AECT is seeking candidates for the Editor-in-Chief position— Research Section—for the Journal of Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D). This freelance independent contractor editorial position is a three (3) year term, renewable upon recommendation by the ETR&D Editorial Board/Team and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Center of Excellence for Publishing Advisory Board (https://aect.org/aect/coe-publishing) to the AECT CEO.
AECT is seeking candidates with good international reputations and networks for this flagship journal. The Research Section Editor-in-Chief will be a contracted international academic ambassador for both ETR&D and AECT. The last page of this call for applications provides a full description of ETR&D and the role of the Editor-in-Chief for the Research Section.
About the Editor-in-Chief of the ETR&D Research Section
Housed under the Center of Excellence for Publishing and reporting to the AECT CEO or (at CEO discretion) their designee, the Editor-in-Chief for the ETR&D Research Section is responsible for the overall content of the journal’s research content, including soliciting and selecting manuscripts; editing or supervising the editing of manuscripts; developing, adding, or removing standard features; securing, appointing, supervising, and terminating contract workers and volunteers; directing and approving the layout and design of the journal; managing the peer-review process; completion of the annual end-of-year report; addressing the paper submission and/or fiscal health of the journal; and other responsibilities consistent with the position or assigned by the AECT Board (See full description on last page of this application).
The Editor-in-Chief of the ETR&D Research Section serves a three-year term. AECT provides the Research Editor with an honoraria each year in compensation with the expectation that the editor participates in person at the International Publishing Summit in person (flights and event registration costs will be covered by AECT and Editor-in-Chief will benefit from the AECT reduced hotel room rate if not covered by registration). When additional AECT funding is available to support the travel, the editor is also expected to attend the annual AECT Convention in the United States in person (flights and event registration costs will be covered by AECT and Editor-in-Chief will benefit from the AECT reduced hotel room rate). In years where travel support funding is not available, at AECT’s discretion, AECT will endeavor to cover the registration costs for the editor to attend either the annual AECT Convention in the United States or the International Publishing Summit so that the editor may optionally participate in person at one of the events until such time as travel support funding be renewed.
As an ambassador of AECT and the journal, the editor is expected to attend and/or see to the representation of ETR&D at occasional virtual “Journal Talks” information sessions when invited by AECT’s publishing partner, affiliates, or interested divisions.
The Editor-in-Chief of the ETR&D Research Section may select and supervise an Assistant Editor to help them with their section’s duties —a scholar who will receive support from AECT and is listed on the journal’s website/inside cover, along with the editorial team and the editorial board members.
The new Editor-in-Chief will assume the role January 1, 2026, but it is hoped that the incoming new editor will attend the editorial board meeting at the 2025 AECT convention and begin assisting with editorial responsibilities beginning in November 2025 to ease transition. The new Editor-in-Chief will also be expected to help plan at least two hours of programming at the AECT International Publishing Summit in Ireland in 2026.
Please feel free to contact the current Research Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Tristan Johnson, to discuss the details of the position, including the typical workload.
Required Qualifications
- Doctoral degree in instructional design, education technology, educational research, educational psychology, or the equivalent.
- An established international professional and/or scholarly network, consisting of individuals from organizations (colleges, universities, businesses, nonprofits, etc. etc.), particularly with a focus in Ireland and/or Europe.
- Record of publication in ETR&D or similar high-quality, peer-reviewed journals.
- Active AECT member (can be started if not already a member).
- Willingness to commit to attending the International Publishing Summit, the Annual AECT Convention (when funding is available), and the online AECT meetings, and overall commitment to AECT as an organization.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Citizen or Permanent Resident with authorization to work in either the United States or European Union [dual citizenship, (i.e. US-Canadian, etc.), not required but also accepted.]
Desirable Knowledge and Skills
- Prior service on the ETR&D Research or Development Boards or the ETR&D Board of Consulting Editors.
- Prior experience as an editor, guest editor, or Editor-In-Chief of an academic journal.
- Not currently the Editor-In-Chief of another journal.
- Process development and management skills.
- Detail-oriented and highly organized.
- Enthusiastic, action-oriented, teambuilding spirit with established leadership skills.
About ETR&D
Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D) is a scholarly journal focusing entirely on research and development in educational technology. The Research Section publishes manuscripts that report rigorous original quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies on topics relating to applications of technology or instructional design in educational settings. Such contexts include K-12, higher education, and adult learning (e.g., in corporate training settings). Analytical papers that evaluate important research issues related to educational technology research and reviews of literature on similar topics are also published in the Research Section. It features well-documented articles on the practical aspects of research as well as applied theory in educational practice and provides a comprehensive source of current research information in instructional technology.
As of 2023, the 5-year Journal Impact Factor is 4.8. It has an h5-index of 72 and an h5-median index of 126. It is ranked as the #9th journal globally in Education and Education Technology.
ETR&D is a peer-reviewed journal. Submitted manuscripts are reviewed without bias by a panel of consulting editors and other professionals with expertise in the topics presented in the manuscripts. Any manuscript considered appropriate is reviewed anonymously. Reviewers are asked to provide detailed comments for the author(s), and these comments are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief before the final review is sent to the author(s).
You will find this information online under the “Instructions for Authors” page.
Role and Responsibilities of the Editor-in-Chief of the ETR&D Research Section
Manuscripts processing
- Receives Research Section submissions to ETR&D and determines if: 1) suitable for review, 2) rejected without review, or 3) revised prior to review; or 4) whether they should be referred to another ETR&D section or another AECT/Springer journal.
- Oversees development and review of all Research Section content of submitted manuscripts.
- Oversees organization and process of reviewing Research Section manuscripts, article revisions, and final publications.
- Communications with authors, reviewers, Springer publisher, and AECT leadership/members.
- Responds to inquiries from authors and reviewers.
- Identifies and recruits qualified reviewers and removes retired or non-performing reviewers.
- Reports to the AECT Executive Committee and Board of Directors
Journal Leadership
- Collaborates with the Research Section Editorial Team, the Development Section Editor-In-Chief, AECT leadership, and Springer representatives in planning future and special issues.
- Leads the editorial team (the ETR&D Research Section Editorial Board and Board of Consulting Editors/Reviewers) in accepting and rejecting manuscripts based on established standards of quality and readership suitability.
- Manages the appointment of members of the Research Section Editorial Board and members of the Consulting Board of Editors for the journal; this includes coordinating the election/selection of new Board members and notifying AECT and Springer of outcomes.
- Uses professional network to advocate for ETR&D and AECT’s Publishing Summit for interested scholars interested in publishing within ETR&D.
- Oversees and manages the selection of the AECT Distinguished Research Award on behalf of AECT.
- Coordinates and chairs the AECT Distinguished Research Award presentations at the AECT Annual Convention.
- Co-coordinate and co-chair the ETR&D sessions with the Development Editor-In-Chief at the annual AECT Convention and AECT International Publishing Summit.
How to Apply
The responses to the application items below need to be submitted by June 14, 2025 June 22, 2025, with the following attached PDF documents at this form: https://form.jotform.com/AECT/etrd-application-form
- A one-page statement indicating your interest and special initiatives for your role as ETR&D Editor-in-Chief for the Research Section.
- Two-page CV (with a link to your professional website if applicable).
- Letter of support from the home institution’s Department Chair or Dean/Supervisor.
The Search Committee will review all applications and recommend a candidate for ETR&D Editor-in-Chief—Research Section to begin on January 2, 2026. The recommended candidate by the Search Committee will be ratified by the AECT Center of Excellence in Publishing Advisory Board, the AECT CEO, and the AECT Board of Directors.