About the Journal

The EIU Journal of Action Research is a multidisciplinary, open-access academic journal dedicated to research that leads to real-world change. The journal serves as a platform for scholars, practitioners, doctoral students, and early-career researchers whose work is grounded in action research, practice-based inquiry, and applied scholarship.

At EIU, research is not viewed as a purely theoretical exercise or an abstract academic requirement. It is understood as a tool for improvement of teaching and learning, professional practice, organizational decision-making, healthcare outcomes, and community wellbeing. This journal reflects that philosophy.

Much of the research conducted by EIU faculty and students emerges directly from professional practice: improving online teaching effectiveness and student engagement, strengthening leadership and organizational processes, enhancing patient-provider communication, improving quality of life for individuals living with chronic conditions, and addressing real problems faced in workplaces, classrooms, and communities. This journal exists to capture, refine, and share that kind of research.

Our Ethos

The journal is founded on a simple principle:

Research should improve something real.

By lowering unnecessary barriers to entry, without lowering academic standards, the journal seeks to empower students and practitioners to see themselves not just as consumers of knowledge, but as active contributors to meaningful change.

Aims

The journal aims to:

  • Publish rigorous action and practice-based research that directly informs and improves real-world practice
  • Support doctoral and early-career researchers in developing their scholarly voice and research identity
  • Bridge the gap between theory and practice, emphasizing research with impact rather than research for its own sake
  • Foster a research culture at EIU that values reflection, experimentation, ethical responsibility, and measurable change
  • Promote transparent, developmental, and supportive scholarly publishing, particularly for first-time authors

Scope

The journal welcomes original contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to:

  • Education and educational leadership
  • Business, management, and organizational studies
  • Health, well-being, healthcare practice, and psychology
  • Technology, innovation, and digital transformation
  • Social sciences and professional practice fields

All submissions must demonstrate a clear connection to practice.

This may include:

  • Action research studies
  • Practice-based or practitioner-led research
  • Design-based research
  • Improvement science and intervention studies
  • Applied qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research
  • Research conducted within professional, organizational, educational, or community settings

What We Do Not Publish

While literature reviews and systematic reviews play an important role in the broader evidence ecosystem, this journal does not publish review-only papers.

EIU’s values are rooted in action, application, and change. The journal prioritizes research that does something. Research that intervenes, tests, improves, reflects, and transforms practice. Submissions must therefore include an original empirical, practical, or intervention-based component.

Innovative Scholarly Formats

In addition to full research articles, the journal welcomes alternative scholarly formats that support learning and accessibility, including:

  • Peer-reviewed research infographics
  • Digital academic posters
  • Research-in-progress reports
  • Practice briefs and implementation notes
  • Visual and plain-language research summaries
  • Short research videos up to 3 minutes

All formats are subject to editorial review and must demonstrate scholarly intent, ethical rigor, and relevance to practice.

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