Instructions for authors

Style

1. Advances in Online Education (AOE) welcomes contributions from education professionals including best practice articles, case studies, new approaches and techniques, or other material of relevance to education professionals. AOE also considers papers that can be more descriptive (and less analytical) of current educational practice and need not display in‑depth knowledge of previous academic work in the field. The Journal also publishes traditionally styled academic papers which are expected, at a minimum, to display a sound knowledge of previous work in the area and some original research content. All articles must have clear implications for educational practice.
2. Articles and case studies can be anywhere from 2,500 to 6,000 words. Review articles and comments should be in the region of 1,500–3,000 words.
3. Authors should not seek to use the Journal as a vehicle for marketing any specific product or service.
4. All article types must be supported by references to examples and case studies and, wherever possible, industry surveys and existing literature.
5. References should be in the Vancouver system i.e. referred to by number in the text with superscript numbers (like so¹) and set out in full in a consecutive numerical list of end-notes at the end of the article. When referring to the same book or journal more than once, authors should not revert to the original number. Rather, a different (consecutive) number is inserted. Then, at the end of the article, the correct style is ‘Surname (of author), ref x. above’, or if it refers to the reference immediately preceding, ‘Ibid’ can be used.
6. Submissions should be written in the third person and authors should avoid the use of personal pronouns, slang, or any other language which is not in keeping with the professional and academic style of the Journal.
7. Photographs and illustrations supporting articles should be submitted where appropriate. Photographs should be submitted electronically with figures saved as TIF, EPS, or PDF with all fonts embedded or JPEG (high resolution) files, at a minimum 300dpi.
8. All other graphics should be supplied in an editable format wherever possible (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, vector files, or original source data). Screengrabs should only be used where no other option is available (e.g. showing an on screen operating system). If a graphic contains only text (e.g. tables, lists, word clouds), please provide a version with editable text rather than as an image. Please do not supply AI-generated graphics, as these are uneditable and frequently contain errors.

Accessibility requirements (figures and manuscripts)

• Do not rely on colour, shape, or position alone to convey meaning. Provide labels, patterns, or text so that readers are not dependent on visual cues.
• Avoid spatial cues such as ‘above’ or ‘below’. Refer to the exact section, figure, or table. Example: instead of ‘see the table below’, use ‘see Table 2’.
• Ensure figures meet accessibility contrast standards: meaningful visual elements (e.g. lines, markers, bars, shapes) must achieve at least a 3:1 contrast ratio against adjacent colours.

Further guidance on the submission of graphics is available on request from the Publishing Editor, Amelia Clarke, at amelia@hspublications.co.uk.

9. All papers should be accompanied by a short abstract of up to 300 words summarising the paper and detailing the paper’s main points. Please note the abstract should not provide a general introduction to the paper but rather should describe the purpose or problems addressed, what was done, any findings or trends identified, and the conclusions and wider implications.
10. All articles should be accompanied by up to 7 keywords which summarise the key themes of the article.
11. Articles should be accompanied by a short (up to 200 words) biography of the author(s) and, if appropriate, any organisations of which he or she is a member.
12. All acronyms should be expanded in full at their first use and thereafter referred to by their initials.
13. Measurements should be in metric units, with appropriate exceptions, eg pints and gallons.
14. Please note that the Journal’s format does not permit sidebars. Any content contained in a sidebar should be worked into the text.
15. Authors may use generative artificial intelligence, AI‑assisted tools, and large language models (collectively called AI in the text below) in the preparation of their article, as long as they: (1) disclose how and where AI was used; and (2) ensure that the use of AI does not infringe on existing copyrights. Authors are fully responsible for all information contained in their article, including the use of AI in writing the article, the collection and analysis of information and data, and the generation of images and graphics. Authors should carefully review and edit the output from the AI tools they have used to ensure it is correct, complete, and unbiased. Authors should also make sure that the use of AI in their article does not contravene copyright and any other ownership rights of third parties. AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a paper. Authors should declare their use of AI in a separate section at the end of the paper, before the references, entitled ‘Use of artificial intelligence’. In this section, the author(s) should state which tools they used in the preparation of the paper, how those tools were employed, and the extent to which the tools were utilised. The author(s) should also include (and adhere to) the following statement in the section: ‘I (we) have reviewed and edited the content produced by the artificial intelligence tools and am (are) fully responsible for the information contained in the article’.

General

16. Papers should be submitted via email in Microsoft Word format to the Publishing Editor, Amelia Clarke, at amelia@hspublications.co.uk.
17. We do not charge any fees for submission or publication of papers.
18. Authors must ensure that references to named people and/or organisations are accurate, not racist or sexist, and without libellous implications.
19. All contributions sent to the Publisher, whether invited or not, will be submitted to the Journal’s Editorial Board for anonymous peer‑review. Contributions are accepted on the strict understanding that the author is responsible for the accuracy of all opinion, technical comment, factual data, figures, illustrations, and photographs. Publication does not necessarily imply that these are the opinions of the Editorial Board, Editors, or the Publisher, nor do the Board, Editors, or Publishers accept any liability for the accuracy of such comments, reports, and other technical and factual information. The Publisher will, however, strive to ensure that all opinions, comments, reports, data, figures, illustrations, and photographs are accurate, insofar as it is within its abilities to do so. The Publisher reserves the right to edit, abridge, or omit material submitted for publication.
20. Papers submitted to the Journal should not be simultaneously submitted for review to any other publications.
21. The author bears the responsibility for checking whether material submitted is subject to copyright or ownership rights, eg photographs, illustrations, trade literature, and data. Where use is so restricted, the Publisher must be informed with the submission of the material.
22. No contribution will be accepted which has been published elsewhere, unless it is expressly invited or agreed by the Publisher.
23. Papers and contributions published in Advances in Online Education become the copyright of the Publisher, unless otherwise agreed.
24. All reasonable efforts are made to ensure accurate reproduction of text, photographs, and illustrations. The Publisher does not accept responsibility for mistakes, be they editorial or typographical, nor for consequences resulting from them.