HISTORY OF THE JOURNAL

RIE publishes its issue 0 in 1983. It has an academic orientation with a demanding peer review process, and it is completely free. It aspires to be a communication tool for the educational community, particularly in terms of educational research and evaluation. It aims to effectively take advantage of the possibilities of communication and interactivity offered by the Internet.

APPROACH AND SCOPE

The Revista de Investigación Educativa (RIE) is distinguished by its general international profile and its openness to society and the scientific community; especially to professionals interested in educational research. RIE seeks the dissemination of empirical studies, review articles, methodological articles, among others, that respond to issues related to the sections listed below. Besides, it is always open to publishing quality articles focused on educational research. That being said, priority will be given to articles that clearly and rigorously describe the methodology used.

For an empirical article to be published in RIE, not only is it required for them to be of widespread interest, but they also need to be transferable and subject to generalization. For this reason, quantitative studies should use samples that strive for representativeness, and qualitative studies should select samples that allow the study phenomenon to be approached in an idiographic, in-depth and detailed manner.

Educational Research and Assessment

Indicators: Methodological development studies of an empirical, qualitative or quantitative nature of educational research, evaluation of programs, centres, teachers and the like.

The section welcomes original research and evaluation papers in the educational field under a quantitative, qualitative or mixed approach. The aim is to provide a better understanding and improvement of education. Contributions that clearly and precisely show the methodological designs and procedures used are particularly valued.

The section is also receptive to works of reflection that encourage the scientific debate on the epistemology, methodology or research ethics from different perspectives. It especially values those contributions that present new methods, procedures, techniques or instruments at the service of the construction of educational knowledge in a well-founded manner.

Diagnosis and Orientation

Indicators: Diagnosis of skills, competences and decisions; educational orientation and psycho-pedagogical intervention; orientation in teaching and learning processes; professional orientation, decision-making, management of personal and professional development.

The section includes empirical works that study the range of activities in diverse settings. These allow citizens of all ages to identify their skills, competences and interests at any point in their lives. This fact would enable them to make informed academic and career choices, and to manage their individual life trajectories in learning, work and other domains in which such skills are acquired or used.

In addition, there is room for contributions focusing on the improvement of learning processes; the development of skills in order to use cognitive and self-regulating learning strategies; the quality of teaching and reflective practice of teachers; family support, and so on.

Apart from that, it also hosts multidisciplinary investigations that address the management and planning of learning and work pathways in accordance with people's life goals. Thus, their skills and interests with education, training, employment opportunities and self-employment are linked.

Professional Training

Indicators: Learning at work; Basic Vocational Training; Initial or Dual Vocational Training; Training for Employment; Continuous Training in organisations.

This part brings together empirical research that responds to the need for this educational aspect. It enhances teaching and lifelong learning processes so as to acquire, update, deepen and enrich professional skills and competences as well as to enable adaptation to increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous working environments.

As a result, this section includes research that responds to a conception of Vocational Training centred on a multi-purpose education based on work (Vocational Education). This kind of education would be correctly articulated around the professional requirements (Initial or Dual Vocational Training) and in accordance with personal needs and the requirements of work organizations (Continuing Vocational Training and Training for Employment).

Higher Education

Indicators: Competences, teacher training, educational quality, tutoring, methodologies, teaching-learning process, assessment, etc.

The section encompasses those papers aimed at improving society's knowledge of higher education, both university and non-university. It would contain original articles that analyse empirical, theoretical and conceptual issues. Contributions that address comparative, case, national or international studies, as well as evaluations, policies, programs and institutional projects, will be welcome, as long as they show their evidence through a structured design of educational research.

It also compiles works of research teams and studies related to teaching and learning processes in higher education; the concerns of teachers and students; studies on teaching methodologies and the effectiveness of experiences related to the prevention of drop-out; the application of technologies; the measurement and assessment of learning; services or systems that promote quality, among others. It is hoped that the papers published in this section will provide knowledge to the current debate on the pedagogical changes needed in higher education.

Differential Pedagogy

Indicators: Specific educational support needs, gender identity, interculturality, groups at risk of social exclusion, ethnic minorities, etc.

This section includes works of an empirical nature that reveal recent contributions and advances in the field of attention to diversity. These should be original articles that study, analyse and allow reflection on the phenomenon of diversity, in particular on individual or group differences.

Furthermore, there is space for research products that try to delve into the meaning of diversity within the educational field. It also considers investigations on education and cultural diversity of a general or specific group; studies on education and the socio-labour integration of people with specific educational support needs, as well as other contributions that address issues related to the situation of traditionally discriminated groups or those referring to progress towards gender equality.

For more specific information, look for author guidelines.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

As a quality assurance procedure and in accordance with the objectives of the journal, articles submitted for publication in RIE will be evaluated by specialists in the field following a 'double-blind' review procedure (guaranteeing anonymity for authors and reviewers during the editorial process).

RIE's editorial process begins with an initial review by the management team, which evaluates the relevance and quality of the manuscripts received. Those that do not meet the minimum standards do not proceed to the next phase. The most common reasons why manuscripts are not considered for publication at this initial stage include one or more of the following:

• Lack of consistency between objective(s) and method.
• Errors in the selection of population and sample or informants.
• Superficial use of data collection techniques.
• Lack of relationship between the selected method and the obtained results.
• Lack of in-depth discussion with other authors.
• Lack of relevance of the study in relation to the state of the art.
• Lack of relationship with the discipline of education.
• Failure to comply with the rules of the Journal.
• Plagiarism.

