Call for Papers/Book Reviews/Research Synopsis for the Journal of Open Learning and Research Communication

The Journal of Open Learning and Research Communication (JOLRC) is a peer-reviewed annual journal of Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, Guwahati, Assam, INDIA. The primary objective of the journal is to discuss and disseminate ideas of Open and Distance Learning (ODL). However, it also lays equal emphasis on publishing research papers from other academic disciplines and research areas from India as well as abroad. We are currently inviting previously unpublished research papers and book reviews for the second issue of the journal to be published in November, 2016.

JOLRC aims to offer a common platform for sharing new ideas while accepting differences; improve mutual communication and increase cooperation and shared learning. All submitted research papers are subject to double-blind peer review. The papers are evaluated by a distinguished board of Editors and Reviewers, and accepted for publication only if they meet the set scholarly standards of originality, significance and rigour in advancing the knowledge of existing and new research areas. Authors are welcome to submit original research papers (not exceeding 4,500-5000 words) dealing with themes relating to the objective of the journal. Along with the research papers, book reviews of not more than 1000-1200 words and researc synopsis of 1500-1800 words are also welcome.

Instructions for Submission

Submission of papers to the journal in electronic .doc or .docx format is a must. The electronic file of your paper will be formatted further by the Editorial board of JOLRC. While submitting your paper for the first time, please submit two versions of the paper in .doc or .docx format. The first version should be marked Contributors’ Copy on the top right corner and it should contain the names and institutional affiliation of all the contributing authors[1] along with contact details (mobile number and email id) of the corresponding author. The second version should be marked Review Copy on the top right corner and should not include names, address of any of the authors. In all other respects, both the versions of the paper must be the same.

Instruction for Authors: These instructions guide you for preparing manuscript for the Journal of Open Learning and Research Communication (JOLRC) the Annual journal of the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU).

            The page-set up and format of the word document:

• Paper Size: A4.

• Page margins :  Top: 2.7 cm, Bottom: 3.6 cm,  Left: 1.8 cm, Right : 1.9 cm

• Font Style: Garamond, Font Sizes: 11 across the text of the paper.

• Font size of the Paper Title: 20, bold, in sentence case. Same paper titles are to be used both in abstract and the full paper and the same style should be maintained.

• Paragraphs are to be used by indenting the first line with a tab of 0.5 inch. No sub-paragraphs are to be used. However, if necessary, sub-paragraphs should be numbered in alphabetical order, viz., a), b), c). No separate margins are to be used for sub-paragraphs. Line spacing: 1.15.

• Font size for quotation (in para) : For quotations of more than 30 words, please use Quotation (in para). Font Size is 10.5 with line breaks after and before the subsequent para and .25 margin on both sides from the margin of the main text. Line spacing in quotation (in para): 1.

• Only foot notes are to be used with the font size of 9.5. Foot notes should be numbered as i, ii, iii….etc.

         Preparation of your paper for the JOLRC: The abstract of your paper should not be more than 300 words. Please use about four to five key words or phrases in alphabetical order, separated by commas. Please do not use the words already used in the title. The main text of the paper should be divided into four parts: Introduction: The introduction should explain the basic research problem, hypothesis or research questions, if any and the methodology adopted. Review of Literature: It should briefly review the major arguments of the available research. Discussion and Results: This section should be devoted to discussion of the research findings/results. We encourage you to use separate titles of the section/sub-section of the discussion. The paper should have a summarised Conclusion at the end of discussion. The conclusion section might elaborate on the importance of the work or suggest applications, some future scope of study and extensions.

            Procedure of Submission of the Paper: Submission of papers to the journal in electronic .doc or .docx format is a must. The electronic file of your paper will be formatted further by the Editorial board of JOLRC. While submitting your paper for the first time, please submit two copies of the paper in .doc or .docx format, one with complete name and address of the authors along with contact details (mobile number and email id) of the corresponding authors, and one without the names and addresses of any of the authors.

A.   Review Stage

     The papers submitted to the journal are subject to blind review by two reviewers. The reviewers will be selected by the University. However, you are requested to incorporate 4-5 persons who are expert on the relevant theme, who could be approached for the purpose of Review of the version of the paper containing the names and addressed of the authors. The suggested reviewers should not feature on the version of the paper without the names of the authors. The suggested reviewers need not be personally known to you, but should have made significant contributions in the field. Please include at least four publication of each of the reviewers in the relevant theme along with their Name and Email ID, if available.

