As Taylor & Francis expands the metrics published online for every Routledge journal, I would like to reach out to past, present and future authors and the readership of Educational Review to provide a holistic overview for our journal. I enjoy my editorial role and am proud of our citation and usage information that puts us above many other world-class generalist education journals. They certainly evidence both the reach and impact of each article we publish and the journal’s success in the dissemination of a body of research that makes original contributions to the development of education as a field of study.
For over seventy years, Educational Review has endeavoured to engage in capacity building and our “Influential Readers” feature is a good example of this. Written by current and recent Doctoral Researchers it offers a space for reflection on a book that has greatly influenced their study. Many are key works that have stood the test of time and the authors demonstrate their relevance in new times, and in new contexts. Besides the editorial support and development dedicated to “Influential Readers” sits rigorous peer review for research articles, which involves a two-stage process where submissions are first of all read by the executive editor to assess their suitability for the journal. Only if submissions are felt to be appropriate and relevant to the aims and purposes of the journal do we proceed to the second stage of review, incorporating at least two additional anonymous referees. It is always difficult making such decisions. However, the decision is made with respect to our aims as a journal since we prioritise work of a general interest. Even in the case of desk rejection, we offer suggestions to authors and aim to issue such a decision within 15 working days or, in many cases, even quicker.
The calibre of content and the collegiality embedded in the work of our reviewers from across the world is impressive and humbling. At any one time there are many individuals committed to the furtherance of educational scholarship in the pages (whether online or printed) of our journal. As an editorial team, we remain committed to the development of a collaborative community that befits a journal with its home in a School of Education. For us, best practice means a commitment to the provision of personal feedback and helpful suggestions to all prospective authors. Unfortunately, many submissions fall outside the scope of the journal. Therefore I strongly recommend that authors consult previous issues of Educational Review for examples of topics of interest to our readership and ensure that their article shows due cognisance of our international reach.
Overall, we have high satisfaction rates from authors regarding the experience of publishing in Educational Review. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 in higher education globally mean we negotiate a challenging landscape but we are flexible with regard to meeting the timelines associated with our peer review process and understand the impact on academic labour and personal lives. Currently, submissions are trending upwards as the journal continues to play a crucial role in developing a transnational dialogue with established and new scholars.
I would like to encourage researchers with broad-ranging interests to see Educational Review as a place for them. I also take the opportunity to remind prospective authors of our interest in “state of the field” reviews and/or “thought pieces” about a topic of general interest across the educational spectrum and urge them to consider making such a submission. Further, I would like to take this opportunity to say a public thank you to our anonymous reviewers, who take on the work of reading and responding to submissions, for their useful and insightful comments. My thanks to them are also on behalf of our contributors. I would encourage any readers who would be willing to review articles for us to send their names, institutional addresses and information about their areas of interest to the journal’s generic email: [email protected].