LERN Workshop Effective Dissemination of Research Findings

1. What are journal editors
looking for?
Professor Chris Ashford, Editor, The Law Teacher: The International Journal of
Legal Education
Effective Dissemination of Research Findings
LERN

2. The Law Teacher: the International Journal of
Legal Education
• Legal Education (pedagogy)
focus
• Award winning peer-reviewed
journal
• ‘Paywall journal’

3. Scope
• Is this relevant to our readers?

4. • Manuscript Rating Question(s): Scale Rating
• Significance of Subject[1-5]
• Adds to existing knowledge[1-5]
• Argument well developed[1-5]
• Evidence related and compelling[1-5]
• Suitability of methodology[1-5]
• Organisation/Structure[1-5]
• Clarity of expression[1-5]
• Currency of Material[1-5]
• Topicality[1-5]

5. Significance
• Literature
• How does this work relate to existing work?
• (adds to existing knowledge)
• What does it add?
• Why should readers care?

6. Rigour
• Argument well developed
• Evidence related and compelling
• Suitability of methodology
• What might this look like?

7. Presentation & Structure
• Organisation/structure
• Clarity of expression
• Currency of material/topicality

8. The Process/Peer Review
• Initial editor filter – is this relevant?
• Ordinarily, two reviewers – how are reviewers selected?
• Guided by reviewers
• Other reviewers may be invited
• Editor decision
• Author response to review
• Potential further review
• Potential further responses
• Publication

9. Development of ‘fields’/discipline
• Interpretation of these boundaries shifting
• “What * rating is your journal?”
• Journal rankings