About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Journal (APHERJ), an international multidisciplinary refereed journal, publishes quality and high-impact research addressing issues and concerns of education and teacher education, social sciences, engineering and technology, and educational policy and business education in the Asia Pacific Rim. It provides a forum for the dissemination of qualitative and quantitative research on theory and instructional model building, product development, policy studies, internationalization, as well as local responsiveness from different countries and cultures. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by publishing relevant empirical research that contributes to solving higher education problems.

Statement of the Purpose

This journal aims at providing a venue to:

1. Share research that has a national and international impact;

2. Open opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to publish their research and increase their academic visibility through publication;

3. Strengthen the academic synergy among members of HEIs in the region and in the international arena for research collaboration; and

4. Promote, utilize, apply, and commercialize research for the benefit of global communities

Instructions to Authors for APHERJ

Please click here to check the detailed instructions to authors when preparing the manuscript for submission. 

Checklist: What to Include

1. Author details. Please ensure all listed authors meet the authorship criteria in the Publication Ethics. All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page. Where available, please also include ORCiDs. One author must be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address usually displayed in the PDF copy of the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online copy of the article. Authors’ affiliations are the affiliations where the research was conducted. If any named co-authors change affiliations during the peer-review process, the new affiliation can be given as a footnote. Please note that no changes to affiliation can be made after your paper is accepted. 

2. Statements and Declarations (Please include these items after the manuscript before the reference section.) 

a. Funding details. Please supply all details required by your funding and grant-awarding bodies as follows: 

For single-agency grants:

This work was supported by the [Funding Agency] under Grant [number xxxx]. 

For multiple agency grants:

This work was supported by [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx]. 

b. Disclosure statement. This is to acknowledge any financial or non-financial interest arising from your research's direct application. If there are no relevant competing interests to declare, please state this within the article: The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare. 

c. Declaration of Generative AI in scientific writing

Guidelines for Declaring the Use of Generative AI in Scientific Writing:

These guidelines focus solely on the writing process and not on using AI tools for data analysis in research. Authors should prioritize enhancing readability and language when utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted technologies during writing. However, it's crucial to exercise human oversight and control, reviewing and editing the output due to AI's potential to generate authoritative yet inaccurate, incomplete, or biased content.

Authorship and Citation: Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be credited as authors or co-authors or cited as authors. Authorship responsibilities and tasks are inherently human and are detailed in our AI policy for authors.

Disclosure Instructions: Authors using generative AI must disclose this in their manuscript. A statement in a dedicated section titled 'Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process' should outline the tool or service used for the purpose and affirm the author's responsibility for content accuracy. Basic tools for grammar, spelling, and references are exempt from this disclosure.

Sample Statement: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the publication's content.

This declaration does not apply to basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references, etc. There is no need to add a statement if there is nothing to disclose

d. Acknowledgment: A one- to two-line statement of appreciation for other services from organizations or individuals. 

e. Ethical Approval:  A statement declaring the ethical approval of the research and a declaration of the ethics approval code.

Peer Review Process and Ethics

1. Criteria for Publication

Publication in this journal is free of charge. The Philippine National Center for Teacher Education covers all expenses associated with article processing. Preference is given to articles aligned with the journal's identified themes. The submitted article is expected to follow the prescribed manuscript format and submission procedures. Evidence shows that the article is scholarly, discusses a timely topic, and could connect with the journal's target audience.

2. Review Mechanics

The refereeing system shall adopt a three-stage evaluation process: initial appraisal, double-blind external review, and Editorial Board evaluation.

The Publication Team will appraise each submitted manuscript upon receipt. Each initial appraisal will include a plagiarism check, a technical review regarding the number of words, adherence to the journal format, statements of declaration, ethics board approval, and AI detection. This process will ensure that each manuscript fits the objectives and standards of the journal. It will establish the manuscript's significance, technical soundness, and originality (the similarity index should not exceed 10%). The result of the initial appraisal will determine whether the manuscript will be endorsed for an external review or returned to the author(s) for revision. The author is given two to four weeks to revise the manuscript, depending on the quality and completeness of the revisions required.

After revising the manuscripts following the initial appraisal and completing and submitting them with comprehensive and signed commitment forms, the Editorial Board sends them to double-blind refereeing. At least two peer reviewers, determined by the Editorial Board, are given at most, one month to evaluate the manuscripts. Comments and suggestions resulting from the refereeing are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and are consolidated and sent to the authors for appropriate action. The author(s) are given two (2) to four (4) weeks to revise and resubmit the manuscript.

The revised manuscript shall undergo final scrutiny by the Editorial Board. This process ensures that the peer reviewers’ suggestions are incorporated into the manuscript, on which the acceptance for publication of the proposed article is contingent.

Accepted papers for publication are then subjected to final language editing. When ready, proofs are sent to the author(s) for his/her/their final review. The author(s) are expected to return the proofs within a week. Failure of the author(s) to send feedback within said time implies acceptance of proofs without corrections. A camera-ready copy of the article will be sent to the Web Editor for uploading online.

The following summary describes the peer review process for this journal:

Identity transparency: double anonymized

Reviewer interacts with: Editor

Review information published: none

Publication Ethics

Publishing an article in a double-blind peer-reviewed journal is a crucial step in disseminating knowledge and contributing to scientific development. As a peer-reviewed journal, the rigor of scientific publication is expected to be observed while evaluating submitted papers. Therefore, ethical behavior is expected of all parties involved in the publishing process: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, and the publisher.

Please check the Publication ethics available in our website to read the duties for authors, editors, and reviewers according to the Omnia Publisher Publication Ethics Statement.

Open Access Policy

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

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

2. Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.

3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Advertising Policy

Upon publication of a manuscript, authors may opt to join the PNU SINAG (Showcasing Interesting and Notable Academic Genres) program for an official advertisement of their published article in the university's social media accounts. Refer to this link for the guidelines in PNU SINAG.

About the Publishing System

This journal uses Open Journal Systems 3.3.0.8, an open-source journal management and publishing software developed, supported, and freely distributed by the Public Knowledge Project under the GNU General Public License.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries. It permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More...

Queries

Should you have any queries, please contact us at publications.office@pnu.edu.ph or apherj@pnu.edu.ph.

 

Updated November 17, 2023