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Action Research

Action Research


eISSN: 17412617 | ISSN: 14767503 | Current volume: 22 | Current issue: 1 Frequency: Quarterly

Action Research is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal, which is a forum for the development of the theory and practice of action research.

The aim of the journal is to offer a viable alternative to dominant 'disinterested' models of social science, one that is relevant to people in the conduct of their lives, their organizations and their communities.

The journal publishes quality articles on accounts of action research projects, explorations in the philosophy and methodology of action research, and considerations of the nature of quality in action research practice.

"Action Research offers a greatly-needed forum at a time of growing recognition around the world that engagements between researchers and practitioners are central to generating both new knowledge and innovations in practice relevant to many critical problems." L. David Brown, Harvard University, USA

This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

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Action Research is a new international, interdisciplinary, refereed journal which is a forum for the development of the theory and practice of action research.

Our purpose with this international, peer reviewed journal is to offer a forum for participative, action oriented inquiry into questions that matter – questions relevant to people in the conduct of their lives, that enable them to flourish in their organizations and communities, and that evince a deep concern for the wider ecology.

The aim of the journal is to offer a viable alternative to dominant 'disinterested' models of social science, one that is relevant to people in the conduct of their lives, their organizations and their communities.

The journal publishes quality articles on accounts of action research projects, explorations in the philosophy and methodology of action research, and considerations of the nature of quality in action research practice.

Interdisciplinary
Action Research is essential reading for both academics and professionals engaged within the fields and disciplines of:

  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Development
  • Management
  • Social Work
  • The Arts
  • Gender and Race

 

Editor in Chief
Hilary Bradbury AR + Action Research Plus Foundation
Associate Editors
Marina Apgar Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK
Koen Bartels University of Birmingham, UK
Felix Bivens The Regenerative School, USA
Cherese Childers-McKee Northeastern University, USA
Simon Divecha Independent Scholar-Practitioner, Australia
Victor Friedman Ruppin Institute, Israel
Barbara Groot Leyden Academy, Netherlands
Tetsu Hirasawa Chuo University, Japan
HO, Denny Kwok-leung Hong Kong Polytechnik, China
Chris Riedy University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Rob Warwick Chichester University, UK
Joanna Wheeler University of Western Cape, South Africa
Julia Wittmeyer DRIFT Institute at Erasmus University, the Netherlands
Associate Editor Emeriti
Mary Brydon-Miller University of Cincinnati, USA
Maria Teresa Castillo Burguete CINVESTAV, Mexico
Dusty Columbia Embury Wright State University, USA
Kent Glenzer Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, USA
Paul Gray Boston College, USA
Davydd James Greenwood Cornell University, USA
Hsiao-Chuan Hsia Shih Hsin University, Taiwan
Sofia Kjellström Jönköping University, Sweden
Hok Bun Ku The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
Miren Larrea Orkestra-Basque Institute of Competitiveness
Ann Mitchell Open University, UK
Alfredo Ortiz University of the Incarnate Word, USA
James Traeger Hult Ashridge Business School, UK
Lyle Yorks Teachers College, Columbia University, USA
Advisory Editorial Board
Steve Abah Default for Journals, UK
Muhammad Ashiqur Rahman Research Initiatives, Bangladesh
Oguz Baburoglu Sabanci University, Turkey
Frank Barrett Naval Postgraduate School, USA
Richard Boyatzis Case Western Reserve University, USA
L. David Brown Harvard University, USA
Denis Clement Gent, Belgium
David Coghlan Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
John P. Cooke Stanford University, USA
Andrea Cornwall School of Oriental and Asian Studies (SOAS), London
Bob Dick Southern Cross University, Australia
Olav Eikeland Work Research Institute, Norway
Ibrahim Abu Elhaija Masar Institute of Education, Israel
Michelle Fine City University of New York Graduate Center, USA
Werner Fricke Institute for Regional Cooperation, Germany
John Gaventa University of Sussex, UK
Kenneth Gergen Swarthmore College, USA
Bjorn Gustavsen Work Research Institute, Norway
Budd Hall University of Victoria, Canada
John Heron South Pacific Centre for Human Inquiry, New Zealand
Marcia Hills University of Victoria, Canada
David Jamieson University of St. Thomas, USA
Karim-Aly Kassam Cornell University, USA
Stephen Kemmis Charles Sturt University, Australia
Bertha Koda University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Donna Ladkin Antioch University, USA
Morten Levin Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
M. Brinton Lykes Boston College, USA
Judi Marshall Lancaster University, UK
Victoria J Marsick Columbia University, Teachers College, USA
Mwajuma Masaigana Default for Journals, UK
Geoff Mills Southern Oregon University, USA
Meredith Minkler University of California, Berkeley, USA
Susan Albers Mohrman University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
Sonia Ospina New York University, USA
Peter Park Fielding Graduate Institute, USA
Mike Pedler Henley Business School, UK
Michel Pimbert Coventry University, UK
Ann Rippin Bristol University, UK
Tom Rodriguez-Villasante Prieto Default for Journals, UK
Jenny Rudolph Boston University, USA
Shankar Sankaran Univeristy of Technology, Sydney, Australia
Marja-Liisa Swantz Finland and Tanzania
Rajesh Tandon Society for Participatory Research in Asia, India
Steve Taylor Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
Katharine Tee Brigham and Women's Hospital, USA
William Torbert Boston College, USA
Philip Tsao Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
Yoland Wadsworth University of Melbourne, Australia / Action Research Issues Association, Australia
Tom Wakeford University of Edinburgh, UK
Ailing Zhuang NPO Development Center Shanghai CHINA, China
  • Abi/inform
  • Academic Search Premier
  • Business Source Corporate
  • Contents Pages in Education
  • Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature CINAHL
  • Current Contents / Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Current Contents/ Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • EBSCO: Educational Administration Abstracts
  • ERIC Database (Science/Maths/Environ. Educ.)
  • Education Abstracts
  • Education Journal
  • Educational Research Abstracts Online - e-Psyche
  • Emerald Management Reviews
  • Inist-Cnrs
  • International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
  • International Development Abstracts
  • Journal Citation Reports Social Sciences
  • Journal Citation Reports/Social Sciences Edition
  • PAIS Bulletin
  • PsycINFO
  • SRM Database of Social Research Methodology
  • SRM Database of Social Research Methodology (Ceased 2004)
  • SciVal
  • Scopus
  • Social SciSearch
  • Social Science Source
  • Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
  • Social Sciences Index
  • Social Services Abstracts
  • Sociological Abstracts
  • Studies on Women & Gender Abstracts
  • The Educational Journal
  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • e-Psyche (Ceased)
  • This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics

    Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/arj to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

    Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Action Research will be reviewed.

    There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.

    As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere. Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that Action Research may accept submissions of papers that have been posted on pre-print servers; please alert the Editorial Office when submitting (contact details are at the end of these guidelines) and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the journal. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy.If your paper is accepted, you must include a link on your preprint to the final version of your paper.

    If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journal Solutions Portal

     

    1. What do we publish?
      1.1 Aims & Scope
      1.2 Article types
      1.3 Writing your paper
    2. Editorial policies
      2.1 Peer review policy
      2.2 Authorship
      2.3 Acknowledgements
      2.4 Funding
      2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
      2.6 Research Data
    3. Publishing policies
      3.1 Publication ethics
      3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
      3.3 Open access and author archiving
    4. Preparing your manuscript
      4.1 Formatting
      4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
      4.3 Supplemental material
      4.4 Reference style
      4.5 English language editing services
    5. Submitting your manuscript
      5.1 ORCID
      5.2 Information required for completing your submission
      5.3 Permissions
    6. On acceptance and publication
      6.1 Sage Production
      6.2 Online First publication
      6.3 Access to your published article
      6.4 Promoting your article
    7. Further information

     

    1. What do we publish?

    1.1 Aims & Scope

    Before submitting your manuscript to Action Research, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

    1.2 Article Types

    The journal publishes quality articles on accounts of action research projects, explorations in the philosophy and methodology of action research, and considerations of the nature of quality in action research practice.

    All papers submitted ought to link theory and practice, in whatever way the author deems appropriate. It is assumed that the author, in seeking to share their work more broadly will consider the issue of how their contribution builds upon and advances the theory and practice of action research. In most cases we prefer to see theoretical and practical insights intertwined.

    The journal will include:

    • A strong editorial comment column
    • An Open Forum for readers to initiate and sustain debate (see also the Action Research Community blog: https://actionresearchplus.com/blog/)
    • Peer reviewed articles that contribute to the practice, theory and method of action research

    Articles should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words inclusive.

    1.3 Writing your paper

    The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.

    1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

    For information and guidance on how to make your article more discoverable, visit our Gateway page on How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.

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    2. Editorial policies

    2.1 Peer review policy

    Sage does not permit the use of author-suggested (recommended) reviewers at any stage of the submission process, be that through the web-based submission system or other communication.

    Reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Our policy is that reviewers should not be assigned to a paper if:

    •  The reviewer is based at the same institution as any of the co-authors
    •  The reviewer is based at the funding body of the paper
    •  The author has recommended the reviewer
    •  The reviewer has provided a personal (e.g. Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail) email account and an institutional email account cannot be found after performing a basic Google search (name, department and institution).

    2.2 Authorship

    All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.

    Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

    2.3 Acknowledgements

    All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.

    2.3.1 Third party submissions
    Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

    •    Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input 
    •    Identify any entities that paid for this assistance 
    •    Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

    Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

    2.4 Funding

    Action Research requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

    2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

    Action Research encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway

    2.6 Research Data

    The journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.

    Subject to appropriate ethical and legal considerations, authors are encouraged to:

    • share your research data in a relevant public data repository
    • include a data availability statement linking to your data. If it is not possible to share your data, we encourage you to consider using the statement to explain why it cannot be shared.
    • cite this data in your research 

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    3. Publishing Policies

    3.1 Publication ethics

    Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway

    3.1.1 Plagiarism

    Action Research and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

    3.1.2 Prior publication

    If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the Sage Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

    3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

    Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Author Gateway.

    3.3 Open access and author archiving

    Action Research offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

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    4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

    4.1 Formatting

    The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

    4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

    For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines. 

    Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.

    4.3 Supplemental material

    This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files.

    4.4 Reference style

    Action Research adheres to the APA reference style. View the APA guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

    4.5 English language editing services

    Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

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    5. Submitting your manuscript

    Action Research is hosted on Sage Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/arj to login and submit your article online.

    IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created.  For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help

    5.1 ORCID

    As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized. 

    The collection of ORCID IDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID ID you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID ID will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID ID is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

    If you do not already have an ORCID ID please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

     

    5.2 Information required for completing your submission

    You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. The affiliation listed in the manuscript should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a manuscript note at the end of the paper. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

    5.3 Permissions

    Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.

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    6. On acceptance and publication

    6.1 Sage Production

    Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal Sage Edit or by email, and corrections should be made directly or notified to us promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.

    6.2 Online First publication

    Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

    6.3 Access to your published article

    Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

    6.4 Promoting your article

    Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.

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    7. Further information

    Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Action Research editorial office as follows:

    Editor-in-Chief, Hilary Bradbury: bradbury@ohsu.edu

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