Writing a Journal Paper in the field of Human Experience
By Rick Schifferstein, TU Delft
Writing a paper for an academic journal is an art in itself that asks for a particular style that can only be learned through extensive practice. Writing a paper can be a cumbersome and energy-draining activity: Every detail needs to be checked, every sentence needs to fit in and the wording should be precise, the line of argumentation should be solid, statistical analyses should be appropriate and well executed, every conclusion should be substantiated by the study results. In addition, every journal seems to have their own rules, some of which are implicit. Therefore, many researchers struggle to complete their papers.
In this Masterclass, Rick Schifferstein provides a stable basic framework for writing academic papers, using the draft papers, reviewer reports, and rebuttals from his own publication practice as exemplary materials. Course participants will receive a detailed insight in his personal approach to academic writing, supplemented by many practical suggestions and personal writing tips.
The meetings provide a ‘training on the job’ approach: participants evaluate and discuss each other’s work and develop a writing strategy for the next part of the paper. In between meetings, participants revise their contribution and work on the subsequent section for their paper. When they keep up with the schedule and finish the entire course, they will have finished a paper that is ready for submission after completing the course. The scheduled joint meetings help to motivate participants to continue to work on their papers over the course of the meetings.
Staff members who participated in the previous edition of this course on average awarded the quality of the course with an 8.5.
Target group
This Masterclass is intended for academic staff (tenure trackers, assistant professors, post docs, experienced PhDs who are in their 2nd to 4th year) from the 4TU community. The course is tailored towards participants who have finished an empirical study in the field of human experience, consumer behavior or design research, and would like to transform their outcomes into a high-quality journal paper for an academic journal (e.g., International Journal of Design, Materials & Design, Applied Ergonomics, Design Studies, Journal of Engineering Design, Journal of Design Research, CoDesign, Journal of Consumer Research).
Ideally, the participants have already acquired basic writing skills from courses on scientific writing and from writing papers for conferences before the start of the Masterclass. The class helps both in speeding up the writing process and in improving the quality of their contribution. Because all participants come from the industrial design field, the feedback received during the meetings is generally perceived as very relevant for improving everyone’s papers. Even if participants cannot stick to the exact course assignments, the repeated peer feedback is highly motivating and inspires to continue writing.
Biography
Rick (H.N.J.) Schifferstein is one of the most productive academic researchers of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at TU Delft and he is experienced in coaching both students and professionals for their work-related skills. His topics of interest include (multi)sensory perception, consumer behavior, food design, and experience-driven innovation. He contributed to more than 100 papers in international scientific journals, including International Journal of Design, Acta Psychologica, Food Quality and Preference, Marketing Letters, and Materials & Design. He is co-editor of the books Food, People and Society (2001), Product Experience (2008), From Floating Wheelchairs to Mobile Car Parks (2011), and Advanced Design Methods for Successful Innovation (2013). Since 2016 he is the Principal Editor of the International Journal of Food Design.
Practical
The Masterclass consists of six afternoon meetings of 3-4 h, dispersed over a 6-month period and separated by 4-5 weeks, during which all participants work on their journal paper. Participants should reserve at least 2-3 days to work on their paper in between meetings. The Masterclass will start in November 2025 and continue until May 2026.
In-person meetings will all be held at TU Delft on Thursday afternoons. In addition, an online connection will be arranged for students who cannot attend the physical meetings in Delft. Particpants who are not in Delft are encouraged to team up for the meetings, so they can physically meet to give each other feedback during the meeting.
The masterclass will be organized if at least 10 students participate; the maximum number of participants is 25.
Dates: Thursday 13 November, 11 December, 22 January, 5 March, 9 April, and 21 May
Meetings start at 13.45 and last until 17.00.
Deliverables and Assessment
For every meeting (except the first one), students write a section of their paper. During the meetings, students give each other peer formative feedback on the assignment.
Students who cannot attend a meeting are requested to team up with another student, in order to exchange mutual personal feedback on the writing assignment for that week.
After the course, PhD students will hand in a full paper in which all peer comments have been addressed, and that is ready for submission to a journal. If sufficient, the student will get a certificate. For TU Delft students, the course is awarded with 5GS credits for discipline-related skills.
Registration
Participants should register for this course before 1 November 2025.
More information about the course can be obtained from Rick Schifferstein at h.n.j.schifferstein@tudelft.nl