Education research is the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes. Scholarship in the field seeks to describe, understand, and explain how learning takes place throughout a person’s life and how formal and informal contexts of education affect all forms of learning. Education research embraces the full spectrum of rigorous methods appropriate to the questions being asked and drives the development of new tools and methods.
Below, you will find a list of journals that focus on publishing education research across disciplines.
Active Learning Journal (Impact Factor 5.337)
Active Learning in Higher Education is an international, refereed publication for all those who teach and support learning in higher education (HE) and those who undertake or use research into effective learning, teaching, and assessment in universities and colleges. The journal is devoted to publishing accounts of research covering all aspects of learning and teaching concerning adults in higher education. Non-discipline specific and non-context/ country-specific in nature.
The American Biology Teacher (ABT) is an award-winning, peer-refereed professional journal for K-16 biology teachers. Topics covered in the journal include modern biology content, teaching strategies for the classroom and laboratory, field activities, applications, professional development, social and ethical implications of biology, and ways to incorporate such concerns into instructional programs, as well as reviews of books and classroom technology products.
The American Journal of Education (Cite Score 2.9)
The American Journal of Education seeks to bridge and integrate the intellectual, methodological, and substantive diversity of educational scholarship and to encourage a vigorous dialogue between educational scholars and policymakers. It publishes empirical research, from a wide range of traditions, that contributes to the development of knowledge across the broad field of education.
American Educational Research Journal (Impact Factor 4.811)
CBE-Life Sciences Education (Impact Factor 4.317)
CBE—Life Sciences Education (LSE), a free, online quarterly journal, is published by the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). LSE publishes peer-reviewed articles on life science education at the K–12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Within biology, LSE focuses on how students are introduced to the study of life sciences, as well as approaches in cell biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, and proteomics. LSE is written by and to serve professionals engaged in biology teaching in all environments, including faculty at large research universities who teach but do not view teaching as their primary mission, as well as those whose teaching is the major focus of their careers, in primarily undergraduate institutions, museums and outreach programs, junior and community colleges, and K–12 schools. Since its inception, LSE has been supported in part by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Cognition and Instruction (Impact Factor 4.897)
Computers and Education (Impact Factor 8.538)
Computers & Education aims to increase knowledge and understanding of ways in which digital technology can enhance education, through the publication of high-quality research, which extends theory and practice. The Editors welcome research papers on the pedagogical uses of digital technology, where the focus is broad enough to be of interest to a wider education community.
Council on Undergraduate Research Journals
The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is to support and promote high-quality mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry. CUR provides support and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, administrators, and students. Our publications and outreach activities are designed to share successful models and strategies for establishing, nurturing, and institutionalizing undergraduate research programs. We recognize institutions that have exemplary undergraduate research programs and faculty who have facilitated undergraduate research at their institutions through their mentorship and leadership.
Chem Ed Research and Practice (Impact Factor 2.959)
Chemistry Education Research and Practice (CERP) is a journal for teachers, researchers, and other practitioners at all levels of chemistry education. It is published free of charge, electronically, four times a year; coverage includes the following.
- Research, and reviews of research, in chemistry education
- Evaluations of effective innovative practice in the teaching of chemistry
- In-depth analyses of issues of direct relevance to chemistry education
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (Impact Factor 3.347)
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (EEPA) publishes rigorous, policy-relevant research of interest to those engaged in educational policy analysis, evaluation, and decision making. EEPA is a multidisciplinary journal, and editors consider original research from multiple disciplines, theoretical orientations, and methodologies. A publication of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Educational Researcher (Impact Factor 4.854)
Publishes scholarly articles that are of general significance to the education research community and that come from a wide range of areas of education research and related disciplines. Educational Researcher (ER) aims to make major programmatic research and new findings of broad importance widely accessible. ER encourages submissions of three types of research articles—feature articles, reviews/essays, and briefs. Technical comments may also be submitted. In addition, ER publishes commentary articles under the demarcations of policy forum, letters, and books et al. A publication of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
International Journal of Educational Research (Impact Factor 1.976)
The International Journal of Educational Research publishes research manuscripts in the field of education. The aims and scope are to:
- Provide a journal that reports research on topics that are of international significance across educational contexts
- Publish high-quality manuscripts that are of international significance in terms of design and/or findings
- Encourage collaboration by international teams of researchers to create special issues on these topics
International Journal of Science Education (Impact Factor 0.46)
IJSE(A) publishes scholarly papers that focus on the teaching and learning of science in school settings ranging from early childhood to university education. It bridges the gap between research and practice, providing information, ideas, and opinion. IJSE(A) welcomes contributions from any country provided that the authors explain their local contexts and demonstrate the significance of their work for a global readership. Special emphasis is placed on applicable research relevant to educational practice, guided by educational realities in systems, schools, colleges, and universities. IJSE(A) also welcomes manuscripts on the integration of science education with other disciplines, in particular STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) or, geography, social sciences, and the arts.
