The Journal of Online Learning Research, an AACE Journal, is seeking submissions for research articles. For more information, please see full call below.
General Call for Journal of Online Learning Research
an AACE Journal
Editorial Team
Co-Editors-in-Chief
Leanna Archambault, Arizona State University
Kathryn Kennedy, Michigan Virtual University
Associate Editors
Peter Albion, University of Southern Queensland
Cathy Cavanaugh, Microsoft Global Education
Joseph R. Freidhoff, Michigan Virtual University
Susan Lowes, Teachers College, Columbia University
Focus and Scope
The Journal of Online Learning Research (JOLR) is a peer-reviewed, international journal devoted to the theoretical, empirical, and pragmatic understanding of technologies and their impact on primary and secondary pedagogy and policy in primary and secondary (K-12) online and blended environments.
- JOLR is focused on publishing manuscripts that address online learning, catering particularly to the educators who research, practice, design, and/or administer in primary and secondary schooling in online settings. However, the journal also serves those educators who have chosen to blend online learning tools and strategies in their face-to-face classroom.
- JOLR is both international and interdisciplinary, publishing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research from multiple fields and disciplines that have a shared goal of improving primary and secondary education worldwide.
- JOLR is both theoretical and practical. Each research article is critically-reviewed to ensure publication of rigorous and thoughtful research. However, each publication must also contain pragmatic implications for research, policy, and practice.
- Each issue of the Journal of Online Learning Research contains the following types of manuscripts.
- Editorial – The editorial, whether written by the editors-in-chief, an associate editor, or a guest editor, will contain thoughtful prose about current topics in the field. This section will be important for helping direct future research in the field, as well as publishing calls for needed work.
- Research Articles – Each issue will contain 5-7 research articles from leading researchers in the field. These articles will be peer-reviewed and will include critical theoretical manuscripts as well as qualitative and quantitative research studies, meta-analyses, and methodologically-sound case studies. We will also be looking for research on the systematic design, development, implementation, and evaluation of new ideas or technology.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Journal of Online Learning Research’s availability in electronic format, there are no strict requirements for manuscript length. However, authors should plan on approximately 5,000-9,000 words per manuscript (not including references). Much shorter or longer manuscripts will be addressed individually. Images can be included; however, authors should choose to implement images judiciously.
The Journal of Online Learning Research will occasionally host Special Issues of the journal in relation to either specific investigations into a topic of choice or a collection of best conference papers.
Section Policies
Editorial (Indexed)
Journal of Online Learning Research Editorials will generally be written by the Editors-in-Chief or one of the Associate Editors. Open submissions are not accepted. For guest issues, the Editorial will be written by the Guest Editor(s). Anyone wishing to submit a special issue request should contact an Editor-in-Chief. Editorials will highlight a current and pressing issue in the field as a way of promoting research and drawing attention to important topics. Editorials will also provide summaries and reflection of content within that journal.
Research Articles (Open Submissions, Indexed, and Peer Reviewed)
Journal of Online Learning Research welcomes research articles for double-blind peer review. Research articles can be theoretical in nature; however, theoretical arguments or literature reviews must move beyond simple summary. Such articles should promote new understandings from concise arguments and reviews. Research articles can also be empirical, focusing on qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methodologies. Any empirical article, but particularly those from a qualitative framework, should make strong attempts at highlighting data and data analyses, rather than simply discussing outcomes or providing one exemplary quote as evidence of outcomes. Each article, whether theoretical or empirical, must contain pragmatic implications for policy, research, and/or practice. The Journal of Online Learning Research also welcomes studies from educators, practitioners, and policy-makers in the field. For these pieces, the writing can be more conceptual in nature, focusing on the design, development, and implementation of innovative technologies or techniques in primary and secondary online and blended learning. All too often academic standards prohibit important stories from the field from being told. These research studies, although still rigorous in nature, provide a medium for those in the field to share important insights from their work. These pieces should not be advertisements or simple product evaluations. Authors should tie their fieldwork to a broader context so that readers can replicate the efforts presented in the piece. Any evaluations of existing products should also tie back to broader efforts in the field. Finally, the Journal of Online Learning Research is international in scope. The Editors-in-Chief will work to ensure global representation. As such, authors should refrain from using–or clearly define– locale-centric abbreviations or acronyms.
Peer Review Process
All submissions to the Journal of Online Learning Research will be received and reviewed electronically. Manuscripts should be submitted in Word, RTF, or PDF versions only. In order to ensure double-blind review, the authors should not include any reference to their names or affiliations in the main body of the manuscript, and every effort will be made by the editors to make sure that no such reference is made in the manuscript prior to forwarding to reviewers.
Upon the receipt of a manuscript for consideration, the editors will review the proposal for appropriateness of scope and to ensure the manuscript meets the journal guidelines (e.g. APA formatting). If a manuscript fits the coverage and is in the correct format, the editor will send the manuscript out for review. The assignment of the (3) reviewers is based on the current reviewer content expertise, their current assignment load, and the number of manuscripts received throughout the year by each selected reviewer. Reviewers will read the manuscript, provide feedback, and assign one of five rankings:
- Accept
- Accept with Minor Revisions
- Accept with Major Revisions
- Reject but Encourage Resubmission
- Reject
All reviews will be evaluated by the Editors-in-Chief, and a final decision will be made.
Open Access Policy
This journal provides open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Frequency of Publication
The Journal of Online Learning Research has no pre-set deadlines for submissions. Manuscripts will be reviewed throughout the entire year. However, the Journal of Online Learning Research will be published approximately four times a year (January, April, July, and October), with the first issue slated for publication in January, 2015.
Author Guidelines
The Journal of Online Learning Research follows the AACE guidelines for formatting. Seehttp://www.aace.org/newpubs/index.cfm?fuseaction=Info.Entrance for more information.
Originally posted at http://www.mvlri.org/Blog/ID/40/Call-for-articles-for-Journal-of-Online-Learning-Research