About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives (IEJ: CP) publishes original research about educational theory, policy and practice. We publish research about all stages and forms of education. The journal began at Flinders University in 1999, and has been published through the University of Sydney since 2011, where it is now managed. The IEJ: CP is listed on ERIC, SCIMAGO (SJR) / Scopus, and is a member of the global Free Journal Network (FJN).

As a comparative education journal, owned by the Oceania Comparative and International Education Society (OCIES), we are especially interested in work that is either explicitly or implicitly comparative. Explicitly comparative research includes cross-national studies or studies that compare educational phenomena in a range of countries. Implicitly comparative research typically means single nation case studies that contribute to a larger comparative framework about the topic. Such studies must show how the particular case is theoretically relevant for readers outside the given country. Studies that do not include such a contextual and theoretical rationale are often better suited in journals that specialize in the given topic (e.g., journals about science education, educational psychology, etc.).

IEJ: CP seeks articles that will have a wide relevance to the comparative and international education community. Articles about very specific educational practices or curriculum areas are better suited in specialist journals. We also do not typically publish articles about foreign language teaching.

The majority of articles in IEJ: CP report original research. The research may use primary data, or may involve secondary analyses from available data sets, policy documents or reports. We occasionally publish literature reviews, if the topic is considered by the editorial team as particularly relevant.

Peer Review Process

Manuscripts are first prescreened by the editorial team. Manuscripts that have the potential to be published in IEJ: CP then undergo double blind peer review. If not, you will hear within 8 weeks that your manuscript has been declined. The review process can take six to eight months for an initial decision.

Publication Frequency

IEJ:CP publishes two general volumes each calendar year in June and December. Special Editions will be published occasionally, and proposals can be submitted to the Editorial Team at any time. Refereed papers can be submitted at any time, and will be processed in order of receipt.

We are a scholarly journal run by volunteers and so all of us give our time because we believe in the open access academic approach to the publishing of academic papers. Therefore, the editorial team will first decide if the paper will be sent to review. If not, you will hear within 8 weeks that your paper has not been accepted.

If accepted for review, it may take up to eight months for your paper to be returned to the journal. The editorial team will then contact you via the website to undertake any revisions required by the reviewers.

Reviewers can give four options for your paper: first to reject it; the second is to decline it and allow resubmission after major revisions; third, to accept it subject to minor revisions; and, fourth (very rare), to accept it without revisions (There will still be small revisions to be made to all accepted papers in the copyediting part of the process). For the second option, you will be invited to develop your paper further and make a new submission to the journal if you so choose. For the third and fourth options, if you agree to proceed, then it will depend on the time it takes for you to undertake the revisions and return your manuscript to the journal.

Once your paper is accepted for publication and all the changes have been made to the satisfaction of the editorial team, your paper will then be sent to a copyeditor. From there, again, you will be required to make any further changes to make sure your paper is of the required standard. After you have completed these changes to the satisfaction of the editor, your paper will be queued for the next available journal publication.

While this can appear a long process, we are committed to ensuring the quality of your published work and also to raise the standard of the journal over the medium term. Thank you for your interest in the journal, and we hope you decide to submit a manuscript for our consideration.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides free, immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Authors also receive a link to the pdf of their article, which they are encouraged to disseminate as widely as possible.

IEJ: CP is a member of the Free Journal Network: https://freejournals.org/current-member-journals/

Copyright Information

The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives (IEJ: CP) is the official journal of the Oceania Comparative and International Education Society. The IEJ: CP, (ISSN online: 2202-493X; archived print issues: 1443-1475), publishes a general volume bi-annually in July and December and also publishes occasional Special Editions.

In relation to intellectual property, the International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives claims only first publication rights; copyright of all work published in the journal remains with the authors under Creative Commons copyright license CC-BY-ND (4.0). Author(s) retain all rights to their works, ensuring that reference to the International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives is clearly stated on any copies made or distribution. If you republish the work, you must acknowledge its first publication in the IEJ: CP. Submissions must not involve third parties with a claim to copyright, and be the sole work of the author(s). It is the responsibility of the author(s) to secure permission to reproduce photographs, illustrations, figures or tables.

Re-distributed or re-used material must be referenced to the IEJ: CP Single images, tables or figures can be re-used with reference to the IEJ: CP. If more than a single image or table are to be re-used authors must also attribute first publication and seek permission of the IEJ: CP Editor. Authors may also make derivative works which are subject to these conditions.

See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ for more detail.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Statement of Ethics

In order to support access to and sharing of knowledge, the free exchange of ideas, and the integrity of research processes, the IEJ: CP offers free, open access to its content. The IEJ: CP Editorial Team and Board members are committed to ensuring an equitable, double-blind peer review process that is unbiased, and timely, while acknowledging that all work for the journal is done voluntarily by scholars, with the exception of some copy-editing.

Our editorial policies are designed to support transparency and honest, thorough reporting. Detailed guidelines for peer reviewers and authors are displayed clearly on the site, in order that contributors have a clear understanding of journal expectations and standards.

The editorial team evaluates manuscripts for their intellectual content, without regard to authors’ race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy. Unless otherwise agreed with the relevant authors and reviewers, the Editorial team members protect the confidentiality of all materials submitted to the journal, and all communications with reviewers. Confidential records are maintained in our password-protected publication system for all submissions, including referee reports and communications with individual authors. We adhere to the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (see https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-code-responsible-conduct-research-2018#block-views-block-file-attachments-content-block-1 ) Editors hold ultimate responsibility for deciding which of the articles should be published.

The Editorial Team and Board members recognise that our work plays an important role in supporting emerging scholars in the field of Comparative and International Education; our foremost commitment, however, is to our responsibility to ensure that ethical practice in scholarly journal publishing is followed rigorously, with integrity, and that the highest standards of quality in publication are maintained. To that end, as a component of Editorial reforms in 2020, a mentoring process has been established for new contributors and reviewers, and to encourage more explicit preparation for succession into journal leadership roles. Contributors should be mindful that the process is entirely reliant on good will and voluntary participation.