FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

This page provides answers to common questions about the Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL), including submissions, peer review, publication, fees, authorship, research ethics, open access, and editorial processes.

1. What is JEDL?

The Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL) is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal published by Education and Development Lab.

JEDL welcomes scholarly contributions addressing education, development, technology, humanities, social sciences, cultural studies, and related interdisciplinary fields.

2. What subjects does JEDL publish?

JEDL considers manuscripts within its broad multidisciplinary scope, including but not limited to:

  • Education and educational technology

  • Teaching and learning

  • Educational leadership and policy

  • History

  • Literature

  • Cultural studies

  • Development studies

  • Social sciences

  • Information and library studies

  • Digital transformation

  • Artificial intelligence and education

  • Technology and society

  • Interdisciplinary research

Authors should consult the Aims & Scope before submitting a manuscript.

3. Is JEDL a peer-reviewed journal?

Yes. Manuscripts submitted to JEDL undergo an editorial assessment and, where appropriate, peer review.

The review process may vary according to the article type, subject area, and methodological requirements of the submission.

4. Does JEDL charge an Article Processing Charge (APC)?

No.

JEDL currently does not charge authors:

  • Article Processing Charges (APC);

  • Submission fees;

  • Acceptance fees;

  • Mandatory publication fees; or

  • Mandatory charges for publishing an article.

JEDL is maintained through voluntary academic, editorial, and scholarly contributions.

5. Is there a submission fee?

No. Authors are not required to pay a submission fee to submit a manuscript to JEDL.

6. Is there an acceptance fee?

No. JEDL does not charge an acceptance fee.

Editorial decisions are based on the scholarly quality, relevance, originality, methodology, and suitability of the manuscript—not on payment.

7. How do I submit a manuscript?

Manuscripts should normally be submitted through the JEDL online submission system.

Authors should:

  1. Register for an account;

  2. Log in to the journal;

  3. Select New Submission;

  4. Choose the appropriate submission section;

  5. Upload the manuscript and required files;

  6. Enter complete author and manuscript metadata;

  7. Complete the required declarations;

  8. Review the submission information; and

  9. Confirm the submission.

Authors should follow the Submission Guidelines and Submission Checklist before completing the submission.

8. Do I need to register before submitting?

Yes. Authors normally need an account in the JEDL online submission system to submit and monitor a manuscript.

Authors should provide accurate information when creating their account.

9. Can I submit by email?

The preferred method of submission is the JEDL online submission system.

Email may be used for editorial communication or technical assistance when appropriate, but authors should not send duplicate submissions through multiple channels unless specifically requested by the editorial office.

10. Can I submit a manuscript that has already been published?

Normally, no.

JEDL expects submitted manuscripts to be original and not previously published in substantially the same form elsewhere.

Authors must disclose any relevant prior publication, preprint, conference version, thesis, dissertation, working paper, or related manuscript when submitting.

11. Can I submit my manuscript to another journal at the same time?

No.

Authors should not submit the same manuscript simultaneously to multiple journals.

A manuscript submitted to JEDL should remain under consideration exclusively by JEDL unless the author formally withdraws the manuscript or receives appropriate permission.

12. What file format should I use?

JEDL generally recommends submitting manuscripts in an editable Microsoft Word format such as .doc or .docx, unless the journal or relevant submission section specifies another format.

Authors should ensure that the submitted file is complete, readable, and properly formatted.

13. What should be included in the manuscript?

Depending on the article type, a manuscript may include:

  • Title

  • Author information

  • Abstract

  • Keywords

  • Introduction

  • Background or literature review

  • Research questions/objectives

  • Methodology

  • Results/findings

  • Discussion

  • Conclusion

  • Recommendations or implications

  • Limitations

  • Acknowledgments

  • Funding statement

  • Conflict of interest statement

  • Data availability statement

  • AI-use disclosure, where applicable

  • References

  • Appendices, where applicable

Authors should follow the Author Guidelines for the specific requirements of their submission.

