Meet the editors of the Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education: Bringing access, transparency, and kindness to publishing

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Journals are a central way for the academic world to get the word out to their readership. The Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education (JCIHE) is the official journal of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Higher Education Special Interest Group (HE-SIG). JCIHE is an open-access, independent, double-masked, peer-reviewed international journal publishing original contributions to the field of comparative and international higher education. The mission and vision of the journal align well with the CIES conference theme of “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World.” JCIHE expands the way the readership can challenge beyond their own geographic borders and disciplinary hubs. By bringing in new voices, JCIHE publications help to reshape higher education scholarships to support advancements in the field, challenge traditional research, and introduce new ways of thinking that re-examine higher education.

Format
The panelists include four scholars who volunteer their time to work on bringing each published issue to light. The purpose of this panel is to explain the publishing process in a transparent and supportive way. Each presenter will briefly explain their role in the journal and critically unpack the functions and collaborative processes. Panelists are Directors of Copyediting, Lead Production Coordinators, and the Book Review Editor. This will be followed by coordinated interaction and exchange about the little-discussed complexities of open access publishing, transparency in the peer review process, and pertinent issues in publishing. In the discussion, the panelists will be asked to reflect on three questions:1) how does JCIHE reflect on and challenge our divided world? 2) To what extent does JCIHE perpetuate equity, diversity, and inclusion? and 3) What are the drawbacks and concerns for JCIHE?

Relevance to Conference Theme
The presenters will reflect on how the JCIHE mission and vision align with the CIES conference theme of “Re-examining Education and Peace in a Divided World.” First, panelists will critically examine how publishing reinforces education for public good. Second, panelists will reflect on how a transparent publishing process enables scholars from around the world to share their stories and research that, in turn, could support local community needs within a divided world. In this way, the publishing process is a key component in changing a divided world by bringing in new perspectives and ideas. Past JCIHE publications detail internationalization for society, consequences of war, and how change builds social responsibility sensemaking.

Conceptual Framework
The panelists examine the role of JCIHE in serving the public good through two lenses. The first uses critical analysis to focus on those who have/not had access to knowledge, what knowledge is published, expectations of learning, and how learning can impact social change. The second lens of neoliberalism shows that Open Access journals are not free which impacts OA journals by making them vulnerable as they have limited budgets. JCIHE relies on alternative practices with a coordinated team of volunteers to get out each and every issue. Finally, use of Kindness enables collaborations between volunteers and author(s) to guide the publication process.

Literature Review
The Open Access (OA) journals market is complex and changing (Crawford, 2022; Morrison et al., 2022). Specific Open Access databases and directories create an alternative to Scopus and Web of Science which frequently ignore Open Access journals. Important to this panel is a focus on the transparency of policies that take an article from submission to publication. JCIHE does not have Author Process Fees (APC) (Borrego, 2023; Pinfield et al., 2017). APCs are discriminatory and benefit male authors from Global North, from prestigious institutions, and in STEAM fields (Baki & Hussein, 2021; Frank et al., 2023; Mekonnen et al., 2022). Scopus and Web of Science label journals without APCs as low relevance (Asai, 2020; Okagbue et al., 2020; Schönfelder, 2020). These systemic inequities limit access to under-funded authors (Gorrego, 2023), Global South institutions (Frank et al., 2023), doctoral students (Purwanto et al., 2020), and early career researchers (O'Hanlon et al., 2020).

Methodology
The panelist uses applied research towards a qualitative case study of JCIHE (Creswell & Creswell, 2018) to show transparency and kindness in the publication process. The presenters will describe the needs/problems that occur in an Open Access journal and interventions to address these needs. Presenters will share the a) impact of how change addresses transparency and Kindness in publishing; b) how impact is assessed, and c) diverse options in in future interventions. An in-depth examination of JCIHE makes it suitable for learning about a phenomenon which is little known (Yin, 2017).
RQ 1) How does JCIHE reflect on and challenge our divided world?
RQ 2) To what extent does JCIHE perpetuate equity, diversity, and inclusion?
RQ 3): What are the drawbacks and concerns for JCIHE?

Significance
Academic journals have the potential to use education for the public good by publishing articles that focus on change, social action, civic engagement, and agency. On the micro level, articles can share how a sense of belonging positively engages students, faculty, and leadership (Raby et al., 2022). Participation can enable the individual to build meaning from learning experiences (Chwialowska, 2020). Journals thus can be an instrument for advancing learning and unlearned to understand our divided world and perhaps promote knowledge for peace.

Conclusion
JCIHE has been publishing articles on comparative and international higher education since 2009. JCIHE is completely free to publish, read, and download. This enables a wide distribution of academic scholarship. The Journal’s mission is to bring new voices and perspectives to academic discourse to provide a foundation for sharing knowledge about diverse issues. The JCIHE Editor-in-Chief will serve as the Chair and Discussant of this panel. The Presenters will share best practices, role in publishing, and importance of volunteers for Open Access journals. In discussion, the audience will be asked to provide advice to improve JCIHE and publishing. The impact of the mission to include authors who have been invisibilized in traditional publishing will be shared. Power resides in the written word as people read to learn, read to be inspired, and read to have the strength to initiate change.

Sub Unit

• Higher Education SIG

Organizer

• Ben Levy, Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific

Chair

• Rosalind Latiner Raby, Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education JCIHE

Individual Presentations

• Copy-editing and transparency - Al Dabiri, University of Missouri

• Book Review and Accessibility - Gina M Sarabella, Felician University

Discussant

• Ariunaa Enkhtur, The University of Osaka