About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Innovative Teaching and Learning Journal (ITLJ) aims to promote research and scholarship on the integration of technology in education, promote effective practice, and inform policy.

ITLJ welcomes previously unpublished manuscripts that advance understanding of educational technology in post-school education settings, including higher and further education, lifelong learning, and training.

Please note that following recommendations of a review into the journal's focus we no longer accept manuscripts that focus specifically on school education. We will, however, consider school-related research that has a direct relevance to education, such as transition from school to higher education.

We consider manuscripts that present qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies, critical reviews or analyses, and theoretical positions. Descriptions of technology-based implementations without a strong empirical and/or conceptual base will not be considered.

Manuscripts submitted to ITLJ are expected to be well written, as they will not be edited for English expression while under review.

In addition to clearly presenting the background to the study and the results, authors must:

• explain the significance of the study and how it advances knowledge in an area relevant to the journal's scope;
• set their study within the broader research literature (this is especially important when presenting a context-specific study);
• if based on an empirical study, detail the methodology (including a description and justification of the approach, the research goals, aims or questions, theoretical/conceptual framework, recruitment/sampling, data collection/production, and data analysis);
• discuss the results and/or theoretical ideas in light of the research focus or aims of the paper and in the context of the literature; and
• discuss the limitations of the study, implications for policy and practice, and potential future research directions.

Submissions that do not meet these criteria will be returned to authors after an initial editorial review.

Various themes, trends and fractions of research in innovative teaching and learning:

Peer Review Process

ITLJ has a two stage review process.

The first stage is an initial editorial review (Desktop Review, Screening Review) by one of the lead editors, resulting in either a decision to send for peer review (stage 2) or an editorial rejection. Quantitative papers are also reviewed by an editor or specialist reviewer with statistical expertise prior to being sent out for peer review. The editorial review process normally takes about 4 weeks but can be longer for quantitative papers or during peak periods.

If the paper is passed to stage 2, an Associate Editor will be assigned to manage the review process. Here, two or more members of ITLJ's review panel will be assigned to review the paper. Our review panel comprises researchers and practitioners drawn from past ITLJ authors and other experienced researchers. Reviewers selected to review an article are chosen on the basis of their experience, expertise and interests aligned to the focus of the article.

ITLJ uses a 'double blind' review process. That is, reviewers are not given the names and institutional affiliations of the authors, and authors are not given the names of the reviewers assigned to their article. It is therefore essential that authors remove all identifying information from their papers in the first instance. This includes removing references in the text that would enable reviewers to identify authors e.g references to authors previously published works. Names, instiutional affiliations and references can be added if the paper is accepted for publication.

The article will be reviewed against the following criteria:

1. Contribution to advancing knowledge of educational technology in tertiary education (post-school education settings, including higher  and further education, lifelong learning, and training)
2. Quality of critical engagement with relevant literature (literature review and discussion)
3. Clarity of research and/or development goals
4. Clarity and justification of appropriate methodology
5. Quality of empirical data, analysis, presentation and interpretation of results
6. Inclusion of appropriate implications for further research, theory, practice and/or policy.
7. Quality of writing (including structure, writing style, clarity of expression) and adherence to ITLJ formatting and referencing conventions.

If your article is found suitable to be sent out for peer review you would normally expect to be notified of the outcome of the peer review process within 2 months from time of submission. In the event that a paper is accepted without requiring any changes, acceptance notification may occur at this time. In the majority of cases revisions will be required and in some cases an additional round of peer review is required following revisions. On average articles take 9 months from submission to publication. 

Notifications of acceptances are in most cases accompanied by advice specifying revisions which may range in character from necessary for publication to optional suggestions for improving the article. In some cases alterations to figures and diagrams may be requested for purposes of facilitating production of a PDF for publication.

Please remember that the ITLJ editorial team and the reviewers are busy professionals who volunteer their time to the journal.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.