     Please include figures and tables only when needed. Please submit the figures and tables in a separate file (in .doc/.docx format only). Your are to place figure captions below the figures and to place table titles above the tables. If your figure has two parts, include the labels “(a)” and “(b)” as part of the artwork. Please verify that the figures and tables you mention in the text actually exist and you include them in the separate file. Please do not include captions as part of the figures or place captions in “text boxes” linked to the figures. Also, please do not put borders around the outside of your figures. Please use the abbreviation “Fig.” even at the beginning of a sentence and number them as Fig.1: , Fig. 2:, Fig. 3:  …etc. Please do not abbreviate “Table.”. Tables are to be numbered as Table 1:, Table 2: Table 3: etc.

           Please note that the paper is only printed in black-white colour. Therefore, you should not use different colours to explain/illustrate the figure. Instead, use different patterns to clearly explain the same.

     Mathematical Equations

     In your Mircrosoft Word document, use either the Microsoft Equation Editor or the MathType add-on (http://www.mathtype.com) for equations in your paper (Insert | Object | Create New | Microsoft Equation or MathType Equation). “Float over text” should not be selected.

            Please number equations consecutively with equation numbers in parentheses aligned with the right margin of the text. First use the equation editor to create the equation. Then select the “Equation” markup style. The equation shall be centered. Press the tab key and write the equation number in parentheses, e.g., (1), (2), (3) etc. To make your equations more compact, you may use the solidus ( / ), the exp function, or appropriate exponents. Use parentheses to avoid ambiguities in denominators. Punctuate equations when they are part of a sentence.

            You are confirm and be certain that the symbols in your equation have been defined before the equation appears or immediately following. Italicize symbols. Refer to “(1),” not “Eq. (1)” or “equation (1),” except at the beginning of a sentence: “Equation (1) is ... .”

     Units of measurement

     Please use either SI (MKS) or CGS as primary units. (SI units are strongly encouraged.) English units may be used as secondary units (in parentheses). This applies to papers in data storage. For example, write “15 Gb/cm2 (100 Gb/in2).” An exception is when English units are used as identifiers in trade, such as “3½ in disk drive.” Avoid combining SI and CGS units. This often leads to confusion because equations do not balance dimensionally. If you must use mixed units, clearly state the units for each quantity in an equation.

     Footnotes

     Number footnotes as i, ii, iii,… separately in superscripts (Insert | Footnote). Place the actual footnote at the bottom of the page in which it is cited. Please do not put footnotes in the reference list (endnotes). Use letters as a,b,c…. for table footnotes.

     References

     References should follow APA Style of referencing and the Reference List should be included at the end of the paper.

       Acknowledgement / Appendix, if any, should feature after the Reference part.

     Abbreviations and Acronyms

     Define abbreviations and acronyms the first time they are used in the text, even after they have already been defined in the abstract. Abbreviations that incorporate periods (.) should not have spaces: write “C.N.R.S.,” not “C. N. R. S.” Please do not use abbreviations in the title unless they are unavoidable.

     Please use one space after periods (.) and colons (:). Avoid dangling participles, such as, “Using (1), the potential was calculated.” [It is not clear who or what used (1).] Write instead, “The potential was calculated by using (1),” or “Using (1), we calculated the potential.”

                      Please use a zero before decimal points: “0.25,” not “.25.” Use “cm3,” not “cc.” Indicate sample dimensions as “0.1 cm ´ 0.2 cm,” not “0.1 ´ 0.2 cm2.” The abbreviation for “seconds” is “s,” not “sec.” Do not mix complete spellings and abbreviations of units: use “Wb/m2” or “webers per square meter,” not “webers/m2.” When expressing a range of values, write “7 to 9” or “7-9,” not “7~9.”

                      Please avoid contractions; for example, write “do not” instead of “don’t.” The serial comma is preferred: “A, B, and C” instead of “A, B and C.”

           If you wish, you may write in the first person singular or plural and use the active voice (“I observed that ...” or “We observed that ...” instead of “It was observed that ...”). Remember to check spelling and grammar manually and preferably with a language editor before you submit the paper.

C.   Some Common Mistakes better to avoid

                 The word “data” is plural, not singular. The subscript for the permeability of vacuum µ0 is zero, not a lowercase letter “o.” A graph within a graph is an “inset,” not an “insert.” The word “alternatively” is preferred to the word “alternately” (unless you really mean something that alternates). Please use the word “whereas” instead of “while” (unless you are referring to simultaneous events). Please do not use the word “essentially” to mean “approximately” or “effectively.” Do not use the word “issue” as a euphemism for “problem.”

