Getting Published in High Impact ODL Journals (Researching & Writing Panel Discussion)

Abstract

PCF10 Sub-theme: Inspiring Innovations [PRESENTATION] // Prof Som Naidu will talk to the following: Open, flexible and distance education draws its foundations from an eclectic knowledge base. While this provides scope for multiple perspectives, it also poses serious challenges for writing, researching and getting published in the field. Key issues among these are 1) a lack of awareness of the basic principles of open and distance learning; 2) lack of awareness of lessons already learned, and 3) lack of methodological rigour. This discussion will engage participants with a critical examination of these issues and challenges and how best to approach them. // Prof Rory McGreal will talk to the following: This session will provide prospective authors of scholarly articles with useful information on how to write a paper to increase the chances of acceptance. An adapted version of Reyes guidelines for scholarly articles will be used to provoke questions, comments and suggestions from the audience. Descriptions of journals that are accepting articles specifically on open and distance education research will be provided. The OER Knowledge Cloud will be introduced along with an explanation of how it can best be used for research. // Information will also be provided on the landscape of scholarly journals relevant to open and distance education research, including explanations of impact factors, h-index, ESCI (Emerging Sources Citation Index) and citation rankings. A description of the open access publishing environment will aim to enlighten participants on the main issues regarding what is wrong with academic publishing. The different types of openness (green, gold, etc.) will be discussed. // Prof Santosh Panda will talk to the following: The Journal of Learning for Development provides a forum for the publication of research with a focus on innovation in learning, in particular but not exclusively open and distance learning, and its contribution to development. Content includes interventions that change social and/or economic relations, especially in terms of improving equity. // JL4D publishes research articles, book reviews and reports from the field from researchers, scholars and practitioners, and seeks to engage a broad audience across that spectrum. It aims to encourage contributors starting their careers, as well as to publish the work of established and senior scholars from the Commonwealth and beyond. // Paper ID 7880