Submissions
Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.Opinion Pieces
What is an opinion piece?
A Compass opinion piece is a short and thought-provoking piece of writing that states a position and draws on facts and evidence to support it. It can be a reply to a previous Compass publication. It reflects the opinion of the author(s) hence it should be written in the first person.
The word count for an opinion piece in Compass can range from 1000 to 1500 words (excluding references). Opinion pieces must include a title, keywords, abstract, main body, conclusion and references – for further detail, please see below.
What information should I include and how should the paper be structured?
Title: indicates the focus of the piece
Key words: provide three to five keywords, avoiding duplication of words that are in your title.
Abstract: two to three sentences that summarise the argument.
Main body: a clearly argued point of view on a specific topic. This should clearly state and justify the opinion of the author(s) in relation to the topic, rather than present a general discussion or review of literature. Evidence must be used to support the opinion expressed. This does not mean providing long lists of references but providing enough evidence to support and illustrate the author’s perspective. The argument should be balanced and acknowledge debate and context while expressing a clear point of view.
Conclusion: brings together the key argument and its implications.
References: a list of all sources cited in the paper. Do not include any additional readings or resources. The references must be presented in the required format for Compass. Please follow the guidelines in the Submission Preparation Checklist and Referencing Style Guide.
Examples of Opinion Pieces:
- Failing students need big data - https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass/article/view/221/268
- In praise of Yellow Pages - https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass/article/view/75/145
- When feedback holds us back - https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass/article/view/139/223
Case Studies
What is a case study?
A Compass case study provides a focused analysis of an intervention or enhancement that was used to address a problem or challenge situated in a specific teaching context. It includes critical evaluation of the approach as well as description.
The maximum word count for a case study in Compass is 3000 words (excluding references). Case studies may vary in the details of the structure however the author must provide: a title, keywords, abstract, introduction, literature review, method, analysis, evaluation and references – for further detail, please see below.
What information should I include and how should the paper be structured?
Title: indicates the focus of the study
Key words: provide three to five keywords, avoiding duplication of words that are in your title.
Abstract: a concise summary that accurately reflects what is in your case study, up to 200 words.
Introduction: sets the scene clearly by providing the organisational and historical context and identifies the problem or challenge that was addressed.
Literature Review: reviews the available sources with clear indication of how the case study builds on and links to what is already known and how it adds to the body of knowledge.
Method: includes any relevant background information on your study site and participants so that the reader can understand the intervention or enhancement that was carried out and how you case study content. Explains clearly, step by step, how you carried out the intervention or enhancement and how you collected and analysed data to evaluate it. Please see the BERA ethical guidelines for conducting ethical pedagogic research and ensure your research has been approved by the respective Ethics Board of your institution.
Analysis: describes and discusses the data that were collected, qualitative or quantitative.
Evaluation: rounds up the case study providing implications and recommendations, evaluation, including discussion of generalisability, and final conclusions.
References: a list of all sources cited in the paper. Do not include any additional readings or resources. The references must be presented in the required format for Compass. Please follow the guidelines in the Submission Preparation Checklist and Referencing Style Guide.
For examples of published ‘Case Studies’, please browse the Journal’s archives.
Research Articles
What is an article?
Compass publishes two types of research article: an empirical article and a systematic review. All articles should address a specific research question and make an original contribution to knowledge. An empirical article reports on and evaluates an original study in which data were collected. It therefore contributes to knowledge by providing new evidence and its interpretation. A systematic review contributes by providing a detailed analysis of available evidence, leading to original findings and conclusions.
The maximum word count for a research article in Compass is between 4000 and 6000 words (excluding references). All articles must include a title, keywords, abstract, introduction, method, results and discussion, conclusion and references – for further detail, please see below.
What information should I include and how should the paper be structured?
Title: indicates the focus of the study
Key words: provide three to five keywords, avoiding duplication of words that are in your title.
Abstract: a concise summary that accurately reflects what is in your article, up to 200 words.
Introduction / Literature Review: provides the background to the problem, reviews the available evidence, identifies the gap, sets out the theoretical and methodological rationale for the study, and indicates the research question(s) addressed in the article.
