This journal uses ScholarOne Manuscripts (previously Manuscript Central) to peer review manuscript submissions. Please read the guide for ScholarOne authors before making a submission. Complete guidelines for preparing and submitting your manuscript to this journal are provided below.

Aims and Scope of IJAD

The International Journal for Academic Development is the journal of the International Consortium for Educational Development. The purpose of the journal is to enable academic/educational developers in higher education across the world to exchange ideas about practice and extend the theory of educational development, with the goal of improving the quality of higher education internationally.

The editors welcome for review original contributions on any aspect of academic/educational development in higher and other post-school education (including staff development, educational development, instructional development and faculty development) and closely related topics. Because the main readership for the journal is academic/educational developers, it is important to make explicit the implications of any article for them.

The main criteria for acceptance of all types of submissions are that they make a contribution to the knowledge, understanding and/or practice in the field and are not currently under submission anywhere else. Articles that describe an academic/educational development practice, even if it is very innovative, are normally not published.

The editors welcome submissions of articles, research notes, opinion pieces and book reviews. Contributions should explore the wider implications for academic/educational developers by both drawing on and connecting back to the literature. Thus, articles that describe a local initiative without describing the wider implications for academic/educational developers elsewhere will not normally be published.

Contributions must be of international interest. Authors can achieve this in several ways. Ideas and practice can be introduced from more than one country. A contribution may be based in practice in one country, or even one institution, and accompanied by commentaries from colleagues in other countries. Or, a contribution may be contextualized with reference to issues of concern to academic/educational developers worldwide as evidenced in the scholarly literature, such as institutional change or the nature or role of academic/educational development. Other approaches to addressing the interests of an international audience will also be welcomed.

Types of submissions

ARTICLES are 6,000 words or fewer including the abstract, figures, tables and citations. They may include one of the following: original work of research, literature reviews of current or recent work, potential new methods or ideas which are well elaborated and argued, or relevant conceptual and theoretical issues. Articles should clearly define the issue or problem being tackled, include some analysis or evaluation of the issue, and be linked to the academic development literature.  All articles undergo rigorous peer review, with initial editor screening followed by blind-reviewing, normally by three referees.

RESEARCH NOTES are short pieces of 800–1,000 words and provide a window into the lived world of academic development research. They examine issues and challenges in conceptualizing and conducting research, not the results of research. They are discussions of methodological dilemmas or conceptual concerns.  Research notes are reviewed by members of the Editorial Team.

OPINION PIECES, also 800–1,000 words, provide for the open exchange of ideas about academic/educational development practice worldwide. They raise and consider critical issues, demonstrate an awareness of the diverse nature of academic/educational development and recognize that those who read the journal come from countries around the world. Responses to opinion pieces are encouraged.  Opinion pieces are reviewed by members of the Editorial Team.

A revised Word template is available for this journal. Please use this template and the journal's article style guide below when preparing all manuscripts. If you are not able to use the template or if you have any other template queries, please contact authortemplate@tandf.co.uk.  

Straightforward language is preferred. While contributions must be in English, we are happy to receive manuscripts from those speaking a language other than English as their first language. Once such a paper is accepted for publication, the editors are willing to work with the author(s) to ensure appropriate English usage. An abstract in the first language of the author will be included in the published version if the author submits it.

Tables and figures should either be submitted in the same file as the article with an indication of their desired final position within the text or as separate files. Pay particular attention to the layout of the paper and citing references in the house style.  Please look through recent issues of the journal to see how tables and figures are presented.

Footnotes are not ordinarily used.

Style guidelines

Description of the Journal's article style, Quick guide. 

Description of the Journal's reference style Please note that IJAD has decided to continue using the 5th edition of APA.

Any consistent spelling and punctuation style is acceptable.

This journal requires a short paragraph (up to 60 words) of biographical details for all contributors.

If you have any questions about references or formatting your article, please contact authorqueries@tandf.co.uk  (please mention the journal title in your email).

Submission process

PROPOSALS: When you are planning your article, we ask you to submit a summary of your proposed contribution – roughly 250 words – via the International Journal for Academic Development ScholarOne Manuscripts site at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijad. New users should first create an account. (Online user guides and access to a helpdesk are available on this website.) In the Author Centre, select “Proposal” as a manuscript type. The editors will provide feedback on the suitability of the contribution to the journal.

ARTICLES, RESEARCH NOTES and OPINION PIECES should all be submitted online at the IJAD ScholarOne Manuscripts site (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijad). Once you are logged onto the site, make your submission via the Author Centre.

BOOK REVIEWS should be emailed directly to the relevant book review editor (Kathryn.Sutherland@vuw.ac.nz for English books or Nicole.Rege-Colet@aspti.ch for non-English books. Book reviews are reviewed by the relevant book editor.

Once prepared, upload TWO versions of your manuscript:

1.     “File not for review”: This should be a complete text using the IJAD Word template above, including all identifying information, author contact details, email and postal address and brief biographical notes. If the paper is accepted, these will be published.

2.     “File for review”: Also using the IJAD Word template above, this document must not contain any identifying information so that it can be sent for blind review. Please take care to remove: your name; all references to your institution (replace with XX University); names of specific research sites (institutions or centres with identifiable names – replace them with descriptive names such as “academic development centre”); links to institutional or personal websites. If you refer to any of your own prior research, ensure either that it is expressed in-text without self-reference (e.g. avoid use of “my” or “our”) or if self-reference is unavoidable, change the in-text reference to “(Author, Year)” and delete the reference from the references list altogether. Further guidance from the publisher can be found at http://journalauthors.tandf.co.uk/preparation/writing.asp#link3.

Submit both versions via the journal website at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijad, using the IJAD Word template above. Ensure your submission follows the journal's style guidelines.

As an author, you are required to secure permission if you want to reproduce any figure, table, or extract from the text of another source. This applies to direct reproduction as well as "derivative reproduction" (where you have created a new figure or table which derives substantially from a copyrighted source). For further information and FAQs, please see http://journalauthors.tandf.co.uk/preparation/permission.asp.  

PDF proofs will be sent to authors for checking; the editors reserve the right to make minor editorial changes.

As a corresponding author, you will receive free online access to your article through our website (www.informaworld.com) and a complimentary copy of the issue containing your article. Reprints of articles published in this journal can be purchased through Rightslink® when proofs are received. If you have any queries, please contact our reprints department at reprints@tandf.co.uk.

Copyright: It is a condition of publication that authors assign copyright or license the publication rights in their articles, including abstracts, to Taylor & Francis. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article, and of course the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors retain many rights under the Taylor & Francis rights policies, which can be found at www.informaworld.com/authors_journals_copyright_position. Authors are themselves responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.

For information about writing an article, preparing your manuscript and general guidance for authors, please visit the Author Services section of our website.

Visit our Author Services website for further resources and guides to the complete publication process and beyond.