Manuscript Submissions
The aim of The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL) is to disseminate scholarly information to scholars and practitioners of open and distance learning and teaching worldwide.
Authors submit their manuscripts online by registering with this journal then logging in and following an automated, five-step submission process. Topics must relate to open or distance learning and may be placed in the Research Articles section or the Notes section.
Manuscripts, including all references, tables, and figures, should be approximately 3,500-5,000 words and should not exceed 7,000 words. Submissions that significantly exceed this limit will not be accepted for review. Tables and figures are encouraged, and they should be placed within the text, not at the end.
IRRODL Sections
Research Articles
Blind, peer-reviewed scholarly articles that feature theory, research, and/or best practice in open and distance learning.
Notes
Shorter articles or abstracts, which are reviewed by the editors, associate editors, or other scholars, but are not peer-reviewed; they may be featured as one of the following:
Research Notes - reports of ongoing and recently completed research projects;
Field Notes - shorter pieces describing innovative projects, applications, or interventions in distance education programs;
Book Notes - opinion pieces and reviews of recently published scholarly books on topics relevant to open and distance learning;
Conference Notes - reviews of recent open and distance learning conferences.
Originality
Manuscripts submitted for review and possible publication in IRRODL must be original material that has not been published nor submitted for review/publication elsewhere. Unpublished material that has been presented at a scholarly conference but not edited or formally published may be submitted.
Full Paper
A publishable paper should contain the following:
1. abstract (150-250 words);
2. keywords;
3. introduction (what is the problem?);
4. research method and/or theory used;
5. if an application or experiment, a description of pool of subjects and how they were chosen;
6. analysis of research and how results impact theory and practice;
7. conclusion;
8. references.
Preparing Manuscripts
Documentation
Manuscripts must conform to APA standard. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2010).
Follow the author-date method of citation in text. Ensure you provide page numbers for all direct quotes. Prepare an unnumbered reference list in alphabetical order by author. When there is more than one article by the same author(s), list the most recent paper first. References should include the names of all contributing authors. Ensure that all references are accurate and that any references cited in the text also appear in the reference section. Notes, if necessary, must appear at the end of the article (before the reference list) as end notes. Use the end note feature provided by your word processor.
Below are some examples of basic reference formats.
Citing an article in a paper periodical
Surname, A. A. (year). Article title. Title of Periodical, volume number(issue number), inclusive page numbers.
Example Grow, G. O. (1994). In defense of the staged self-directed learning model. Adult Education Quarterly, 44(2), 109-115.
Citing a book
Surname, A. A. (year). Title of book. Publisher location: Publisher Name.
Example Rogers, E. (1962). Diffusion of innovations. New York: Free Press.
Citing online sources
Surname, A. A., Surname, B. B., & Surname, C. C. (2000). Title of article. Title of periodical, volume number(issue number). Retrieved from URL/web address.
Example Anderson, T. (2003). Getting the mix right again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(2). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/149/230
For more information on citing online sources, visit APA Style Help.
Style
Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed., 2010) for guidance on expression (including grammar and ways to reduce bias in language) and style (including punctuation, capitalization, headings, etc.).
Submissions must be in English. British or American English spelling is acceptable, but usage must be consistent throughout. Please spell-check all submissions. To abbreviate the name of an organization or agency, use capitals and no periods (e.g., YWCA). For first occurrence, provide the full name with the abbreviation in parentheses, and use the abbreviation as required after that, for example, Athabasca University (AU). Use italics sparingly to identify special terms or to indicate special emphasis.
Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
1. The submission file must be in Microsoft Word or rich text format.
2. The text must adhere to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
3. The submission must not have been previously published, nor can it be before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
4. If submitted to a peer-reviewed section (e.g., Research Articles), the text has had the authors' names removed. If an author is cited, the word "Author" and the year are used in the bibliography and footnotes, instead of the author's name, the paper title, etc. The author's name has also been removed from the document's properties, which in Microsoft Word is found in the file menu.
Copyright Notice
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. The copyright of all content published in IRRODL is retained by the authors. However, all IRRODL content is licensed under a Creative Commons license with the following conditions: Content may be re-used, reprinted, or translated as long as it is attributed to the author(s) and to IRRODL.