Methodology: a detailed description of how the research was carried out. Subsection headings are recommended to help organise the information. For an empirical study, this section should include the design, participants, data collection technique, method of analysis and show how the study followed ethical processes. Please see the BERA ethical guidelines for conducting ethical pedagogic research, and please make sure that your research has been approved by the respective Ethics Board of your institution. For a systematic review, you should provide details of how the available evidence was identified, selected and analysed.
Results: presents the outcomes of the analysis in text commentary, supplemented by clearly labelled figures and table where these add value and do not duplicate information in the text.
Discussion: the data should be analysed, evaluated and interpreted in relation to the theoretical and methodological issues raised in the introduction and literature review. Implications should be outlined, including consideration of the generalizability of the findings. For qualitative studies, the results and their interpretation may be combined and presented together in the discussion.
Conclusion: a summary of the main findings and implications, indicating clearly the value that the article adds to the existing body of knowledge.
References: a list of all sources cited in the paper. Do not include any additional readings or resources. The references must be presented in the required format for Compass. Please follow the guidelines in the Submission Preparation Checklist for Authors and Referencing Style Guide.
An example of an article:
Technology Reviews
What is a technology review?
A Compass technology review provides an evaluation of a technology that is used for learning and teaching in HE. The focus is not on the technology itself but on its pedagogical application. A technology review can be written from the point of view of first-hand experience, or, you can gather the evidence from the literature. (NB where authors have collected sufficient data to evaluate the technology as used in their teaching context, they may consider writing a case study instead – please see separate author guidance on this category of submission.)
The maximum word count for a technology review in Compass is 1000 words (excluding references).
What information should I include and how should the paper be structured?
Title: indicates the focus of the review
Key words: provide three to five keywords, avoiding duplication of words that are in your title.
Abstract: two to three sentences that sum up the review
Introduction: a concise outline of the technology that is being reviewed. Provide sufficient technical information for the reader to understand how the technology works but avoid unnecessary detail. Keep the focus on application to pedagogy.
Applications: explain how you have used this technology to support learning and teaching or, alternatively, draw on the literature to discuss how this technology can be used i.e. explore the pedagogical potential of a technological tool.
Evaluation: Outline advantages and disadvantages of this technology from your own experience/point of view and/or from the literature.
Conclusions: provide a roundup of your review through including key evaluation points, implications, and, if you are writing from the point of view of first-hand experience, your plans for using this technology in your teaching practice.
References: list all sources cited in the paper. Do not include any additional readings or resources. The references must be presented in the required format for Compass. Please follow the guidelines in the Submission Preparation Checklist and Referencing Style Guide.
For examples of published Technology Reviews, please browse the Journal’s archives or see:
- Wearable technology in academia: the use of Google Glass in the life sciences https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/compass/article/view/164
Book Reviews
What is a book review?
A Compass book review introduces and evaluates a published book on learning and teaching in HE.
The word count for a book review in Compass is 1000 words (excluding references). Book reviews must include: details of the publication being reviewed, a clear structure (e.g. introduction, main body and conclusion) and references, if applicable.
What information should I include and how should the paper be structured?
Details of the publication being reviewed: the title, author and publication details of the book
A clear structure, for example:
Opening paragraphs should be used to draw the reader in. Consider if there a “hot topic” that the book can be related to, to attract interest in your review. Define any key terms that are needed to understand the review.
Main body: choose two or three chapter to focus on, do not attempt to comment on every chapter in turn. Help the reader to understand the content, purpose and message of the book. Use a small number of short quotes to illustrate your points. Comment on the argument made by the author – to what extent was it persuasive? Are there examples from your practice that you can discuss in relation to an idea in the book? Ensure that the review is balanced and fair.
Conclusion, what are the main strengths (and limitations), in your opinion, and why? Who would you recommend the book to and why?
References: if applicable, list all sources cited in the paper. Do not include any additional readings or resources. The references must be presented in the required format for Compass. Please follow the guidelines in the Submission Preparation Checklist and Referencing Style Guide.
Anthology
What is an anthology?
A Compass anthology is a collaborative submission of papers on a specific theme in learning and teaching in HE. It involves three or more authors and consists of a collection of three original papers and a commentary.
One of the papers should be a case study or research article, the others can be any combination of two of the following: opinion piece, case study and/or technology review. For example, if you have selected a research article as one of the papers, you may include a case study as a second paper, plus an opinion piece or a technology review. The standard Compass author guidance, including the word count, applies for each of these three papers.
