Advice to authors
Download a searchable index of EJOLTs contents 2008, 1(1) to 2022, 15(1) here
This webpage Advice to Authors can be downloaded as a PDF from here
A typical title page from an EJOLTs paper can be viewed here
If you are an author submitting a paper for publication in EJOLTs, then you are a professional practitioner who has engaged in Living Educational Theory Research. Developing an artefact, such as a scholarly paper, to disseminate the findings and insights you have developed as you have done so, to a worldwide community of values-driven practitioners is a crucial component of Living Educational Theory Research. By creating a journal paper that is published you realise (make real) one of your responsibilities as a professional practitioner, which is to contribute to the growth of global knowledge. As you do so you also enhance your educational influence in your own learning to improve your values-laden praxis, in the learning of those who are members of the communities of practice you belong to, and in the learning of those who act as your reviewers and critical friends.
While you are writing your paper, you may find it helpful to consult the gossary of terms commonly used within Living Educational Theory Research that is available here.
To be accepted for publication, your paper must incorporate the distinctive core principles that mark Living Educational Theory Research as a unique research paradigm and methodology. These core principles are based on notions of the responsibilities of professional practitioners as members of Humanity. These responsibilities require you to hold yourself to account to:
- describe and explain your educational influence in the learning of others, who comprise the social formation that is the context of the practice
- describe and explain your educational influence in the learning of social formations that form the context of the practice
- describe and explain your educational influence in your own learning to improve your educational practice
- coherently represent your living-educational-theory
- overtly identify values that influence the research, as they evolve and emerge in the course of your enquiry
- use the descriptions and explanations of values in action as the explanatory principles that form the basis and structure of your account
- clarify values as they emerge in the research and use them as practical standards of judgement to support claims, also publicly validated, to have improved educational practice
- use values as epistemological standards of judgment, also publicly validated, to evaluate the validity of knowledge-claims
- help readers to develop their understanding of their own educational practice, to improve it and to create a valid account of their living-educational-theory to contribute to the growth of global knowledge.
I think the hardest parts of writing a paper are writing the title, abstract, introduction which includes a structure (framing) for the contents, and a conclusion, keeping in mind writing a Living Educational Theory Research paper is an iterative process.
When writing your paper we suggest you keep in mind the following:
People read a paper's title and abstract to decide whether to read a paper. There is lots of advice on the web about how to write a 'good' title and abstract. So, we strongly urge you to have a look at what is out there to learn to write a title and abstract that attracts the attention of a reader, makes them want to read your paper and makes your paper easily found through web-searches.
General points
Abstract - should enable your reader:
- to get the gist/essence of your paper quickly - they will use what they read to decide whether to download and read the full paper
- to be prepared for the detailed information, analyses, and arguments, and remember key points you give in your paper.
Introduction - should include some details of the context, purpose, and structure of the paper. I always find it helpful when the writer at the end of the introduction gives a summary of the structure of the paper in the form of a list of section headings.
Conclusion - should be briefer than the preceding discussion section. Try to paraphrase and not to just 'copy and paste' what you have written before. You might want to include:
- A reminder of what addressed in the paper – (relate to read title, abstract and introduction)
- A summary of overall arguments and findings – (relate to abstract and introduction)
- The significance and implications of the knowledge created for improving learning, with values of human flourishing for: the social formation/s which forms the context of practice and research, for those who comprise it, and for you learning to realise your responsibilities as a professional practitioner and member of the social formation within which you practice, and as a global citizen.
- A last paragraph summarising: what has been learned by whom (including you!) in the course of the research; informed by what you have learned what you will be going onto next; and suggest what might be some key takeaways for readers.
To be accepted for publication, the scope of your paper must include sections based on the elements outlined below.