14. How long should the manuscript be?

There is no single word limit applicable to every type of submission.

The appropriate length depends on the article type, research methodology, subject, and scholarly contribution.

Authors should prioritize clarity, completeness, and academic quality rather than unnecessary length.

15. What citation style does JEDL use?

JEDL generally recommends APA 7th edition for citations and references unless a particular article type or discipline requires another recognized style.

Authors should apply their chosen citation style consistently throughout the manuscript.

16. How many keywords should I provide?

Authors are generally encouraged to provide 4–8 relevant keywords.

Keywords should accurately represent the main concepts, subjects, methods, or themes of the manuscript.

17. Does JEDL use anonymous peer review?

Where appropriate, JEDL may use an anonymous peer-review process.

Authors should prepare an anonymized version of the manuscript when requested and remove information that could unnecessarily reveal their identity to reviewers.

18. How long does peer review take?

The review period can vary considerably depending on:

  • The subject area;

  • Availability of suitable reviewers;

  • Reviewer response times;

  • Manuscript complexity;

  • Editorial workload;

  • Number of revision rounds; and

  • Author response time.

JEDL aims to process submissions as efficiently as reasonably possible while maintaining appropriate scholarly standards.

19. Can I ask about the status of my manuscript?

Yes.

Authors can normally monitor the manuscript through their JEDL OJS account.

If a submission appears inactive for an unusually long period, the corresponding author may contact the editorial office with the manuscript details.

20. What editorial decisions are possible?

Depending on the circumstances, an editor may issue decisions such as:

  • Accept

  • Minor Revision

  • Major Revision

  • Revise and Resubmit

  • Reject

A revision request does not guarantee eventual acceptance. Revised manuscripts are evaluated according to the editor's and reviewers' comments and the quality of the author's response.

21. Can I revise my manuscript after receiving reviewer comments?

Yes.

Authors should carefully address all editorial and reviewer comments and submit:

  • A revised manuscript; and

  • A response to reviewers explaining how each substantive comment was addressed.

Where a recommendation is not adopted, authors should provide a clear scholarly justification.

22. Can I withdraw my manuscript?

Yes, but authors should contact the editorial office and formally request withdrawal.

Authors should not submit the manuscript to another journal while it remains under active consideration by JEDL.

After acceptance or publication, withdrawal is subject to JEDL's relevant publication-ethics and correction/retraction procedures.

23. Can I change the author list after submission?

Changes to authorship should be made only for legitimate reasons and must comply with JEDL's Authorship & Contributorship Policy.

Any change to the author list may require agreement from all affected authors and appropriate documentation.

24. Can an organization or AI system be listed as an author?

Authors must meet appropriate authorship criteria.

AI and generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

AI tools may assist with certain research or writing activities where appropriate, but responsibility for the submitted work remains with the human authors.

Material use of AI should be disclosed in accordance with JEDL's AI & Generative AI Policy.

25. Does JEDL allow the use of ChatGPT or other generative AI tools?

JEDL does not automatically prohibit responsible use of AI or generative AI tools.

However, authors remain fully responsible for:

  • Accuracy;

  • Originality;

  • Research integrity;

  • Citations;

  • Confidentiality;

  • Copyright compliance;

  • Ethical research practices; and

  • The final submitted manuscript.

Material use of AI should be disclosed where required by the JEDL AI & Generative AI Policy.

AI-generated content must not be used to fabricate references, data, results, quotations, participants, or research evidence.

26. Does JEDL check for plagiarism?

Yes.

JEDL may conduct plagiarism or similarity screening as part of its editorial and research-integrity procedures.

A similarity score alone does not automatically establish plagiarism. Editors may assess the nature, source, context, and extent of overlapping material.

Suspected plagiarism and other forms of research misconduct may be handled under JEDL's Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy.

27. What happens if research misconduct is suspected?

JEDL takes allegations of research misconduct seriously.