How to submit an anthology to Compass:
The lead author will need to first submit a proposal to the Compass Editor at r.george@gre.ac.uk to be reviewed. The word count for the proposal is 500-750 words and it should include:
- the central themes that will be addressed throughout the collection,
- how these themes are explored in each paper
- why this anthology is important and relevant in the context of Higher Education today
After reviewing the proposal, we will inform you about the outcome, i.e., if this is an appropriate piece of work for this category and/or whether revisions are required with relevant feedback.
What information should I include in the anthology and how should it be structured?
Title: indicates the focus of the anthology
Key words: provide three to five keywords, avoiding duplication of words that are in your title.
Abstract: a concise summary that accurately reflects what is discussed in your anthology (up to 200 words)
Introduction (500-700 words): provides the background of the problem, presents and contextualises the connective theme of the three papers, explains why this anthology is important, i.e. the rationale for this theme in the current context of HE, sets out the aims and intended outcomes of the anthology, and identifies how the three papers are interconnected and how they will be explored, supported by references to the literature.
Three papers: Inclusion of the three papers, following the separate Author Guidelines of each type of paper. The three papers must have a connective theme throughout which has been articulated in the introduction and further discussed in the commentary.
Commentary (500-700 words): The commentary is a critical reflective discussion of the three papers, based on the connecting theme. It critically reflects on the connective elements of the three pieces and on their different perspectives. It initiates further debate and dialogue around the theme.
Conclusion (500 words): Sums up the key arguments and identifies implications for policy and practice and areas for future research.
References: a list of all sources cited in the introduction, commentary and conclusion. Do not include any additional readings or resources. The references must be presented in the required format for Compass. Please follow the guidelines in the Submission Preparation Checklist and Referencing Style Guide.
Copyright Notice
Compass: Journal of Learning & Teaching provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a more equitable global exchange of knowledge.
Works are released under the default licence of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) licence, which provides unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. If authors require a divergent licence, please contact [happy to have 'the Scholarly Communications Manager' (ks8035h@gre.ac.uk) listed here if that is easier.]
Authors of articles published in Compass: Journal of Learning & Teaching remain the copyright holders to their published work and grant third parties the right to use, reproduce, and share the article according to terms of the Creative Commons license agreement applied to the work by Compass: Journal of Learning & Teaching.
Self-archiving policy: authors are permitted, and encouraged, to deposit any version of their article - submitted, accepted, and published versions - in subject and institutional repositories at any time.
If you have any queries about the choice of license, or which to discuss other options, please contact the Scholarly Communications Manager at scholarlycommunications@greenwich.ac.uk.
Privacy Statement
Privacy statement
The data collected from registered and non-registered users of this journal falls within the scope of the standard functioning of peer-reviewed journals. It includes information that makes communication possible for the editorial process; it is used to inform readers about the authorship and editing of content; it enables collecting aggregated data on readership behaviours, as well as tracking geopolitical and social elements of scholarly communication.
This journal’s editorial team uses this data to guide its work in publishing and improving this journal. Data that will assist in developing this publishing platform may be shared with its developer Public Knowledge Project in an anonymized and aggregated form, with appropriate exceptions such as article metrics. The data will not be sold by this journal or PKP nor will it be used for purposes other than those stated here. The authors published in this journal are responsible for the human subject data that figures in the research reported here. Those involved in editing this journal seek to be compliant with industry standards for data privacy, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provision for data subject rights that include (a) breach notification; (b) right of access; (c) the right to be forgotten; (d) data portability; and (e) privacy by design. The GDPR also allows for the recognition of the public interest in the availability of the data, which has a particular saliency for those involved in maintaining, with the greatest integrity possible, the public record of scholarly publishing.
This website provides notification emails in a number of different contexts. If you wish to unsubscribe, please follow the instructions for your particular context:
I have a reader/author account
If you have a reader or author account, you may receive email notifications regarding new issues being published. To unsubscribe entirely, you must unenroll yourself as an author or reader. To do so, please log in; visit your User Profile page; and uncheck the Reader and Author role options.
I have enabled notifications for certain events
This website allows you to opt in for email notifications on different events (including new content being published, new announcements being published, etc.). You can disable email notifications for these by logging in, and clicking the "Manage Notifications" option in the sidebar.
If you wish to delete your account, please contact the editor.
