About the Journal

Focus and Scope

NorSoTL provides a dedicated platform for higher education instructors in Norway engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The journal aims to:

  • Establish a high-quality publication outlet recognized at Level 1 for selected formats.
  • Strengthen collaborations between institutional units supporting SoTL across Norwegian higher education institutions.
  • Foster communities of practice in SoTL both within and beyond institutional boundaries.

The journal is published by the research group "Teaching and Learning in Higher Education" (TeLEd) at the University of Bergen (UiB). 

We are grateful for the financial support by the Norsk nettverk for universitets- og høgskolepedagogikk.

We welcome contributions from colleagues across all disciplines and students actively engaged in SoTL and related approaches.

 

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

SoTL is a systematic, inquiry-based approach where educators, ideally in collaboration with students, take on the dual role of instructor and researcher. It involves critically reflecting on teaching practices and student learning within specific educational contexts. SoTL inquiries address questions at various levels, from individual student experiences to institutional teaching cultures, and can be undertaken individually or collaboratively within communities of educators, students, and higher education staff.

SoTL employs rigorous methodologies—empirical or theoretical—building upon existing knowledge to explore key questions in teaching and learning. A defining characteristic of SoTL is its public dissemination, contributing to a broader "teaching commons." Findings are shared through conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, or other academic forums, allowing for discussion and feedback from the academic community. This process fosters scholarly teaching, supporting both individual educators and the broader higher education landscape. Whether focusing on student learning, curriculum development, or institutional policies, SoTL aims to advance teaching practices and promote a collegial culture of continuous educational development.

 

Open-Access Policy

There are no fees for submitting or publishing articles in NorSoTL. The journal follows a continuous publication model: articles are published as soon as they have undergone peer review and copy-editing. All published works are licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 license, ensuring open access and broad dissemination.

 

Publication Frequency

NorSoTL follows a continuous publication model. Articles and other contributions are published online individually throughout the year, as soon as they have completed the relevant peer-review or editorial assessment process and have been accepted and prepared for publication. The journal publishes one annual volume per calendar year, without fixed issue publication dates.

 

Publication Formats

NorSoTL publishes three types of contributions: Inquiry Articles, Thinking Pieces, and Original Ideas. These formats serve different purposes within the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and the Scholarship of Academic Development (SoAD) and are subject to different assessment procedures.

Inquiry Articles are scientific research articles that undergo independent scholarly peer review before acceptance and publication. The peer-review process involves qualified reviewers selected and invited by the handling editor, including at least one reviewer independent of the authors and the journal's publishing institutions.

Thinking Pieces are reflective and discussion-oriented scholarly contributions. They are normally assessed by members of the editorial team, with a focus on originality, scholarly grounding, critical reflection, and relevance to higher education. Additional subject expertise may be consulted where appropriate. Thinking Pieces do not undergo formal external peer review.

Original Ideas present innovative approaches to teaching and learning in higher education. They are normally assessed by members of the editorial team, with a focus on originality, educational relevance, scholarly grounding, feasibility, and transferability. Additional subject expertise may be consulted where appropriate. Original Ideas do not undergo formal external peer review.

All submissions undergo an assessment process appropriate to their publication format before acceptance and publication. Only Inquiry Articles are classified by NorSoTL as externally peer-reviewed scientific articles.

The detailed peer-review criteria for Inquiry Articles are specified in the Author Guidelines on the Submissions page. Separate editorial assessment criteria apply to Thinking Pieces and Original Ideas.

 

Peer-Review Process for Inquiry Articles

All manuscripts submitted to NorSoTL under the Inquiry Articles format undergo independent scholarly peer review before acceptance and publication.

The peer-review process consists of the following stages:

  1. Initial editorial assessment: The handling editor assesses whether the manuscript falls within the journal's scope, meets the relevant submission requirements, and demonstrates sufficient scholarly quality to proceed to peer review. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be rejected without external review.

  2. Selection and invitation of reviewers: The handling editor identifies and invites qualified reviewers with relevant expertise in the subject area and/or the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

  3. Independent peer review: Manuscripts proceeding to scholarly peer review are assessed by at least two qualified reviewers. At least one reviewer must be independent of the authors, their institutions, and the institutions associated with the journal (the University of Bergen and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences).

