About the Journal

Journal of Praxis in Higher Education (JPHE) is dedicated to praxis in higher education. This means that the concept of praxis is at the centre of the journal profile and our understanding of higher education. The concept is multidimensional and addresses both philosophical questions on what may constitute meaningful or worthwhile academic practices, but also critical and political ideas on structures, conditions, power, and identity.

JPHE’s editorial team is composed of scholars who share a concern for the current state of affairs in higher education. We recognise the contribution of many existing journals, but also suggest that there are challenges and issues that require deeper and more critical analysis than is typical within many higher education journals across the globe.

From our point of view, the idea of praxis includes an interest in action, development, and change. In line with this, the journal is committed to research aimed at the development of existing practices and conditions in higher education. In particular, JPHE promotes research that has transformative potential, and assumes that through educational research, one can seek to promote justice and equality including the capacity of people to act in socially just ways.

Research concerning praxis in higher education, whether explicitly or implicitly engaging with the notion of praxis, thus constitutes both a theoretical position on practice and a form of active engagement. A range of topics fall within the scope of the journal, such as:

• Consequences of particular pedagogies, policies, and developments in higher education;
• Critical examination of key concepts and of epistemological frames pertinent to higher education;
• Critical analysis of evolving higher education policy frameworks, including the positioning of and possibilities in front of universities;
• Social justice and other ethical considerations associated with higher education, including implications for politics, society, and sustainability;
• Praxis and related concepts (e.g., praxis development, theory in praxis, practical wisdom, practical judgment, phronesis);
• Research approaches as and for praxis in higher education;
• Leadership, power, and agency in higher education;
• Inclusive education and practices in higher education;
• Criticality and/or fostering critical thinking in higher education;
• Academic identity and living spaces in higher education;
• Scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) with a praxis focus.

These topics only represent a selection of possible themes or focus areas.

JPHE mostly publishes peer-reviewed articles (which are double-blind reviewed), but it also publishes responses to previously published work, interviews, book review, and ‘Notes from the Field’ (NFF). 

JPHE is not confined to any particular theoretical stance or any specific methodology. A submitted paper must, however, present novel and interesting research or material, and do so in a clear, concise, and scholarly manner. 

As a web-only journal committed to the widest possible dissemination of research, JPHE is fully open access and does not demand author fees of any kind (please follow the link for more information about copyright and licensing). We are proud to embrace the principles of open access to ensure that our content is freely available to the global academic community. Our publication is a testament to the dedicated voluntary efforts of experts and enthusiasts in higher education, committed to advancing research.

PEER REVIEW POLICY

All submitted manuscripts are first assessed by the journal manager who decides whether the manuscript is suitable to be sent for peer review. This assessment follows the basic requirements of JPHE: word count, format, clarity, aims and scope, language. The assessment also includes that the paper is anonymised.

Authors of manuscripts deemed unsuitable for further review due to format issues are allowed 1 week to adjust these issues and resubmit. After this basic assessment, the journal manager assigns the manuscript to a handling editor. Desk rejects based on the content of the manuscript are decided by the assigned handling editor. An explanation is provided for the reasons behind desk rejection.

Manuscripts suitable for further review are sent to two or more external experts (reviewers) who are tasked with highlighting the manuscript's general and specific merits and shortcomings. It should be noted that our journal does not accept or request author-suggested reviewers. The handling editor identifies and invites appropriate peer reviewers based on their expertise and relevance to the submission. Once the reviewers accept the review invitation they are given access to the manuscript. Figures and tables should be included in the text but also as separate files. Supplementary material is also subjected to peer review.

The journal uses a double-blind review procedure before acceptance/rejection of manuscripts, which means that authors and reviewers are anonymous throughout the review process. The authors are obligated to remove identifying information from the manuscript upon submission, so the manuscript sent to the reviewers is anonymized. Similarly, the reviews are anonymous, and the reviewers’ identities are not disclosed to the authors, both during and after the review process. Reviewers provide their feedback and recommendations anonymously so only the editor knows the identity of all parties involved.

The review process is expected to take 6 to 8 weeks but may vary. Based on the review, the handling editor then compiles a recommendation to a) accept the manuscript for publication b) ask the author to revise the manuscript (accepted pending minor/major revisions), c) resubmit for review or d) reject the manuscript.

When a manuscript is accepted for publication, the editor writes a formal acceptance email to the authors informing them about the next steps and publication process, and sends the manuscript into production for copyediting and proofing. The authors review the proofs before final publication.

When a manuscript is recommended for revisions, the editor shares the peer reviews with the authors and gives a deadline for resubmission (approximately 2-4 weeks for minor revisions and 4-8 weeks for major revisions). The authors are required to revise the manuscript and prepare a response letter detailing how each review was addressed.

If the review required minor revisions, the editor may review it and make a final decision without further external review. If the review required major revisions, the editor sends the revised manuscript back to reviewers.

When a manuscript is rejected, the editor summarises the reasons for rejection and includes the reviewers’ reports. In all types of recommendations, the editor provides constructive and coherent feedback with their own editorial assessment and communicates the recommendations with a respectful tone.

In cases where a manuscript’s author is in some way associated with the editorial team, they will be removed from all editorial tasks for that article. An independent editor will be tasked with organizing the peer-review process. The author's affiliation with the journal will also be indicated in the final publication of the article.

Research articles, review articles and response articles are externally peer-reviewed (as described above), and interviews, Notes from the Field and opinion texts are approved by the editors without external peer review.

The overall publishing responsibility rests with the journal's editor-in-chief, who has a qualified editorial board for support in various issues regarding the publication of individual manuscripts, the journal's development, etc.

The journal accepts manuscripts that have previously been uploaded for review as preliminary versions, on personal websites, presented at conferences, or made available through other informal communication channels. However, authors must hold copyright for the text in question. Authors are also encouraged, when available, to include links to previous versions of the article in the final version of the article published in the journal.

Duplicate publication, also called "redundant publication" or "dual publication", is not permitted. This refers to the publication of the same article in more than one journal or to the publication of a document that is substantially similar to one already published without reference to the original publication.

Learn more about our Journal Policies >>