Potential misconduct may include:

  • Plagiarism;

  • Fabrication;

  • Falsification;

  • Duplicate publication;

  • Manipulation of research data;

  • Misleading authorship;

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest;

  • Inappropriate image manipulation;

  • Citation manipulation; or

  • Other serious breaches of research integrity.

The journal may investigate concerns and take appropriate action in accordance with its publication-ethics policies.

28. Do I need ethical approval for my research?

Where research involves human participants, personal data, sensitive information, animals, or other ethically regulated activities, authors should obtain appropriate ethical approval where required.

Authors should clearly report relevant ethical approval and consent information in the manuscript.

Where formal ethical approval is not applicable, authors should explain this when appropriate.

29. Do I need a Data Availability Statement?

For research involving datasets, authors are encouraged to provide a Data Availability Statement.

The statement should explain whether the supporting data are:

  • Publicly available;

  • Available upon reasonable request;

  • Available through a repository;

  • Subject to controlled access; or

  • Not available because of legitimate ethical, legal, privacy, or confidentiality restrictions.

30. Do I have to make my research data publicly available?

Not necessarily.

JEDL encourages responsible data sharing where ethically, legally, and practically possible.

However, confidential, sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise restricted data may not be suitable for public release.

Authors should provide a clear explanation when data cannot be openly shared.

31. Can I use third-party datasets?

Yes, where permitted.

Authors using third-party or secondary datasets must comply with the relevant terms of use, licenses, permissions, ethical requirements, and citation obligations.

The original source of the data must be appropriately acknowledged.

32. Does JEDL provide open access?

Yes.

JEDL is an open-access journal, and published scholarly content is intended to be accessible to readers without subscription barriers.

Authors should consult the Open Access Policy and Copyright & Licensing Policy for the applicable terms.

33. Who owns the copyright?

Copyright and licensing arrangements are governed by JEDL's Copyright & Licensing Policy and the applicable publication agreement.

Authors should review the relevant terms before publication.

34. Can I reuse my published article?

Authors may reuse or share their work according to the applicable copyright and licensing terms.

Any reuse should comply with the license attached to the published article and applicable copyright law.

35. Does JEDL publish special issues?

Yes.

JEDL may publish Special Issues addressing focused themes, emerging research areas, invited collections, or conference-related scholarly work.

Special Issues remain subject to JEDL's editorial, peer-review, publication-ethics, and quality-control requirements.

36. Does JEDL publish conference proceedings?

JEDL may consider conference proceedings or conference-related special issues through its designated editorial procedures.

Conference submissions are not automatically accepted for publication. They may be subject to editorial assessment, peer review, formatting requirements, and applicable JEDL policies.

37. Can I propose a Special Issue?

Yes.

Researchers, academics, institutions, and qualified scholars may contact JEDL regarding potential Special Issue proposals.

A proposal may include:

  • Proposed title;

  • Theme and rationale;

  • Scope;

  • Guest editor information;

  • Expected number of papers;

  • Proposed timeline;

  • Target contributors; and

  • Relevant conference or academic event information, where applicable.

Approval of a Special Issue proposal remains subject to editorial evaluation.

38. Can I join the JEDL Editorial Board?

JEDL may invite or consider qualified academics and researchers for editorial roles based on relevant expertise, academic experience, research contributions, professional standing, and the journal's needs.

Interested scholars may contact the editorial office or respond to an official call for editorial board members.

39. Can I become a reviewer for JEDL?

Yes.

Researchers with relevant subject expertise may express interest in serving as reviewers.

Reviewers are expected to maintain confidentiality, declare conflicts of interest, provide constructive and objective assessments, and follow JEDL's reviewer and publication-ethics requirements.

40. Does JEDL provide certificates to reviewers or editorial members?

Where applicable, JEDL may provide formal acknowledgment or documentation of editorial and reviewing contributions according to its administrative practices.

Such documentation does not constitute a guarantee of employment, academic appointment, remuneration, or professional accreditation.

41. Does JEDL guarantee acceptance if I pay a fee?

No.

