About the Journal

FOCUS AND SCOPE

The Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning is the flagship refereed scholarly journal of the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand (FLANZ).

The Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (previously The Journal of Distance Learning) invites scholarly submissions related to open, flexible and distance learning, broadly defined. Original contributions related to distance education that relate to the four streams of scholarship proposed by Boyer (1990) are all welcome:

  • Discovery – investigative research, with supporting evidence for new ideas. What is to be found? Discovery research is typically study-based, grounded in the existing literature, and with sound methodology.
  • Integration – the bringing together of existing ideas in a summarised form, with key themes identified. What does what is found actually mean? Integration involves working with existing ideas, based on extensive literature review across disciplines.
  • Application – accounts of how distance education theory has been implemented in operational contexts. How can what is found be used? Application firmly rests on literature, providing an account of how theory has been applied and providing transferable lessons and opportunities for further research based on the experience.
  • Teaching – accounts of innovative practice, preferably informed by student evaluation. How can what is found be understood by others? Teaching research is more than a ‘look at what we did’; it is informed, reflective, and ultimately useful in other settings.

Note that not all streams will be equally represented across each issue. All articles received must be well contextualised, highlight transferable knowledge, have a strong conceptual base, and be well-grounded in distance education literature. Contributors in the Pacific Rim are particularly invited to submit manuscripts for consideration. All submissions are peer-reviewed. The language of publication is English (please note that a high level of English is expected). Articles in Te Reo will also be accepted accompanied by an English translation. 

Manuscript style. Three distinct types of manuscripts are invited.

  • Original research. Submissions of between 4000 and 6000 words, addressing one or more of Boyer's (1990) forms of scholarship above. A 250-word abstract must be included.
  • Research notes or reports. Submissions of up to 4000 words about current research in the area of distance education.
  • Book reviews. Submissions of up to 1000 words reviewing a book related to distance education theory and practice.

JOFDL MISSION

The Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning  (JOFDL) is a scholarly agent of the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand (FLANZ). As such, the JOFDL disseminates scholarly work which advances the theory and practice of open flexible and distance education. The journal is committed to open scholarship and publishes under provisions of the Creative Commons License and does not have any article processing charges (APC's) or submission fees.

JOFDL VISION

The Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (JOFDL) seeks to be an outlet for world-class scholarship in open, flexible, and distance learning and the preferred venue for publication of OFDL scholarship.

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

JOFDL has historically produced at least two full issues each calendar year and intends to maintain that pattern in the future.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

JOFDL is entirely open access, and copyright and intellectual property rights remain with the author.

Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 appears is at the bottom of each article assigned to the author. This allows for the sharing of articles providing:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
  • NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

ARCHIVING

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. It is also archived at the National Digital Heritage Archive at the National Library of New Zealand. 

Authors are permitted to archive their own work on their own institutional repositories.

Using the OJS platform enables the journal to permit aggregating journal databases (such as Google Scholar, ERIC, Informit ) to harvest articles following the principles of open access.

PUBLICATION ETHICS & PLAGIARISM

JOFDL solicits submissions that make a valid contribution to the field. Single or multiple authored pieces are considered regardless of the institutional affiliations of the authors.

Any issues arising from the peer review process, including perceived conflict of interest, are discussed by the editorial team and, when further advice is required, the editorial advisory board may be consulted. Where a conflict of interest is recognised within the editorial team, submissions are re-allocated.

Works requiring ethical approvals are sought at an institutional level, and these are declared.

Any corrections are handled through subsequent editorial. The publishing platform OJS allows for post-publication engagement to resolve discussions with authors after publication without resorting to individual email contacts.

Any academic misconduct is processed by the editorial team in accordance with the COPE Guidelines.

Professional editing services are applied to all approved submissions. This includes validation of citations. Reviewers are encouraged to question the validity of data as well as presentational and findings value.

JOFDL FUNDING

JOFDL does not accept payment for advertisements or sponsored content. The costs of operating the journal are met by the Flexible Learning Association of New Zealand (FLANZ). Minimal royalties derived from aggregating databases (e.g. Informit) are received by FLANZ to partially offset the cost of hosting the journal.

There are no fees for authors.

DIRECT MARKETING

Solicitation of submissions is conducted through announcements on the journal site itself, social media platforms, the FLANZ newsletter and website, and professional mail lists.

REVIEWERS

All authors are invited to serve as reviewers and have the ability to opt out of this process via their own profile page. Others who wish to Review for the Journal are asked to add this to their profile and email the Editor to advise their intentions. The list is periodically reviewed to ensure currency. Reviewers’ details are held securely within OJS. The list of reviewers (64 reviewers on 20 April 2022) is not made public.