Author Guidelines

Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice, formerly Internet Learning Journal, is a bi-annual, peer-reviewed, open-access publication addressing issues and topics related to teaching and learning in an online environment, including institutional/program/course-level, discipline-specific, interdisciplinary, student-focused, faculty-focused, and technology-focused papers. The journal continuously seeks manuscripts for upcoming issues, which is published twice per year. Manuscripts are accepted year-round, with major submission deadlines of February 1 and August 1.

Manuscript Types

Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice welcomes research papers, survey articles, theoretical pieces, submissions focused on best practices, book reviews, media reviews, case studies, and emerging scholar works on any aspect related to online teaching and learning. Topics may include, but are not limited to: pedagogy/andragogy; course design; learning theory; institutional collaborations and practices; data; assessment; and the use of technology and multimedia resources to teach across disciplines. Other topics will be considered. 

Manuscript Guidelines:
Manuscripts should not exceed 12,000 words, and should be submitted by e-mail to  JournalofOnlineLearningResearchandPractice@APUS.EDU in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). Submissions must be formatted in 12-point font, be double-spaced, and adhere to the 6th edition Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA). All manuscripts should include a cover sheet with the authors’ names, email addresses, organizational/institutional affiliations, and short biographical descriptions. Tables, figures and appendixes must be numbered consecutively. Manuscripts that are not in the proper format will be returned for correction.

Abstract and KeywordsManuscripts must include an abstract containing a maximum of 250 words typed on a separate page. After the abstract, please supply up to five keywords.  Author BioManuscripts must include a brief biography paragraph for each author. Please include details about degrees and granting institutions, professional experience, awards/accolades, research interests, and current position.

Submission Policies  As part of the submission process you will be required to state that you:

  • are submitting your original work
  • have the rights in the work
  • are submitting the work for first publication in Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice and that it is not being considered for publication or been published elsewhere
  • obtained and are able to supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.  

Editorial Policies Peer Review Policy  Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process where both reviewers’ and authors’ anonymity is preserved to ensure objectively that the journal publishes only the best quality pieces about research, theory, and practice. Submissions that do not align to the journal’s scope or lack coherence or grammatical clarity may be rejected prior to being assigned to peer reviewers.  

 If the Editor-in-Chief sends the manuscript to reviewers, they are asked to comment on the academic quality and to recommend a decision (reject; revise and resubmit; or accept with revisions). The Editor-in-Chief’s decision is final at any stage of the submission and peer review/revision process.  

If a revise and resubmit – decision is made and the author resubmits, acceptance is based upon approval of the Editor-in-Chief and reviewers’ second review if a second review is needed. 

While it is difficult to predict with accuracy how long the review process will take for each submission— with variables such as time of the year, reviewers’ workloads and availability, etc. —the journal strives to return an initial decision to authors within 6-12 months of submission.  

Revised manuscripts should be resubmitted between two to four weeks after an invitation to revise and resubmit has been extended, depending on the nature of the revisions required. The life cycle of the submission to publication process is approximately 8-24 months.  

AuthorshipList authors in an order based on their individual, substantive contribution to the manuscript.

Publishing Policies PlagiarismJournal of Online Learning Research and Practice attends to issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism, or other breaches of best practice in publication. Submitted manuscripts are subject to review for plagiarism. Should a submission include plagiarized sections or third-party copyright material without permission or appropriate acknowledgement, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to the following: publishing a retraction of the article; taking up the matter with dean of the author’s institution; or taking appropriate legal action if warranted.  

Prior Publication  If material was previously published, it is not acceptable for publication in the journal.