Journals

  • Innovative Practice in Higher Education

    This independent online journal (kindly hosted at Staffordshire University) is an opportunity for any colleagues in HE to share their work on delivering teaching and learning.

    It is a double blind peer reviewed publication, now into its fifth  volume and is aimed at promoting and sustaining a research culture amongst practitioners in higher education who have an interest in the development of the HE student experience. The journal is inter-disciplinary in approach and accepts full papers of typically 5000-7000 words, short papers, posters (with audio commentary) and ‘student voices’ papers (first hand reflective accounts of innovative practices from the learners’ perspective). Topics include: tutoring, research, equality and diversity, internationalisation, classroom innovation, widening participation, assessment and feedback, research-informed teaching, information and digital literacy, teaching and learning processes and a range of other relevant topics.

    We are particularly proud of our posters section which is an innovative way of sharing innovation in teaching and learning. Each poster publication is presented with an accompanying podcast which gives more context and detail to the content.

    Please submit your manuscript as an Email attachment to Chris Little (c.little@mmu.ac.uk) 

  • Journal of Vocational Research and Practice

    The Journal of Vocational Research and Practice (JVRP) (ISSN 2977-7275) is an independent, interdisciplinary online journal providing the opportunity for work-based learners including apprentices, degree / master's students, and those undertaking Ofqual regulated qualifications, to showcase projects which have yielded signficant organisational, industrial, social, or environmental impact. Hosted by University of Staffordshire, JVRP accepts submissions by work-based learners of any provider type, e.g., universities, colleges, independent training providers, and employer providers. We offer the following submission routes:

    • Research article (5,000 - 10,000 words) - encompasses a wide scope including work-based project reports, literature reviews, and research papers. Must carry academic rigour and subject to double-blind peer review.
    • Poster presentation (10 minutes) - an informative poster with accompanying MP3 audio narration as an alternative format to the above. Not subject to peer review but screened by the editorial board.
    • Account of practice / reflection (1,000 - 2,500 words) - a short narrative reflecting on or showcasing a piece of innovative practice or interim (work in progress) findings. Not subject to peer review but screened by the editorial board.
    • Hackathon / special issue article (1,000 - 2,500 words) - a short response to a specific theme or topic curated by guest editors to encourage innovative thinking. Not subject to peer review but screened by the editorial board.
    • Editorial - expresses the editor's views on a topic of interest or the content of the journal issue.

     

    Scope and Aims

    Our aims are to:

    • Provide a channel where work-based learners can share cutting-edge approaches and / or findings, to stimulate innovation in a range of industries.
    • Foster community by giving work-based learners the opportunity to celebrate their achievements amongst like-minded ambitious peers.
    • Further the apprenticeship agenda by highlighting the vast impact apprentices have in the work setting via their valuable contributions, and supporting provider approaches to apprenticeship provision by hosting a platform to share good practice.

    Each volume of JVRP matches a calendar year. For example, all papers published in 2025 are part of Volume 1, those in 2026 go into Volume 2, and so on. The number of issues (mini collections) within a volume depends on how many papers are submitted and accepted. Papers are published online quickly after review and acceptance, then once enough papers have been published, they are grouped together into an issue. The only exception is for hackathon / special issues, which are organised and released separately.

     

    Values

    Our values are:

    • Sustainability - we are committed to environmentally responsible publishing practices by minimising the journal's ecological footprint, for example, being a solely digital publication thus embracing paperless practices.
    • Inclusivity - we encourage contributions from a range of work based learners, including apprentices at all levels with varied types of provider. Similarly, journal staffing should represent this wide community. Furthermore, we do not charge article processing charges (APCs) or any other kind of publication fee. Publishing is completely free-of-charge.
    • Transparency - we foster collaboration by driving openness in submission, review, and publication processes. For example, we encourage organisations to be open and transparent by being named in apprentice publications.

  • Laws of the Game

    An online peer-reviewed international journal for emerging sports law professionals