Open-Access Journals in Educational Technology

Open-access journals in educational technology are a specific type of academic journal focused on educational technology. The type of scholarship academic journals publish can range from traditional empirical studies to literature reviews, position pieces, and book reviews. Open-access journals differ from traditional journals in several ways, including that readers can view articles online without a subscription. This entry describes academic journals and notes some that focus on educational technology. The entry then explains the difference between closed-access and open-access journals, discusses the pros and cons of open-access journals, and details controversies over open-access journals.

Articles in academic journals are usually peer reviewed. Peer review is a process in which two or more peers review a manuscript. The reviewers provide feedback to the authors and the editor and recommend whether the manuscript should be published, revised, or declined. Typically, an editor makes the final publication decision. Peer review is usually one key difference between academic journals (e.g., Educational Technology Research and Development) and professional magazines (e.g., Educational Technology) in a field. Some academic journals publish both peer-reviewed and nonpeer-reviewed articles (e.g., TechTrends). The peer review process is generally believed to increase the rigor and prestige of a publication and to help further advance a field of study. Despite these perceived benefits, many academics are quick to point out problems with the typical peer-review process (e.g., innovative thinking can be suppressed, it relies on busy unpaid volunteers, it can slow the publication process).

The field of educational technology has more than a hundred different academic journals. Some of these journals have a traditional research focus, such as Educational Technology Research and Development, the British Journal of Educational Technology, and Computers & Education. These three journals, in particular, are some of the oldest and generally accepted as the most prestigious journals in the field. Other educational technology journals, such as TechTrends, are more practitioner oriented, focusing less on reporting traditional research and more on reporting emerging trends and practices in the field. Other academic journals focus on a specific aspect of educational technology such as distance education (e.g., The American Journal of Distance Education or The Internet and Higher Education) or on educational technology in a specific context (e.g., the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education or the Journal of Computing in Higher Education).