Review Criteria

All submitted manuscripts will be evaluated based upon the following criteria.

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Instructional Articles:

Instructional articles, those that focus on teaching and learning applications of ePortfolio, include 15-25 page manuscripts (approximately 4,000 - 7,000 words) that are methodological, theoretical, empirical, and/or SoTL in nature associated with applications of ePortfolio in course or curricular settings.  Articles should be well grounded in the literature on teaching and learning, employ accepted research practices where appropriate, and present knowledge, methods, and insights relevant to instructional applications, broadly defined, of ePortfolio in both research and practice contexts. Instructional articles, either research or pedagogically-based, will be reviewed based upon the following criteria.

1. Focus: Is the manuscript's focus in congruence with the stated mission and foci of the journal?
2. Problem: For research articles, does the manuscript clearly state and explain the problem or issue that is addressed by the completed research? For pedagogical articles, does the manuscript clearly state and explain the problem or issue that is to be addressed by the instructional method discussed later in the article? For both, is the problem relevant, ground-breaking, and/or of import to the field? The statement of the problem should be directly linked and in alignment with the subsequent review of the literature.
3. Literature: For research articles, does the manuscript identify the research that led the manuscript author(s) to propose the research completed, and has/have the author(s) indicated how the current manuscript adds to the previous research? For pedagogical articles, does the manuscript identify prior methods used to address the instructional problem at hand and has the author(s) indicated how the current manuscript adds to the body of knowledge to address the problem?
4. Methodology: For research articles, is the methodology described in the research manuscript well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem, literature support, and research approach (e.g., qualitative or quantitative)? For pedagogical articles, is the teaching practice described in the manuscript well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem and literature support? The pedagogy description should be clear enough that others who wish to adopt the pedagogy may do so.
5. Analysis: For research articles, are the data that are collected, regardless of form (e.g., interview transcripts, achievement test scores, survey results), analyzed using appropriate procedures and are the results of these analyses reported accurately and fully within the research manuscript? For pedagogical articles, is it clear how the teaching practice described in the instructional manuscript addressed the instructional problem at hand?
6. Conclusions: For both research and pedagogy articles, are the conclusions discussed by the author(s) in the manuscript supported by the data analysis? In particular, are the conclusions logically consistent and do they logically follow from the problem statement, the literature, the research/pedagogy, and the analysis? Additionally, for research articles, does the conclusion address both the original problem and the implications of the research findings?
7. Cross-disciplinary: For both research and pedagogy articles, does the manuscript, either through the nature of the problem or the discussion of the results, reach beyond a single discipline or domain and address the applicability of the problem, results, and/or practices in other disciplines and domains?
8. Organization: For research articles, is the manuscript organized in accordance with currently accepted formats for reporting qualitative or quantitative research? In addition, all quantitative research manuscripts should follow the latest version of the APA guidelines. For pedagogical articles, is the instructional manuscript organized in accordance with currently accepted formats for reporting pedagogical practices and methods? In particular, is there a logical flow to the ideas presented therein?
9. Writing: Is the manuscript free from grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors, and is the manuscript written in an appropriate style? Uncertain issues of format or style should be answered using the latest version of the APA style guidelines.
10. Format: Does the manuscript conform to the organization, style, and format guidelines set forth by the latest version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association?

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Assessment Articles: 

Assessment articles, those that focus on applications of ePortfolio for assessment purposes, include 15-25 page manuscripts (approximately 4,000 - 7,000 words) that are methodological, theoretical, empirical, and SoTL in nature associated with applications of ePortfolio for programmatic assessment, course-based assessment, and professional development assessment purposes.  Articles should be well grounded in the literature on assessment and evaluation, employ accepted research practices where appropriate, and present knowledge, methods, and insights relevant to the application of ePortfolio for assessment purposes. Assessment articles, either research or practice-based, will be reviewed based upon the following criteria:

1. Focus: Is the manuscript's focus in congruence with the stated mission and foci of the journal?
2. Problem: For research articles, does the manuscript clearly state and explain the problem or issue that is addressed by the completed research? For articles focusing on ePortfolio and assessment practices, does the manuscript clearly state and explain the problem or issue that is to be addressed by the assessment strategies discussed later in the article? For both, is the problem relevant, ground-breaking, and/or of import to the field? The statement of the problem should be directly linked and in alignment with the subsequent review of the literature.
3. Literature: For research articles, does the manuscript identify the research that led the manuscript author(s) to propose the research completed, and has/have the author(s) indicated how the current manuscript adds to the previous research? For articles focusing on ePortolio assessment practices, does the manuscript identify prior methods used to address the assessment problem at hand and has the author(s) indicated how the current manuscript adds to the body of knowledge to address the problem?
4. Methodology: For research articles, is the methodology described in the research manuscript well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem, literature support, and research approach (e.g., qualitative or quantitative)? For articles focusing on ePortolio assessment practice, is the practice describe well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem and literature support? The ePortfolio/assessment practice should be clear enough that others who wish to adopt the practice may do so.
5. Analysis: For research articles, are the data that are collected, regardless of form (e.g., interview transcripts, achievement test scores, survey results), analyzed using appropriate procedures and are the results of these analyses reported accurately and fully within the research manuscript? For articles focusing on ePortfolio and assessment practices, is it clear how the ePortfolio practice described in the manuscript addressed the assessment challenge at hand?
6. Conclusions: For both research and practice articles, are the conclusions discussed by the author(s) in the manuscript supported by the data analysis? In particular, are the conclusions logically consistent and do they logically follow from the problem statement, the literature, the methodology, and the analysis? Additionally, for research articles, does the conclusion address both the original problem and the implications of the research findings?
7. Cross-disciplinary: For both research and practice articles, does the manuscript, either through the nature of the problem or the discussion of the results, reach beyond a single discipline or domain and address the applicability of the problem, results, and/or practices in other disciplines and domains?
8. Organization: For research articles, is the manuscript organized in accordance with currently accepted formats for reporting qualitative or quantitative research? In addition, all quantitative research manuscripts should follow the latest version of the APA guidelines. For articles focusing on ePortfolio and assessment practices, is the instructional manuscript organized in accordance with currently accepted formats for reporting ePortfolio and assessment practices and methods? In particular, is there a logical flow to the ideas presented therein?
9. Writing: Is the manuscript free from grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors, and is the manuscript written in an appropriate style? Uncertain issues of format or style should be answered using the latest version of the APA style guidelines.
10. Format: Does the manuscript conform to the organization, style, and format guidelines set forth by the latest version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association?

