JDEED

Some defining features of JDEED include:

• Accepting a variety of article types to welcome contributors of different interests and experience levels, such as commentaries (short op-ed pieces) and conversations (dialogues about ideas in the field), in addition to empirical research articles;
• Demystifying the writing and publication process by featuring sections such as “From Draft to Manuscript,” reflection pieces in which contributors share their writing practice and process;
• Committing to recruiting and mentoring Associate Editors who may not necessarily have extensive experience with academic publishing;
• Offering scholarly engagement resources and opportunities such as an informal bi-weekly Writing Circle to provide structure and community for writers, drop-in hours, and a “Meet the Scholar” series featuring prominent thinkers in our field;
• Developing and/or sponsoring scholarly engagement opportunities, such as the JDEED-OpEd Project Commentaries Fellowship, co-sponsoring the Christine A. Stanley Award for Diversity and Inclusion Research in Educational Development, and relaunching the POD Academic Writing Scholars Program to provide writers from historically underrepresented groups and institutions the tools, resources, and recognition needed to advance their projects;
• Providing guidance and training for reviewers so that they may provide developmental, constructive, and asset-based feedback to writers; and
• Facilitating conversations about how this journal might serve all members of our community, particularly those working in spaces hostile to DEIB efforts.

We invite you to contribute to JDEED as a writer or reviewer. We welcome manuscripts on a rolling basis about educational development and focused on the experiences, practices, and outcomes of historically minoritized groups in higher education (i.e., students, staff, administrators, faculty), in addition to manuscripts about diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice, broadly construed, in a higher education context.

Historically minoritized groups in higher education may include, but are not limited to:

• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) individuals;
• LGBTQIA+ individuals;
• Individuals with disabilities; and
• Institutions that serve historically minoritized individuals, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Native American Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions or Hispanic Area Colleges and Institutions, Minority-Serving Institutions, degree programs for incarcerated individuals, and community colleges.

The editors of JDEED recognize that educational development scholarship does not often fit neatly into the categories of ‘practice’ and ‘research,’ and that an emphasis on empirical research as a dominant form of evidence gives primacy to a small selection of voices, experiences, and ways of knowing. We also aim to provide multiple pathways for publication—from the shorter commentaries to the more-involved empirical studies. Therefore, we welcome a variety of article types, including:

1. Commentaries: Brief op-ed pieces in which scholars and practitioners share timely insights, critiques, and reflections to foster ongoing dialogue and critical discussion within the community. Commentaries engage current events in the field of educational development. (750 words, editorial review)
2. Reflections on Practice: Writers reflect on their use (and potential application) of a novel or established practice in the field, discussing pedagogical, affective, or other impacts of the practice on their constituents and/or on themselves, and offering broader social, cultural, or other meanings from their experience. The tone of a Reflection may be more informal than a research article. Reflections should address the following five questions:
   1. What is the practice?
   2. Why did you engage in the practice, drawing on relevant scholarship and/or prior experience and institutional context?
   3. How specifically did enact or engage in the practice?
   4. What was the impact, especially in relation to your goals, of the practice and how do you know (evidence)?
   5. What resources, contexts, or constraints are relevant for educational developers considering the practice for their own contexts? (1,500 words, double-anonymized peer review)
3. Conversations: Two to three educational developers who have differing or complementary perspectives on a clearly defined issue have a conversation about the topic—orally or in writing. The discussants record the conversation (if verbal) and edit it for clarity. The final, written manuscript includes the text of the discussion as well as an introduction that provides necessary framing, context, and literature for readers to situate the conversation. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to: discussions on a practice by educational developers at different institution types or at different stages of their careers; discussions about books recently read or conversations with recently published authors; theoretical conversations about the historical development of a theory, framework, or practice. (up to 3,000 words, editorial review)
4. Empirical Research Articles: JDEED accepts original empirical studies that present new research findings. Submissions should include a clear research question, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion. Articles should emphasize the significance of the research and its contribution to the field. We accept research that uses quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. We also invite articles that leverage empirical evidence in order to provide thoughtful responses to previously published manuscripts in JDEED. (up to 6,000 words, double-anonymized peer review)
5. From Draft to Final: For authors whose manuscripts are accepted to the journal, we will invite you to submit an optional, brief “From Manuscript to Final” essay that will be published alongside your accepted manuscript.* In “From Draft to Final” pieces you demystify an aspect of academic writing and publishing, such as providing insight on your methodology, your writing practice, your work with collaborators, or even how you used feedback.

If you are interested in submitting an article type not listed above, please contact us at [email protected] to submit a query and discuss whether your proposed manuscript aligns with the journal’s aims and scope.

We encourage you to participate in JDEED’s scholarly engagement offerings. You might consider…

• Joining a bi-weekly Writing Circle: This informal gathering provides both community and dedicated time for you to work on a writing project. Regardless of your project’s stage—from idea to final draft—or genre, you are welcome to join.
• Stopping in for Drop-in Hours: During the first biweekly Writing Circle of the month, a member of the JDEED editorial team will hold open drop-in hours. Pop in if you are interested in learning more about the journal, interested in the academic journal publishing process, have questions about your project’s alignment with the journal,  or simply want to say hello. No registration needed.
• Attending a quarterly Meet the Scholar event: This ongoing series aims to showcase the scholarship of educational developers whose work aligns with JDEED’s aims and scope. In addition to discussing their work, featured speakers demystify some aspect of the academic publishing process. Previous Meet the Scholar presenters have included Isis Artze-Vega, James, Lang, and Tolu Noah.
• Applying for the JDEED-The OpEd Project Commentaries Fellowship: In partnership with the OpEd Project, a national non-profit organization that elevates new voices and new knowledge to broaden the range of writers engaging in public discourse, JDEED sponsors a group of Fellows to participate in a virtual OpEd Project “Write to Change the World” workshop and receive mentorship to complete a commentary for potential publication in JDEED.

Signing up for our mailing list to learn about additional opportunities, such as the POD Academic Writing Scholars Program.