1. RIE's internal editorial process starts when the journal's secretariat receives the original manuscripts. They are sent to the editorial department (directors), who initially analyse and assess the suitability and coherence of the original with the journal's editorial policy.

2. Once the first assessment is concluded, the chief editor will designate the section and the editor who will be in charge of reviewing the article and analysing its suitability according to the following criteria:

• Summary/abstract in Spanish and English with IMRCyD format.
• Keywords included in a Thesaurus.
• Editing layout (tables, figures, appendix...) according to current APA regulations.
• Compliance with current APA regulations in citations and bibliographical references.

3. If the decision is to accept with modification, the author must re-upload the article to the application including the recommended modifications. In this case, the author must NEVER send it as a new article so as to continue with the evaluation process.

4. Once the original article has passed the preliminary evaluation, it is subject to a double-blind review process to guarantee the objectivity and transparency of the judgement issued by peer reviewers from outside the publishing institution. These will decide whether or not to accept the article for subsequent publication.

5. To ensure objectivity, independence and transparency, we proceed to:

• Anonymize data associated with the original submitted file.
• Assign an identifying code to the original.
• Select experts from the journal's database of reviewers.

Thus, any information about the article is unknown, except for the set of descriptors about its content.

6. For peer evaluation of the articles, the following criteria will be taken into account:

• Scientific content and methodological rigor.
• Topicality and relevance of the introduction/foundation.
• Formulation and coherence of the objectives and/or hypotheses.
• Adequacy and sufficiency of data analysis.
• Inclusion of discussion and conclusions related to the object of investigation.
• Balance (where appropriate) between the theoretical and empirical parts.
• General aspects of relevance, impact and originality.

7. In case of relevant discrepancies between the two reviewers, the opinion of a third party will be sought.

8. On the occasion that the decision is to accept it with modifications, the author must re-upload the article to the application including the recommended modifications and indicating the changes made based on the suggestions of each of the reviewers. The author must NEVER re-upload the document as a new submission, starting the peer review process again.

9. Once the sending process is finished, the contact person will receive a receipt that proves that the article has been submitted. Within approximately 3 to 4 months, you will be informed of the acceptance, modification or rejection of the original. If an evaluation by a third party is required, the information period can be extended, but continuous contact with the author will be kept.

10. The Editorial Committee will notify the decision on the acceptance, request for revision or rejection of the article. An email will be sent with the reasons for the editorial decision and with the results of the evaluation process. At any time, through the journal's IT platform, the contact person will be able to know the status of their article proposal. You must wait to receive notification of the editorial decision before making any changes or modifications.

PUBLICATION FRECUENCY

Two annual issues are published (per volume). Each issue will close at the end of each calendar semester [January-June and July-December].

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

This journal provides immediate free access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public fosters greater global knowledge exchange.

RIE owns the rights to the articles published in the journal. However, given that its purpose is the dissemination of knowledge, the reproduction and distribution of the article (in any type of medium) is permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

• Its content must not be altered.
• Its origin must be cited (RIE journal, volume, number and electronic site of the article).

Therefore, RIE allows and encourages authors to keep and disseminate the articles submitted to the journal on personal web pages and institutional repositories, both before and after publication. In this case, bibliographic data that proves their publication in this journal should be provided. This can lead to interesting exchanges and increase citations of the work.

ANTI-PLAGIARISM POLICY

The Editorial Committee will use URKUND-TURNITIN anti-plagiarism system so as to have an anti-plagiarism review before proceeding to publication. In case of detecting a possible practice of plagiarism, the article will be discarded, and its authors will be informed of it. In this way, RIE guarantees the originality of all its articles.

EDITORIAL PRACTICES IN GENDER EQUALITY

RIE is committed to gender policies. This commitment is specified in several fundamental actions:

a) Editorial participation

Balanced composition of women and men in its editorial management bodies.

b) Inclusive language

RIE recommends that articles use inclusive language that promotes gender equality in science and that considers the presence and situation of women in society. In this sense, it is advisable to replace the use of the generic masculine to designate all the people of a class or a group by terms of generic value, use explanatory phrases or, when none of the above is possible, use split formulas. Likewise, since January 2023, we have created a commission to ensure that the published articles use mostly inclusive language.

c) Sex and gender in research

Research articles must avoid gender stereotypes and biases that adopt the masculine as a universal reference, exacerbate biological differences or naturalize socially constructed differences.

WORK ETHICS

RIE is inspired by the code of ethics of the Publication Ethics Committee (COPE), both for the behaviour of editors, reviewers and authors.

TRANSLATION

Since January 2024 we are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide bilingual translations of published articles. AI allows us to increase the accessibility of research and promote knowledge sharing across cultures. However, it is important to keep in mind that translations can always be biased and that it is always recommended to review the original article in the language in which it was written.

SPONSORS - HELP SOURCES

The main RIE’s financial sponsor is its parent organization, AIDIPE (Interuniversity Association for Pedagogical Research).

ARCHIVE

RIE uses the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archive among participating libraries, allowing them to create permanent archives of the journal for preservation and restoration purposes.

INTEROPERABILITY PROTOCOL

The journal provides an OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative - Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) interface that allows its contents to be harvested by other distribution systems, such as digital repositories and harvesters.

Specifications:

• OAI-PMH Protocol Version 2.0
• Dublin Core Metadata

Path for harvesters: https://revistas.um.es/rie/oai

DIGITAL PRESERVATION POLICIES

All journals published by the University of Murcia are hosted in the institutional repository DIGITUM (digitum.um.es). Authors are allowed and encouraged to deposit their works published in Revista de Investigación Educativa (RIE) in other repositories, as this favors their circulation, dissemination and preservation.