October 9th, 2025
Indianapolis, Indiana, for Immediate Release
The International Journal of Designs for Learning (IJDL), an open-access journal by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and published by the Indiana University Libraries/IU Press, is pleased to announce its inclusion in the Scopus database, one of the world’s most comprehensive and prestigious scholarly databases by a global leader in the academic publishing industry, Elsevier.
This milestone marks a significant recognition of IJDL’s impact and scholarly contributions to the fields of Instructional Design and Technology, Educational Technology, and the larger field of Design scholarship. This impact started 15 years ago, when IJDL published its first issue in August 2010.
Scopus indexing means that IJDL’s articles are now more discoverable by a global academic and design practitioners’ audience, ensuring wider dissemination, greater visibility, and increased citation of the innovative work published in the journal. For authors, this brings additional credibility and assurance that their design cases are part of the leading scholarly conversation in the fields of Instructional Design and Technology, Educational Technology, and the larger field of Design scholarship. As the journal indexing is still in process, IJDL expects to receive a CiteScore in June of 2026—an important metric that counts the citations received in 2022-2025 to IJDL articles published in the last three years (2022-2025), and divides the number of citations by the number of IJDL publications published in the same three-year period, 2022-2025. Having a third-party and an objective CiteScore would help IJDL authors to demonstrate the impact of their design cases and professionally progress according to the standards of their academic institutions, which most require such metrics to assess the impact of their scholars.
Professor Elizabeth Boling, Founding Editor-in-Chief of IJDL, reflected on this milestone, saying:
“From its founding in 2010, we envisioned IJDL as the premier international venue to recognize and share the value of design precedents for learning, created by designers, educators, and scholars, in all fields. Being indexed in Scopus affirms that vision and ensures that IJDL design cases will now reach an even broader scholarly audience. This is an important validation of the journal’s mission and the work of its contributors. I’m excited about the increased global readership for the journal and looking forward to increased submissions from authors all over the world.”
Dr. Saul Carliner, Chair of the AECT Center for Excellence in Publishing Advisory Board, commented:
“As one of AECT's special-focused and themed journals, IJDL has achieved a remarkable milestone by being accepted into Scopus. This continues to position AECT publications at the forefront of global scholarly communication, innovations in instructional/learning design, and the dissemination of design practice-based knowledge that shapes the future of education and training. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of its Editorial Team, reviewers, and authors, and it places the journal firmly among the leading publications in our field. I was not surprised to hear about this achievement. Since the formation of the AECT Center for Excellence in Publishing Advisory Board, I have been witnessing IJDL undertaking innovative and bold initiatives, such as Quick Hit Design cases, and reading positive reports about the journal’s performance, especially about its global readership and authorship”.
Mr. Nolan Gruver, CEO of AECT, stated:
“Having IJDL indexed by Scopus demonstrates AECT’s commitment to advancing scholarship and publications in learning design and technology. IJDL’s inclusion strengthens the association’s portfolio of high-quality journals, providing our members with even greater opportunities for recognition and impact worldwide. IJDL is truly an excellent model for our AECT open-access and special-focused journals. I’m grateful to IJDL’s Editorial Team and to Dr. Ahmed Lachheb’s service: he is working diligently to improve the journal's performance and serve the needs of all AECT journals through his membership in the AECT Center for Excellence in Publishing Advisory Board.”
The IJDL Editorial Team, led by IJDL’s Managing Executive Director Dr. Ahmed Lachheb, initiated the application process for the journal to be accepted for inclusion and indexing in Scopus in February 2025. The Scopus Title Evaluation team worked closely with Dr. Lachheb to ensure that IJDL meets all the requirements, including drafting and adopting a comprehensive Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, which was reviewed and edited by the IJDL Editorial Team and Advisory Board. The Scopus Content Selection & Advisory Board (CSAB) has reviewed IJDL’s application and approved it for coverage since July of this year, noting that IJDL:
-
Consistently includes articles that are academically sound and relevant to an international academic or professional audience in the field;
-
Includes abstracts that meet Scopus English Language requirements;
The CSAB also noted that “Although the scope of this journal is special, it addresses the needs of an important niche audience.”
Dr. Ahmed Lachheb, IJDL’s Managing Executive Editor, added:
“This is not just an achievement for IJDL, but also for the broader learning design community. Scopus indexing validates the scholarly importance of design cases as design knowledge contributions to the diverse fields that IJDL serves. It provides authors with the visibility and recognition they deserve, enabling IJDL to continue expanding its international presence. I am excited for the future growth this opportunity will bring. More importantly, I am thrilled that I led this process as it allows me to develop valuable how-to knowledge, which I can transfer to other AECT Journals that would seek Scopus indexing.”
About IJDL
The International Journal of Designs for Learning (IJDL) is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to publishing descriptions of artifacts, environments, and experiences created by designers in any field to promote and support learning in all contexts. Published (at least) biannually, the journal provides a venue for designers to share their knowledge-in-practice through rich representations of their designs and detailed discussions of decision-making. The journal supports the production of high-quality precedent materials and promotes and demonstrates the value of doing so. The journal's audience includes designers, design teachers, design students, and scholars researching the practice of design. In 2024 (January-December), IJDL visitors/readers originated from 141 different countries. 10,991 Unique visitors visited the IJDL website (compared to 6,077 visitors in 2023), resulting in 16,677 Total sessions (compared to 9,077 in 2023). The top 10 countries that access the IJDL website are the United States, Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, China, United Kingdom, India, Germany, Australia, and Türkiye. The IJDL Library of Congress ISSN is 2159-449X. It is also indexed by ERIC and Google Scholar (h5-index 12 and h5-median 20), and listed by the Directory of Open-Access Journals (DOAJ).
About AECT
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is an international organization that values diversity of thought, culture, and people, with a mission to improve learning through educational technology. AECT members include instructional designers, researchers, educators, and professionals dedicated to advancing the field through research, best practices, and innovation. AECT provides a collaborative space for thought leadership and knowledge-sharing across academic and professional settings.
Media Contact
Ms. Juliet Penrod, marketing@aect.org
Dr. Ahmed Lachheb, IJDL@iu.edu