Information For Authors

JoRMA is a diamond open access, international journal published by Coventry University, meaning the journal is free for readers and free from author fees and processing charges. It comprises articles, essays, and papers covering all aspects of research management and administration. JoRMA welcomes submissions on, but not limited to: research strategy and policy, research governance and management, research leadership, research systems, processes and administration, research finance and compliance, research and researcher development, research communication, impact, and enterprise, responsible research and innovation, career progression for researchers and research-related professionals, and equality, diversity and inclusion in research.

Priority is given to articles that are based on original research, and that provide high quality analysis of issues pertaining to RMA that can be used to inform RMA practice.  All articles should consider the implications of their analysis and discussion in terms of how this could be applied to, or used to inform, RMA practice.

If you are unsure whether your article would be relevant for this publication, please contact the Managing Editor in the first instance for further guidance.

We accept the following types of submission:

Research Papers: Articles reporting research undertaken by the author(s) must be based on their own original research. The research should be rigorous and based upon a recognised research methodology.  The format for the article should follow from the methodology used, and should include: introduction, research design and methods, results, discussion of results, conclusion and/or recommendations. 

Research Essays: Theoretical and conceptual articles would entail the application of a particular theory or practice to the field of research management and administration.  It would be expected to outline the theory or practice and then consider how it could inform the development of research management activities within the particular area under discussion.

Case Studies or Reflective Inquiries: This would entail a detailed exploration of a particular issue or problem within your work context, what was done, and what the outcome was, as well as a reflection on what was learned through the process. It is expected that authors would reflect upon this experience and provide further analysis or evaluation to enable readers to apply learnings to their own practice.  It is suggested that such articles address the following areas:

• A problem statement describing the context, issue and actions taken;
• Observations of behaviours and activities occurring during the case study, and how this changed or developed as a result of the activities being implemented;
• Reflections and recommended practices that could be transferred from your case study to others’ practices.

For alternative approaches to case study reporting, the following resources are suggested: Bryman, A. (2001) Social Research Methods, Oxford, Oxford University Press; Stake, R. (1995) The Art of Case Study Research, London, SAGE Publications Ltd; Yin, R. (1994) Case Study Research – Design and Methods, London, SAGE Publications Ltd. 

Literature Review: A critique should entail an assessment of a wide range of published literature in a particular area of research management and administration.  The author should assess the key themes emerging from the literature and identify any issues or gaps.  Recommendations should then be made regarding how these issues or gaps should be addressed.  The format of the article should be appropriate to the methodology used.  The following might be a helpful resource, although other approaches are available: Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., Smart, P. (2003) Towards a Methodology for Developing Evidence-Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review. British Journal of Management, Vol. 14, 207-222.

Commentary: This could be an article in which an author responds to a previously published article or other published output with which the membership would be familiar.  This could relate to a new policy or significant development within the sector which will have an impact upon research management and administration.  The article should outline and evaluate the published output being reviewed, and discuss what this might mean for research managers and/or the practice of research management and administration.

Opinion Piece: This should be a speculative and thought-provoking article that consists primarily of background material, personal opinion and analysis.  It should synthesise a range of information in order to develop and present a new view on the particular issue under discussion.  It could also speculate on future developments that might arise as a result of changes in policies and practices within the sector that could impact upon research management and administration.  It is expected that such articles would stimulate debate and discussion, and challenge the reader’s own views.  The format of the article will depend upon its focus.  However, it should be divided into sections with the use of appropriate headings and sub-headings to enable the reading to easily follow the discussion.  The robustness and clarity of analysis/synthesis will be important assessment criteria for the review committee. 

Research in Progress: For many students and emerging scholars, the process of publishing in a journal for the first time often appears very daunting. For this reason, JoRMA has added a new category to its types of submission to make that first step just a little bit easier, called Research in Progress. Research in Progress are short research papers between 500 – 1000 words and is intended to share some basic research findings. This could be the result of a literature review, a small survey or even a few interviews. It is intended to be a stepping-stone category aimed at students new to conducting research and practitioners that want to share new knowledge bytes based on experience. The review of such papers are not as rigorous as for full Research Papers but still evaluates what new knowledge is being proposed and the basic process that was followed to create that knowledge. It is therefore not a full peer review but rather an opportunity to go through the publications process and to get feedback on your ideas.

Interested in submitting to this journal? We recommend that you review the About the Journal page for the journal's section policies, as well as the Author Guidelines. Authors need to register with the journal prior to submitting or, if already registered, can simply log in and begin the five-step process.

Your article your way.  While we have a template style guide that will be used for published articles, when initially submitting your article you do not need to use the template.  It is possible that you may have developed an article with a different journal in mind or have just been working to your own template.  For the initial submission you can submit using any appropriate style.  When and if your article moves to an acceptance stage, then you will be required to format it to the journal style.  We hope that for some this approach will save you time in the initial stages, but for most we recommend using our template from the outset as this will save you time in the long run.