                       Be aware of the different meanings of the homophones “affect” (usually a verb) and “effect” (usually a noun), “complement” and “compliment,” “discreet” and “discrete,” “principal” (e.g., “principal investigator”) and “principle” (e.g., “principle of measurement”). Do not confuse “imply” and “infer.”

                       Prefixes such as “non,” “sub,” “micro,” “multi,” and “ultra” are not independent words; they should be joined to the words they modify, usually without a hyphen. There is no period after the “et” in the Latin abbreviation “et al.” (it is also italicised). The abbreviation “i.e.,” means “that is,” and the abbreviation “e.g.,” means “for example” (these abbreviations are not italicized).                      

D.  Editorial Policy: Submission of a manuscript shall not necessary lead to a publication but shall go to the through process of review. Do not submit a reworked version of a paper that you have submitted or published elsewhere. Do not publish “preliminary” data or results. The submitting author is responsible for obtaining agreement of all coauthors and any consent required from sponsors before submitting a paper. JOLRC strongly discourages courtesy authorship. It is the obligation of the authors to cite relevant prior work.

The JOLRC does publish papers related to conferences that have been recommended for publication on the basis of peer review.

The paper shall be initially reviewed by the editorial board and if found related to the theme and has some merit to be published shall be send to the reviewers. At least two reviews are required for every paper submitted. Undecipherable English is a valid reason for rejection. Authors of rejected papers may revise and resubmit them to the JOLRC as regular papers, whereupon they will be reviewed by two new referees.

E.  Publication Principles: The contents of JOLRC are double blind peer-reviewed and archived. The JOLRC publishes scholarly articles of archival value as well as tutorial expositions and critical reviews of the subjects and topics of current interest. In order to have your paper published in this journal you should consider the following facts before submission of your paper:  

1. Technical papers submitted for publication must advance the state of knowledge and must cite relevant prior work.

2. The length of a submitted paper should commensurate with the importance, or should be appropriate to the complexity, of the work. For example, an obvious extension of previously published work might not be appropriate for publication or might not be adequately treated in just a few pages. The ideal length of a paper should be between 4500-5000 words.

3. Authors must convince both the peer reviewers and the editors of the scientific and technical merit of a paper; the standards of proof are higher when extraordinary or unexpected results are reported.

4. As an ideal research paper, your paper should contain new, resourceful, and fully described information Authors should expect to be challenged by reviewers if the results are not supported by adequate data and a critical details.

5. Papers that describe ongoing work or announce the latest technical achievement, which are suitable for presentation at a professional conference, may not be appropriate for publication in JOLRC.

6. The Current issue of the Journal will also be made available online with free to download option. The old issues would be put in Archival and may be made available on payment of specified fee only.

7. The University believes that the papers submitted to the Journal are free from plagiarism. The University may check the papers with Plagiarism-check software. However, in the event any published paper are found or reported to be plagiarized, the University would blacklist the author and would bring the matter into public notice by publishing his name in the website of the University and also by notifying the concerned University/Institution the author(s) is/are associated with in writing for such misdeeds. 

8. Copyright Form: Once your paper is accepted, you will be provided with a Copyright form. You are to send the duly filled-in copyright form to the Editor within one week of receipt of the same. Authors are responsible for obtaining any security clearances.

9. Copyright: The copyright of the Journal belongs to the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University. The University also reserves the right to release the journal under other open licensing policy or in other format.

10. Unpublished Manuscripts: The University may decide to publish unpublished manuscripts in other formats like books, policy paper, articles in University Newsletter etc. However, the University would contact the corresponding authors about such decision of the University and the publication would be undertaken only after due consent from the corresponding author along with necessary changes, if any is received. 

11. The University would maintain communication with the corresponding author only. 

12. Book reviews should be of around 1200-1500 words. The University would publish two book reviews in each issue of the journal. Please use APA Style for referencing.

13. Research synopsis stating preliminary findings of your research (which are in the advance stage of completion) or a brief outline of recently concluded projects in around 1500-1800 words will also be considered for publication. 

Contact: To submit your research paper to Journal of Open Learning and Research Communication, or if you have any question and comment about the journal, kindly send your query/ comment to kkhsoujournal@gmail.com, with a cc to: bhaskar.kkhsou@gmail.com.

     The last date of submission of paper/book reviews for the November, 2016 issue (Volume II) is 10th August, 2016.

[1] Surname, Firstname_author1 along with Name of the institute, Zip code, Country (corresponding author’s contact number, e-mail id should be mentioned).

Firstname Surname_author2  is with the Name of the institute, Zip code, Country.

Firstname Surname_author3  is with the Name of the institute, Zip code, Country.