JEDL does not operate a pay-for-publication acceptance system.

Because JEDL currently charges no APC, submission fee, acceptance fee, or mandatory publication fee, payment has no role in editorial acceptance decisions.

42. Can I request expedited publication?

Authors may communicate urgent publication requirements to the editorial office, but JEDL cannot guarantee expedited review or publication.

Editorial decisions remain dependent on appropriate scholarly evaluation and editorial capacity.

43. Can I submit a manuscript in a language other than English?

JEDL's normal publication language and language requirements should be checked against the relevant submission section and current journal instructions.

Manuscripts must be written in clear, academically appropriate language and should be carefully proofread before submission.

44. What happens after my manuscript is accepted?

After acceptance, the manuscript may proceed through:

  1. Editorial checks;

  2. Copyediting or formatting, where applicable;

  3. Author proofreading;

  4. Final publication preparation;

  5. Metadata and bibliographic processing; and

  6. Online publication.

Authors should carefully review proofs and report factual or typographical errors promptly.

45. Will my article receive a DOI?

Where DOI registration is applicable and available through JEDL's publishing infrastructure, an article may be assigned a DOI.

Authors should not assume that a DOI has been assigned until it is officially displayed in the published article metadata.

46. Does JEDL use persistent identifiers?

JEDL supports the use of persistent and standardized scholarly identifiers where applicable, including identifiers associated with articles, authors, issues, and digital resources.

Authors are encouraged to maintain accurate ORCID information and other relevant scholarly identifiers.

47. How can I contact JEDL?

For editorial questions, submission-related issues, policy questions, or technical assistance, authors may contact the JEDL Editorial Office:

Email: editor@jedl.us

When contacting the editorial office about a manuscript, authors should include the manuscript title and relevant submission information where available.

48. Where can I find all JEDL policies?

Authors should consult the journal's policy pages for detailed information concerning:

  • Author Guidelines

  • Submission Guidelines

  • Submission Checklist

  • Peer Review Policy

  • Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy

  • Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy

  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy

  • Conflict of Interest Policy

  • AI & Generative AI Policy

  • Copyright & Licensing Policy

  • Open Access Policy

  • Research Data Policy

  • Retraction & Correction Policy

  • Archiving & Preservation Policy

  • Complaints & Appeals Policy

The applicable policy in effect at the time of submission or publication should be followed.

49. What is the most important thing to check before submitting?

Before submitting, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript fits the scope of JEDL;

  • The work is original;

  • The manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere;

  • All authors have approved the submission;

  • Authorship is correctly identified;

  • References are complete and accurate;

  • Ethical requirements have been addressed;

  • Required declarations are included;

  • AI use has been disclosed where applicable;

  • Copyright and permissions requirements have been addressed;

  • The manuscript has been carefully proofread; and

  • All items in the Submission Checklist have been completed.

50. I have a question that is not answered here. What should I do?

If your question is not addressed in this FAQ, please contact the JEDL Editorial Office.

Editorial Office: editor@jedl.us

Please provide sufficient information about your question so that the editorial team can respond efficiently.

Quick Reference

Question JEDL's General Position
Is JEDL open access? Yes
Is peer review used? Yes
APC charged? No
Submission fee? No
Acceptance fee? No
Mandatory publication fee? No
Online submission through OJS? Yes
Plagiarism screening? May be conducted
Data Availability Statement? Encouraged where applicable
ORCID? Encouraged
AI tools allowed? Responsible use subject to JEDL policy
Can AI be an author? No
Special Issues? Yes, subject to editorial approval
Conference proceedings? May be considered under applicable procedures
Editorial/reviewer opportunities? Yes, subject to qualifications and journal needs

Final Note

The FAQ provides general guidance and does not replace JEDL's formal policies and editorial decisions. Where a specific policy or instruction differs from the general information provided here, the applicable JEDL policy and editorial requirements take precedence.

Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL)
Publisher: Education and Development Lab
Editorial Office: editor@jedl.us