Publishing Research on Teaching and Learning - Center for Engaged Learning

The Center’s research seminars and scholar programs often lead to significant publication outcomes (in addition to informing practices on participants’ home campuses), so we routinely update this page to support our participants’ writing goals and those of other SoTL scholars.

Understanding the Publishing Process for Book-Length Projects (A CEL Blog Series)

Book covers are shown for all books in two series: Open Access Book Series and the Series on Engaged Learning and Teaching

CEL’s Book Series: Similarities and Differences

Since 2019, CEL has been home to not one, but two, book series. We’re sometimes asked what the difference is between the two. Well, they are each unique (and each excellent in their own way), so this post will explain…

A stack of books, with text: "Systematic literature review is more than just a research tool; it's a mindset, a rigorous approach that demands thoroughness, critical thinking, and an openness to new ideas."

Embracing Systematic Literature Reviews in Education Research: A Path to Rigorous Discovery

In the ever-evolving landscape of education research, the approach we take toward investigating new domains can significantly influence the outcomes and insights we garner. One such approach, which we firmly advocate for, is the systematic literature review (SLR). This method…

Considering Ethical Strategies for Collaborative Writing

Who is an author? Typically…

Group members who have made substantial conceptual contributions to the publication
Group members who have participated in data collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data
Group members who contribute significant drafting, revising, and/or editing

Different group members can take the lead on different presentation/publication goals, so discuss timelines and expectations for group members often. Include authorship discussions – preferably in the context of personal and professional goals – as part of your planning. In “Working with Coauthors,” Ann Nevin, Jacqueline Thousand, and Richard Villa highlight the importance not only of setting shared goals, but also of being attentive to individual goals:

Each coauthor needs to honestly share any individual goals. One author may have a personal goal of getting the product completed within the shortest amount of time; another may have as a goal to produce the most polished document that will have the greatest possibility of being accepted by a top internationally respected peer-reviewed journal. One author may be motivated to reach a researcher audience, while another may want to reach a practitioner audience. Goal conversations can spare coauthors from experiencing the distress that can occur when unspoken agendas, that is, hidden agendas, are not shared.
Nevin, Thousand, and Villa 2010, p. 280

Understanding these individual goals can help shape agreements about who might take leadership roles (and be listed as first author) on different publications. They also can guide conversations about how to acknowledge collaborators across publications. For example, you might agree to:

List everyone who collected and/or analyzed data on every publication and promote active writers in the author order, listing remaining members alphabetically; or
List everyone who collected and/or analyzed data on every publication and promote active writers in the author order, listing remaining members in reverse alphabetical order; or
Alternate between these strategies so that someone’s last name does not consistently position them first (or last) among the alphabetical listings; or
List everyone who collected and/or analyzed data on every publication, listing members in an agreed upon order that accounts for collective publication needs/individual goals.

Here are a few examples:

For one multi-institutional project, co-authors who take the lead on drafting, revising, and editing a manuscript are listed first, and most remaining co-authors are listed alphabetically after those lead authors. The team’s statistician is listed last.
In a smaller collaborative team, junior colleagues who need publications for promotion are listed first, since team members typically contribute fairly evenly to the research and writing processes.
For publications related to the Center’s work, the director’s and executive director’s names often are listed last (and only if they contributed to a publication) so that the Center’s leaders for a topic area (e.g., undergraduate research, global learning, etc.) are better positioned for name recognition within the associated scholarly community.

Since individual goals and professional careers change over time, teams should revisit their shared goals and expectations regularly.

Learning and Teaching Journals

The following journals publish research on learning and teaching:

This list is not exhaustive; please email suggestions. Also see the SoTL Journal List maintained by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Central Florida.

Learning and Teaching Book Series

The Center for Engaged Learning is home to two book series:

Both series offer supplemental resources on the Center’s website.

Reference

Nevin, Ann I., Jacqueline S. Thousand, and Richard A. Villa. 2010. “Working with Coauthors.” In the Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing, edited by Tonette S. Rocco, Tim Hatcher, and Associates, 274-292. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.