International Journal of STEM Education (Impact Factor 5.012)
The International Journal of STEM Education is a multidisciplinary journal in subject-content education that focuses on the study of teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is being established as a new, forward-looking journal in the field of education. As a peer-reviewed journal, it is positioned to promote research and educational development in the rapidly evolving field of STEM education around the world. The International Journal of STEM Education provides a unique platform for sharing research regarding, among other topics, the design and implementation of technology-rich learning environments, innovative pedagogies, and curricula in STEM education that promote successful learning in PK-16 levels including teacher education. We are also interested in studies that address specific challenges in improving students’ achievement, approaches used to motivate and engage students, and lessons learned from changes in curriculum and instruction in STEM education. The journal encourages translational STEM education research that bridges research and educational policy and practice for STEM education improvement. Interdisciplinary research contributions are preferred. (Fees for Publication).
Journal of Biological Education (Impact Factor 1.262)
Journal of Biological Education aims to bridge the gap between research and practice in biology education and examines advances in biology research and teaching. The journal provides a forum where the latest advances in research into the teaching, learning, and assessment of biology can contribute to policy and practice in biological education for all ages, connecting teachers, researchers, and educators in a common endeavor to enhance biological education internationally. Special emphasis is placed on research relevant to educational practice, guided by educational realities in systems, schools, colleges, universities (including biology teacher education), and informal learning settings, and manuscripts are welcome from educators and researchers working in these settings.
Journal of Chemical Education (Impact Factor 2.979)
The Journal of Chemical Education publishes peer-reviewed articles and related information as a resource to those in the field of chemical education and to those institutions that serve them. The journal typically addresses chemical content, laboratory experiments, instructional methods, and pedagogies. JCE serves as a means of communication among people across the world who are interested in the teaching and learning of chemistry. The global audience includes instructors of chemistry from middle school through graduate school, professional staff who support these teaching activities, as well as some scientists in commerce, industry, and government.
Journal of Educational Psychology (Impact Factor 7.954)
The main purpose of the Journal of Educational Psychology® is to publish original, primary psychological research pertaining to education across all ages and educational levels. A secondary purpose of the Journal is the occasional publication of exceptionally important theoretical and review articles that are pertinent to educational psychology. Please note, that the Journal does not typically publish reliability and validity studies of specific tests or assessment instruments.
Journal of Educational & Behavioral Statistics (Impact Factor 3.288)
The Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics provides an outlet for papers that are original and useful to those applying statistical approaches to problems and issues in educational or behavioral research. Typical papers will present new methods of analysis. In addition, critical reviews of current practice, tutorial presentations of less well-known methods, and novel applications of already-known methods will be published. Papers discussing statistical techniques without specific educational or behavioral interest will have lower priority.
Journal of Higher Education (Impact Factor 3.108)
The Journal of Higher Education publishes research into the academic study of higher education addressing institutional and educational developments issues. Founded in 1930, The Journal of Higher Education publishes original research reporting on the academic study of higher education as a broad enterprise. We publish the highest quality empirical, theoretically grounded work addressing the main functions of higher education and the dynamic role of the university in society. We seek to publish scholarship from a wide variety of theoretical perspectives and disciplinary orientations. Articles appearing in the Journal employ an array of methodological approaches, and we welcome work from scholars across a range of career stages. Comparative and international scholarship should make clear connections to the U.S. context.