  4. Written assessment: Reviewers provide written evaluations of the manuscript's scholarly originality, academic quality, relevance, theoretical and/or methodological foundations, and contribution to knowledge or educational practice. The assessment criteria are adapted to the publication format.

  5. Editorial decision: Based on the reviewers' reports and the editor's assessment, the handling editor communicates a decision to the authors: acceptance, minor revisions, substantial revisions and resubmission, or rejection.

  6. Revision and final acceptance: Where revisions are requested, authors submit a revised manuscript and a response to the reviewers' comments. The handling editor assesses the revisions and may request additional peer review before making a final decision. Only manuscripts that have completed the required review process and received final editorial acceptance are published.

 

Review Model and Reviewer Selection

NorSoTL normally uses double-anonymous (double-blind) peer review, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another. Authors may request an open peer-review process, subject to editorial approval and the agreement of the reviewers.

Reviewers are identified and invited by the handling editor on behalf of the editorial board. They are selected based on relevant scholarly expertise, including research and experience in SoTL, university pedagogy, educational development, and related academic fields.

The journal may invite reviewers from Norway and internationally, taking into account subject expertise and language proficiency. Relevant experience may include participation in Centres for Excellence in Education (SFUs), recognition as an Excellent Teacher Practitioner, previous scholarly publications, or academic-development work.

At least one reviewer for each peer-reviewed manuscript must be independent of the author(s) and their institution(s), as well as the institutions associated with the journal, UiB and HVL. Reviewers must not have personal, professional, financial, or other relationships that could compromise their impartiality.

 

Scholarly Originality and Quality 

All reviewers are required to evaluate and explicitly address the originality and scholarly quality of the submitted manuscript in their written review reports.

Assessments consider the manuscript's contribution to existing knowledge, its relevance to SoTL/SoAD, the quality of its theoretical and/or methodological foundations, the coherence of its arguments, and the significance of its conclusions or insights.

The detailed assessment criteria vary according to the publication format and are specified in the Author Guidelines.

 

Conflicts of Interest and Editorial Independence

NorSoTL is committed to maintaining an independent and impartial peer-review process.

Before accepting an invitation, reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest involving the authors, their institutions, the submitted work, or the journal. Reviewers must decline an invitation if their impartiality could reasonably be questioned.

The handling editor is responsible for assessing potential conflicts of interest and ensuring that reviewers are sufficiently independent of the authors and the publisher. Reviewers with relevant conflicts of interest will not be appointed.

Editorial board members who submit manuscripts to NorSoTL must not participate in the editorial handling, reviewer selection, peer-review process, or publication decision for their own submissions. Such manuscripts are assigned to another editor without a conflict of interest and undergo the same independent review process as other submissions.

The same principle applies when an editor has a personal, professional, or institutional relationship that may compromise impartiality in handling a manuscript.

 

Publication and Post-Publication Revisions

All scientific articles must complete the required peer-review process and receive final editorial acceptance before publication.

NorSoTL follows a continuous publication model. Accepted manuscripts undergo final editorial preparation, including proofreading and copy-editing, before publication.

After publication, any necessary corrections are handled transparently. Minor corrections that do not affect the scholarly content may be incorporated into an updated version. Substantive changes affecting the interpretation, findings, conclusions, or scholarly content require editorial assessment and, where appropriate, additional independent peer review.

When a published article is revised, the journal maintains a transparent version history, identifies the updated version, and provides an explanation of substantive changes. The original publication date and the dates of subsequent versions are retained where supported by the publishing platform.

Post-publication revisions must not be used to circumvent the requirement for peer review before initial publication.

 

Special Issues

NorSoTL may publish special issues dedicated to specific themes, academic events, or developments relevant to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

All special issues remain under the responsibility of the journal's editor and follow the same editorial and publication policies as regular issues.

Inquiry Articles published in special issues undergo the journal's established independent scholarly peer-review process before publication. Thinking Pieces and Original Ideas undergo editorial assessment according to their respective publication criteria.

Guest editors, where appointed, work under the oversight of the journal's editor. Potential conflicts of interest are managed according to the journal's editorial policies.

 

Language versions

Information about the journal's publication formats, review procedures, and editorial policies is provided in English and Norwegian Bokmål. Both language versions are maintained to ensure consistency in the information available to authors, reviewers, and readers.

 

ISSN 3084-2387