Focus and Scope
The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (www.irrodl.org) is a refereed, open access e-journal that disseminates original research, theory, and best practice in open and distance learning worldwide. IRRODL is available free-of-charge to anyone with access to the Internet.
Section Policies
Editorial
 Open Submissions |
 Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Main Section
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Research Articles
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Field Notes
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Research Notes
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Book Notes
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Technical Notes
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
CIDER Notes
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Open Access Week
News about the annual event.
| Open Submissions |
Indexed |
Peer Reviewed |
Peer Review Process
All submissions to the Research Articles section of The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (www.irrodl.org) undergo peer review by a minimum of two PhD-prepared reviewers. Typically, authors receive the first round of opinions on their submission in two to three months, pending the availability of qualified peer reviewers.
If accepted, submissions are usually published in the next available issue, meaning that the time from submission to publication can take as little as two to three months. The mean time from submission to acceptance, however, is six months.
Peer reviewers are chosen based upon their research interests and their expertise in the research method. Most peer reviewers hold PhDs. A reviewer who does not hold a PhD may be selected as a third reviewer of a paper in addition to two PhD-prepared academics.
Peer reviewers are asked to evaluate and judge submissions using the following criteria:
1. complete, coherent,and well-organized presentation;
2. sufficient explanation of the significance of the problem;
3. clear demonstration of the relevance to the field (beyond the case presented);
4. original contribution to open and distance learning;
5. compelling presentation of the problem within a theoretical framework (where appropriate);
6. establishment of a relationship between the problem and ODL and other relevant literature;
7. appropriate research design and method;
8. accurate and useful interpretation;
9. sound argument and analysis;
10. effective conclusion about the implications for distance education theory, research, and/or practice.
Peer reviewers are asked to indicate their assessment of each criterion above as excellent, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, or not applicable and also to offer comments.
Reviewers' comments are extremely important to help the authors revise and improve their papers.
For more information on IRRODL's peer review process, please contact the managing editor at brigettem at athabascau.ca
Publication Frequency
The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (www.irrodl.org) follows a continuous batch publication process, which means that a new issue is published upon acceptance of a sufficient number of original research articles (N = 6).
Based on current submissions versus rejection rates, www.irrodl.org will be published between three and six times per year. If submissions are of sufficient rigor and quality, they can be published in as little as two months after receipt.
Open Access Policy
Authors retain copyright of their work. However, a condition for publication is that the work be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, Non-Derivatives 3.0 License. Readers are free to print, share, and distribute the work as long as they respect the retained rights of the author. IRRODL retains the exclusive right for commercial publication and distribution. Articles submitted for review or published by IRRODL cannot be published in other journals without the permission of the authors and of IRRODL.
Archiving
This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...
