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About This Journal

Welcome to JPR

The Journal of Practitioner Research ( JPR) is a double-blind, peer-reviewed, open-access journal that features the work of practitioner researchers across teacher and leadership education disciplines (e.g., mathematics, social studies, literacy, science, special education, principalship, etc) and levels (Pk-12 & higher education).

The Journal of Practitioner Research (JPR), includes manuscripts that represent the traditions of action research, teacher research, practitioner inquiry, teacher inquiry, and other traditions that target the same type of knowledge production. The journal features the work of practitioner researchers across disciplines and levels. As a forum for such research, we invite submissions by practicing educators such as pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, teacher education faculty, educational leadership faculty, and school administrators. JPR publishes articles by educational practitioners (alone or in collaboration) who use systematic study of their own practice to improve student learning.This is not a journal that publishes work done “on” participants but rather publishes work "by the participants” (university and school-based) who use their research to inform their own practice and provide insight to others.

The Journal of Practitioner Research publishes both empirical and descriptive articles. Please see the descriptions below for detail on the types of work accepted for review.

Articles Describing Empirical Research – Papers which outline the results of studies. Making use of methodologically sound data collection and analysis methods, these studies can fall into one of two categories:

  • Practitioner research: Studies by practitioner researchers that have clear, important implications for their practice. This type of article is not a work done “on” participants but rather is work "by the participants” (university and school-based). In practitioner research, participants (who are also researchers conducting the study) use their findings to inform their own practice. Note: While submissions by university faculty are welcomed, submissions in this category must conform to the traditions of practitioner research. Submissions should make clear the link between research and practice.
  • Studies investigating Practitioner Research: Description of research about practitioner research that have clear, important implications for practice. These studies may be qualitative or quantitative study of practitioner research. However, remember the purpose of article must be focused on practitioner research.

Descriptive Articles – Papers which issues related to/about practitioner research, and further the understandings of practitioner researchers and inform those who work with practitioner researchers. These articles may fall into one of three categories:

  • Conceptual papers: The central thrust of the paper is to present positions, models, organization, instructional tools, or critiques that are based on a conceptual framework.
  • Innovative Practice papers: These papers provide a description of programs designed to facilitate practitioner research. Programs can be stand-alone or embedded in teacher education or teacher professional development programs, but descriptions should align program development and implementation with existing scholarship on practitioner research.
  • Book Reviews: A descriptive and critical or evaluative account of a practitioner research book.

Manuscripts initially are screened for (a) appropriateness of content for JPR, (b) adherence to guidelines specified in the APA publication manual, (c) readability of text, and (d) explicit statement of implications for practitioner research.

There are two issues a year. JPR is hosted by the University of South Florida, which is committed to open-access consideration by peer-reviewed professionals. Thus, JPR is freely and universally accessible online and its authors retain copyright under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. This allows anyone to reproduce or disseminate articles for non-commercial purposes, so long as the original authors and source are cited. The journal is archived at USF and offsite via bepress. There are no publication charges or author fees.

See the About This Journal for further information about coverage of the journal.