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Technology, Policy, and Management Articles: 

Technology, policy, and management articles are 10-25 page manuscripts (approximately 3,000 - 7,000 words).  Manuscripts submitted in this category should include a breadth of topics associated with the technologies that enable and support the breadth of ePortfolio usage in educational settings.  Narratives of technologies in development, development practices uniquely associated with ePortfolio, innovative ePortfolio support practices, business models, institutional policies, faculty development, and more would be welcomed submissions. Technology, policy, and management articles will be evaluated based upon the following criteria:

1. Focus: Is the manuscript's focus in congruence with the stated mission and foci of the journal?
2. Problem: Does the manuscript clearly state and explain the problem or issue that is to be addressed? Is the problem relevant, ground-breaking, and/or of import to the field? This statement of the problem should be directly linked and in alignment with the subsequent review of the literature.
3. Literature: Does the manuscript identify prior methods used to address the problem or issue at hand and has the author(s) effectively synthesized currently literature to provide a theoretical foundation for the problem/issue?
4. Practice: Are the strategies/practices described in the manuscript well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem and literature support? The description should be clear enough that others who may wish to adopt the practice/strategy/models/policies/etc. may do so.
5. Analysis: Is it clear how the practices described in the manuscript addressed the problem at hand?
6. Conclusions: Are the conclusions discussed by the author(s) in the manuscript supported by the analysis? In particular, are the conclusions logically consistent and do they logically follow from the problem statement, the literature, the practice, and the analysis?
7. Cross-disciplinary: Does the manuscript, either through the nature of the problem or the discussion of the results, reach beyond a single discipline or domain?
8. Organization: Is the manuscript organized in accordance with currently accepted formats? In particular, is there a logical flow to the ideas presented therein?
9. Writing: Is the manuscript free from grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors and is the manuscript written in an appropriate style? Uncertain issues of format or style should be answered using the latest version of the APA style guidelines.
10. Format: Does the manuscript conform to the organization, style, and format guidelines set forth by the latest version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association?
    

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Distinctive Articles:

IJeP also welcomes manuscripts relevant to ePortfolios in educational settings that do not fit conceptually into any of the above categories.  During submission, authors are encouraged to select one of the above three manuscript types, if relevant; however, manuscripts that truly have no relationship to instruction, assessment, or technology, policy, and management should then be submitted using this manuscript type.  Distinctive articles are 10-25 page manuscripts (approximately 3,000 - 7,000 words).  Those with questions regarding a manuscript’s suitability for IJeP should contact the Executive Editors at watson@aacu.org and include a manuscript abstract with their inquiry.  For manuscripts submitted via this manuscript type, the following review criteria will be employed to evaluate distinctive articles:

1. Focus: Is the manuscript's focus in congruence with the stated mission and foci of the journal?
2. Problem: Does the manuscript clearly state and explain the problem or issue that is to be addressed? Is the problem relevant, ground-breaking, and/or of import to the field? This statement of the problem should be directly linked and in alignment with the subsequent review of the literature.
3. Literature: Does the manuscript identify prior methods used to address the problem or issue at hand and has the author(s) effectively synthesized currently literature to provide a theoretical foundation for the problem/issue?
4. Practice / Methodology: If applicable, are the strategies/practices described in the manuscript well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem and literature support? The description should be clear enough that others who may wish to adopt the practice/strategy/models/policies/etc. may do so.  For research articles, is the methodology described in the research manuscript well developed, clearly articulated, and appropriate given the expressed problem, literature support, and research approach (e.g., qualitative or quantitative)?
5. Analysis: If applicable, is it clear how the practices described in the manuscript addressed the problem at hand?  For research articles, are the data that are collected, regardless of form (e.g., interview transcripts, achievement test scores, survey results), analyzed using appropriate procedures and are the results of these analyses reported accurately and fully within the research manuscript?
6. Conclusions: Are the conclusions discussed by the author(s) in the manuscript supported by the analysis? In particular, are the conclusions logically consistent and do they logically follow from the problem statement, the literature, the practice, and the analysis?
7. Cross-disciplinary: Does the manuscript, either through the nature of the problem or the discussion of the results, reach beyond a single discipline or domain?
8. Organization: Is the manuscript organized in accordance with currently accepted formats? In particular, is there a logical flow to the ideas presented therein?
9. Writing: Is the manuscript free from grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors and is the manuscript written in an appropriate style? Uncertain issues of format or style should be answered using the latest version of the APA style guidelines.
10. Format: Does the manuscript conform to the organization, style, and format guidelines set forth by the latest version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association?