such as materials, facilities, and technologies in your proposal. Download Workshop Template

Student Forum

The student forum will offer PhD students whose research engages with service design an opportunity to reflect together, build community and gain feedback from peers and senior scholars. During our time together, you will be able to discuss your struggles, find your people, and refine your argumentation. We will invite you to reframe and reflect on your research by crafting a material representation of your PhD so far, present and discuss your work in small groups and share experiences in a supportive environment. Download Student Forum Template

Industry Case Study

Industry Case studies offer professionals and other practitioners in the field to share their work through a brief presentation. Industry Case Studies will not be peer-reviewed but allow researchers and practitioners to engage with each other through knowledge exchange. The idea is to discover common challenges, receive feedback but also to connect theory and practice around services. Download Industry Case Study Template

Review Process

All submissions will be blind peer-reviewed by an international review panel, according to evaluation criteria set by the scientific committee. Once reviewed, all authors will be notified of acceptance, conditional acceptance, or rejection. Submissions that are accepted conditionally will be required to address the feedback by the camera-ready resubmission date. Long Papers that are unfortunately rejected will have the opportunity to re-write and submit as Short Paper.

All submissions must be anonymous and must not contain the name(s) of author(s) or any references of institutions for the purposes of blind peer review. Please ensure these are removed (including file names, captions, etc) prior to upload in the submission system.

Acceptance of notification will be sent by e-mail. Those accepted will be required to attend and present, discuss questions, and engage with the conference program. This means at least one author must register for the conference for the submission to be included in the proceedings. All accepted and revised submissions must be formatted in the ServDes2027 template and submitted to the conference system.

If you have questions regarding the submission guidelines, please write to servdes2027@northumbria.ac.uk

Guidelines on AI use

Artificial intelligence tools are now part of the contemporary research environment. This guideline sets out expectations for their responsible use in papers submitted and reviewed for ServDes2027. It is grounded in principles of transparency, scholarly accountability, and intellectual integrity. Authors must include an AI Use Statement describing which tools were used (Model and Version. This statement should appear alongside existing declarations and acknowledgements (e.g. funding, conflicts of interest). Further guidance in this AI Use Guidance Document.

Publication and Indexing

Since 2025, previous ServDes proceedings are published on the Design Research Society (DRS) Digital Library ensuring global accessibility as open access publications. Each paper will be assigned a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), enhancing discoverability and citation tracking.

We look forward to your contributions to this globally recognized platform for advancing service design research.