By Gerard Flanagan
Lead writer and communications specialist
Office of Marketing and Communications
Last year, Campbellsville University’s Dr. Franklin Thomas had a vision: to create an academic journal detailing the latest scholarship and research in higher education.
A year later and ahead of schedule, that vision has translated into reality, with the inaugural issue of Journal of Advances in Education, which debuted in May.
When asked how it felt to have the first issue published, especially ahead of schedule, Thomas commented, “I’m very proud to be part of something that contributes to scholarship in the field of education. It was an ambitious undertaking, so I’m also a bit relieved that the project is going smoothly.”
Thomas, an associate professor of education for CU who also serves as the journal’s editor, noted the scope of the journal and the journal’s submission guidelines quickly came together in the early stages.
“The scope of the journal was determined to be that a priority be given to submissions detailing empirical research projects and book reviews,” Thomas said. “Consideration would also be given to action research submissions from graduate students and thought pieces from respected scholars.”
Thomas noted a call for submissions went out to nearly 1,000 professors across the entire United States in November of last year. The journal’s inaugural issue contained a letter from the editor, six articles, and a book review, totaling 116 pages. Hard copies of the journal are on display in the School of Education and were sent to the authors of the articles, peer reviewers, and several CU leaders.
“The vision for the journal was for it to have a nationwide feel,” Thomas shared. “The first issue featured authors from five states, and the peer review team represents three different states. These individuals are spread from the West to the East Coast.”
The peer review team consists of Dr. Debbie Azevedo from the University of the Pacific in California; Dr. Sharon Hundley and Dr. Elisha Lawrence, both from Campbellsville University; and Dr. Michael Hylen from Anderson University in South Carolina.
Thomas added that articles from the journal are already showing up on Google Scholar and other search engine queries. The journal also has an International Standard Serial Number issued by the Library of Congress.
Dr. Robin Magruder, dean of CU’s School of Education, complimented the efforts of Dr. Thomas and the editorial board, saying, “He made being a journal editor look easy. He has put countless hours into the journal and the speedy feedback he provides to authors is invaluable.”
The journal aims to provide valuable research insight to current and pre-service teachers, school administrators, higher education faculty and administrators and other scholars.
According to Thomas, all submissions undergo a thorough review process. As part of that process, each submission is vetted by two peer reviewers and receives edits by Thomas prior to final publication.
“The peer reviewers do not know who wrote the article, and the author(s) of the article do not know the identity of the peer reviewers,” Thomas said, describing the process. “In order to be accepted for publication, both peer reviewers have to agree that the submission meets a set of criteria. For submissions that are not accepted, the authors are provided with feedback.”
According to Thomas, plans are to publish the journal twice a year, and plans are well underway for its next issue, scheduled for November.
“In addition to most U.S. states, calls for submissions went to three foreign countries,” Thomas said. “The plan is to get the journal listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) late this year.”