Journal of the Learning Sciences (Impact Factor 5.171)
Journal of the Learning Sciences (JLS) provides a multidisciplinary forum for research on education and learning that informs theories of how people learn and the design of learning environments. It publishes research that elucidates processes of learning and the ways in which technologies, instructional practices, and learning environments can be designed to support learning in different contexts. JLS articles draw on theoretical frameworks from such diverse fields as cognitive science, sociocultural theory, educational psychology, computer science, and anthropology. Submissions are not limited to any particular research method, but all must be based on rigorous analyses that present new insights into how people learn and/or how learning can be supported and enhanced.
Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (Impact Factor 0.94)
As ASM'S first open-access education journal, the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (JMBE) offers original, previously unpublished, peer-reviewed articles that foster scholarly teaching, and provide readily adoptable resources in biology education at the undergraduate, graduate, professional (e.g., medical school), K-12 outreach, and informal education level. JMBE is edited by informed science educators who are active in the pursuit of scholarly teaching and biology education reform. The scope of the JMBE is rooted in the biological sciences and branches to other disciplines. The journal publishes articles addressing such topics as good pedagogy and design, student interest and motivation, recruitment and retention, citizen science, and institutional transformation.
Journal of Science Education & Technology (Impact Factor 2.315)
Journal of Science Education and Technology is an interdisciplinary forum for the publication of original peer-reviewed, contributed, and invited research articles of the highest quality that address the intersection of science education and technology with implications for improving and enhancing science education at all levels across the world. Topics covered can be categorized as disciplinary (biology, chemistry, physics, as well as some applications of computer science and engineering, including the processes of learning, teaching, and teacher development), technological (hardware, software, designed and situated environments involving applications characterized as with, through and in), and organizational (legislation, administration, implementation and teacher enhancement). Insofar as technology plays an ever-increasing role in our understanding and development of science disciplines, in the social relationships among people, information, and institutions, the journal includes it as a component of science education.
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research
With approximately a 50% acceptance rate, the Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research aims to promote high-quality education at all levels in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology through peer-reviewed articles that provide information that is well-founded in STEM content, such as submissions that:
- are case studies and other innovations in education
- informed by educational research
- have been tested through assessment of the impact on student learning
- have results from educational research that informs teaching and learning in STEM
- regard recent developments that impact STEM education in such areas as policy and industry needs
Journal of Research in Science Teaching (Impact Factor 4.832)
The Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JSRT) publishes reports for science education researchers and practitioners on issues of science teaching and learning and science education policy. JRST) seeks to work with scholars from a range of institutional affiliations, nationalities, and career stages. We are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in research and publishing from applicants of all ethnicities, races, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities, national origins, disabilities, ages, or other individual statuses. We encourage all authors to engage with and cite sources by scholars and other writers from groups that are often excluded or ignored within academia. Additionally, we ask reviewers to consider, among other evaluation criteria, whether the citations for a given submission reflect the journal's commitment to diversity.
Learning & Instruction (Impact Factor 5.146)
As an international, multi-disciplinary, peer-refereed journal, Learning and Instruction provides a platform for the publication of the most advanced scientific research in the areas of learning, development, instruction, and teaching. The journal welcomes original empirical investigations. The papers may represent a variety of theoretical perspectives and different methodological approaches. They may refer to any age level, from infants to adults, and to a diversity of learning and instructional settings, from laboratory experiments to field studies. The major criteria in the review and the selection process concern the significance of the contribution to the area of learning and instruction, and the rigor of the study.
Research in Higher Education (Impact Factor 3.000)
Research in Higher Education publishes studies that examine issues pertaining to postsecondary education. The journal is open to studies using a wide range of methods, but it has a particular interest in studies that apply advanced quantitative research methods to issues in postsecondary education or address postsecondary education policy issues. Topics of interest to the journal include access and retention; student success; equity; faculty issues; institutional productivity and assessment; postsecondary education governance; curriculum and instruction; state and federal higher education policy; and financing of postsecondary education.
