About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET) is the journal of ASCILITE, the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education. It aims to promote research and scholarship on the integration of technology in tertiary education, promote effective practice, and inform policy.

AJET welcomes previously unpublished manuscripts that advance understanding of educational technology in post-school education settings, including higher and further education, lifelong learning,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

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 AJET 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, ethics approval, 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.

 

Peer Review Process

AJET has a two stage review process.

The first stage is an initial editorial review (also known as 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 15 working days, but can be longer for quantitative papers or during peak periods.

At this first stage of review, papers are assessed against the following criteria:

Tier 1

  • Must be about education
  • Must be about technology
  • Must be related to a teritiary education context
  • Appropriate format (not a jpg)
  • Must be within the guidelines for the word count

Tier 1 submissions will be rejected or author(s) will be given the opportunity to fix the issue and resubmit for review.

Tier 2

  • Significant typographical and grammatical errors
  • Reference to recent literature (no references in the last 10 years)
  • Robust research
    • Valid research question
    • Conceptual framework/theoretical underpinning
    • Appropriate methodology that aligns with theory/question
    • Appropriate data collection
    • Appropriate data analysis
    • Introducing new data in the conclusion
  • Needs to make a contribution to the field

Tier 2 submissions will be reviewed by a second editor and a decision will be made as to whether it will progress to review.

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 AJET's review panel will be assigned to review the paper. Our review panel comprises researchers and practitioners drawn from past AJET 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.

AJET uses a 'double blind peer 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 AJET 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 4 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 AJET editorial team and the reviewers are busy professionals who volunteer their time to the journal.

Publication Frequency

AJET is published 6 times a year. We do not have specific closing dates for submissions, as each issue of AJET is prepared for website mounting when filled with accepted articles.

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.

The journal does not charge authors or readers at any time.

Preservation

The journal uses the PKP Preservation Network services.

Editorial Board

The members of the AJET Editorial Board are called upon to advise the Editors and AJET Management Committee on journal strategy, policy and scope. Members may also contribute to the journal by identifying noteworthy topics for special issues, and providing guest editorials and expert commentaries. In addition, Board members may be called upon to assist editors in a variety of ways, including conducting a limited number of rapid reviews.

Professor Sue Bennett, University of Wollongong, Australia
Professor Barney Dalgarno, University of Canberra, Australia
Professor Robert Fitzgerald, Charles Darwin University, Australia
Professor John Hedberg, Macquarie University, Australia
Associate Professor Eva Heinrich, Massey University, New Zealand
Professor Michael Henderson, Monash University, Australia
Professor Gregor Kennedy, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Professor Lori Lockyer, University of Technology Sydney
Professor Paul Kirschner, Open University of the Netherlands
Professor Martin Oliver, Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom
Professor Petrea Redmond, University of Southern Queensland, Australia
Assocate Professor Gail Wilson, Southern Cross University, Australia
Professor Allan H.K. Yuen, College of Early Childhood Education, Hong Kong