Skip to Main Content

Education Studies - EdD in Learning Technologies: Resources for Publishing

This guide will introduce education resources available to Pepperdine University students.

Cabell's database

Cabell's is a directory of scholarly journals:  the database helps authors locate journals that might publish his/her article by providing information about journal submission guidelines, acceptance rates, review process and other pertinent information about journals in areas of business, education, and psychology.

Find a topic...

1.    Read a research paper recently that piqued you interest?  Look for the "Recommendations for further research" section for ideas.  
2.    Look for "calls for Papers" announcements on journal publishers' websites

Consider This!

make sure your colleagues can find your article!!...

1.   Is the journal indexed in major library research databases?   If not, no-one will find it or, of course, read it.  Your librarian can help you figure this out.  Usually this information is included on the publisher's website.  You can also ask the editor about this.

2.   Does your library have a subscription to the journal?  This question could be answered by exploring #1; your librarian may tell you that the journal is included in a database the library subscribes to.  If not, however, make sure the library has a print subscription. And check that other major libraries provide access to it as well. You want to publish in a journal that is easily accessible to your colleagues, both locally and globally.

Find a journal for your article or paper... simple approaches:

For example, your topic is:

"Vygotsky's techniques in the virtual classroom"

Option A:

1.   Search for your topic in a research database that covers your discipline
      such as ERIC, Education Full Text, or SCOPUS.

2.   Examine the results to see what Journals are publishing on your topic, assess:

         Do these look like research articles?   Opinion pieces?  
         What is the level (complexity) of the articles?  
         Do the articles speak to the same audience as your material?

3.   Let's say you find the following citations relevant in all critical ways:

Maurino, P. (2007). Online asynchronous threaded discussions: Good enough to advance students through the proximal zone of Activity Theory?. Techtrends: Linking Research & Practice To Improve Learning51(2), 46-49
         
Liu, X., & Schwen, T. M. (2006). Sociocultural Factors Affecting the Success of an Online MBA Course: A Case Study Viewed from Activity Theory Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly19(2), 69-92.

Hung, D. (2002). Forging links between “communities of practice” and schools through online learning communities: implications for appropriating and negotiating knowledge. International Journal On E-Learning1(2), 23-33.

4.   Now, find the publisher's webpage via Google or another search engine.
      In other words:  Google the title of the journal
      Look for a link that says:  
      Author's guidelines, or  Instructions for Authors, or
      manuscript submissions or manuscript requirements or
      something similar, to learn what you will need to do
      to submit a manuscript

Option B:

Assuming your paper is written already:

1.   review the list of references in your paper, keeping in mind that your research project will be a suitable follow-up to articles you've read and cited.

2.   Proceed to step 4. above.

Examples of Journal Publishers' websites:

You should know about...

Etienne Wenger - Trayner

Etienne Wenger-Trayner is a globally recognized thought leader in the field of social learning and communities of practice. He has authored and co-authored seminal articles and books on the topic, including Situated Learning, where the term “community of practice” was coined;

Beverly Wenger-Trayner

Beverly Wenger-Trayner
is a learning consultant specializing in communities of practice and social learning systems. Her expertise encompasses both the design of learning architectures and the facilitation of processes, activities, and use of new technologies.

Advice from a publisher

Journal publisher Taylor & Francis offers advice to both novice and experienced authors on their website.