Review of Educational Research (Impact Factor 12.565)
The Review of Educational Research (RER) quarterly publishes critical, integrative reviews of research literature bearing on education. Such reviews should include conceptualizations, interpretations, and syntheses of literature and scholarly work in a field broadly relevant to education and educational research. RER encourages the submission of research relevant to education from any discipline, such as reviews of research in psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, political science, economics, computer science, statistics, anthropology, and biology, provided that the review bears on educational issues. RER does not publish original empirical research unless it is incorporated in a broader integrative review. (A publication of AERA)
Review of Research in Education (Impact Factor 5.179)
Review of Research in Education (RRE), published annually, provides a forum for analytic research reviews on selected education topics of significance to the field. Each volume addresses a topic of broad relevance to education and learning and publishes articles that critically examine diverse literature and bodies of knowledge across relevant disciplines and fields. RRE volumes advance the state of the knowledge, promote discussion, and shape directions for future research. (A publication of AERA).
Science Education (Impact Factor 4.593)
Science Education publishes original articles on the latest issues and trends occurring internationally in science curriculum, instruction, learning, policy, and preparation of science teachers with the aim to advance our knowledge of science education theory and practice. The current turmoil associated with anti-Black racism, global warming, and the COVID pandemic forces us to consider anew how science education research tends to overlook the importance of better preparing communities and society to respond to societal and environmental challenges. We are advocating for a renewed emphasis on science education research that affords individuals and communities the tools for productive scientific sensemaking. We view science when conducted equitably as offering knowledge to help make living on the Earth more sustainable and just. This shift in emphasis will require profound changes so science education research can better guide all aspects of contemporary science teaching and learning. Otherwise, problematic patterns will remain.
Studies in Higher Education (Impact Factor 3.823)
Studies in Higher Education is a leading international journal publishing research-based articles dealing with higher education issues from either a disciplinary or multi-disciplinary perspective. Empirical, theoretical, and conceptual articles of significant originality will be considered. The Journal welcomes contributions that seek to enhance understanding of higher education policy, institutional management and performance, teaching and learning, and the contribution of higher education to society and the economy. Comparative studies and analysis of inter-system and cross-national issues are also welcomed, as are those addressing global and international themes.
Studies in Science Education (Impact Factor 3.417)
The central aim of Studies in Science Education is to publish review articles of the highest quality which provide analytical syntheses of research into key topics and issues in science education... of interest to all those involved in science education including science education researchers, doctoral and master degree students; science teachers at elementary, high school and university levels; science education policymakers; science education curriculum developers and textbook writers.
Teaching in Higher Education (Impact Factor 3.506)
Teaching in Higher Education addresses this gap by publishing scholarly work that critically examines and interrogates the values and presuppositions underpinning teaching introduces theoretical perspectives and insights drawn from different disciplinary and methodological frameworks and considers how teaching and research can be brought into a closer relationship. Teaching in Higher Education offers a particular challenge to develop a discourse of teaching and learning which transcends disciplinary boundaries and specialisms whilst drawing upon the rigor of a range of disciplines and takes a view of learning which entails concepts of transformation and critique in relation to dominant traditions and visions. It will therefore appeal to those who wish to explore how such aims might be realized through a commitment to teaching in a variety of cultural and disciplinary contexts represented in higher education internationally. The journal welcomes contributions that aim to develop sustained reflection, investigation, and critique, and that critically identify new agendas for research, for example by:
- examining the impact on teaching exerted by wider contextual factors such as policy, funding, institutional change, and the expectations of society;
- developing conceptual analyses of pedagogical issues and debates, such as authority, power, assessment, and the nature of understanding;
- exploring the various values which underlie teaching including those concerned with social justice and equity;
- offering critical accounts of lived experiences of higher education pedagogies that bring together theory and practice.
