The Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education
Editorial Philosophy
The Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Decision Sciences Institute. Its mission is to publish significant research relevant to teaching and learning issues in the decision sciences. The decision sciences include both quantitative and behavioral approaches to managerial decision making, encompassing all of the functional areas of business, including (but not limited to) accounting, business strategy and entrepreneurship, economics, finance, international business and globalization, marketing, MIS/DSS and computer systems, organizational behavior/organizational design, operations and logistics management, quantitative methods and statistics.
Focus of Journal
The pressure on faculty members continues to increase with the advent of on-line courses, Executive MBA programs, the availability of new information technology, and pressures due to global competition. It is critical that both new and existing faculty members should be able to draw upon the collective wisdom of the professoriate so that they can become more effective teachers and researchers; it is also vital that they understand how their research experiences can be integrated into their teaching practices.
Types of Articles Published
Types of articles suitable for publication in the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education include the following
Empirical Research Articles
An empirical research article describes high quality empirical research related to innovative education in the decision sciences. It should begin with an in-depth review of the literature and development of hypotheses, drawing upon theory in the functional area to support details of the innovative approach as well as educational and psychological theory, to support the intended learning effects of the innovation. The hypotheses will typically refer to the effect of the innovation, in terms of measures of student learning, measures of course effectiveness, etc. Empirical research articles should include a description of the innovative approach and its rationale, a description of the methodology used for gathering data to test the effectiveness of the approach, description of the statistical analysis of the data, and a discussion of the findings, including suggestions for readers who would like to implement the innovative approach in their classroom.
Case Study Research Articles
A case study research article describes high quality research related to innovative education in the decision sciences. Case research is best done in situations where a single source of data is not sufficient to draw any conclusions, but when every scrap of evidence is brought to bear a convincing argument can be presented. Authors are requested to make comments on their direct observations and are expected to to spend time dealing with the case itself and explaining the details. It is crucial that authors should have a clear objective in writing the case; for example, excellent cases have been presented that contrast research philosophies, demonstrate phenomena, falsify hypotheses, inform practitioners, etc.
Articles in this category could include an in-depth study of a single class or several classes, but are based on careful and detailed documentation of the use and impact of an educational innovation in the decision sciences. In analyzing the data, similarities and differences between the classes should be noted and documented as far as possible. The following article provides a good guide to case study research
Eisenhardt, K.M. "Building Theories from Case Study Research." Academy of Management Review, vol. 14., no 4, 1989, 532-550.
The Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education does not publish case studies designed for classroom use.
Conceptual/Theoretical Articles
A conceptual article describes an approach to innovative education or a learning issue relevant to the decision sciences. A conceptual article should be strongly grounded in the relevant theoretical literature in functional areas such as education, organization behavior or psychology, as well as in the literature specific to the innovative approach or learning issue being described. The focus may be on a single approach or issue, or on a comparison and contrast of alternative approaches or issues. Because it should lay the groundwork for future research in the area, a conceptual/theoretical article should develop a set of propositions about the effectiveness of the innovative approach or learning issue. It is important that conceptual/theoretical research articles focus on cutting-edge topics and present significant new insights.
Teaching Briefs
Teaching briefs briefly describe an innovative approach for teaching in the decision sciences. Limited to five double-spaced pages (12-pt. font) of text, they should describe the innovative approach in sufficient detail to allow it to be replicated in the reader's classroom. It should also provide a brief summary of evidence indicating the effectiveness of the innovative approach. Teaching briefs should focus on the innovative approach itself, and do not need to include a literature review or statistical analysis of the data. They should have more of a "how to" flavor than the empirical or case study research articles. Teaching briefs may refer readers to the authors' website for additional detail about how to use the innovative approach.
Submission
Only electronic submissions will be allowed. Please go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/dsjie for more information.
Your submission certifies that none of the content is copyrighted, published or accepted for publication by another journal, under review by another journal or submitted to another journal while under review by Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education. All manuscripts should be prepared in Times Roman (12 pt), double-spaced on 8 ½ x 11 paper and accompanied by an abstract of not more than 180 words (except for teaching briefs) and an author's vita of no more than 150 words. The author's name and affiliation should appear on a separate page
Figures, charts and tables should be consecutively numbered in Arabic. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education does not allow the use of footnotes or endnotes. References should be listed alphabetically by author at the end of the paper and referred to in the body of the text by Name (date).
Authors will be requested to select two associate editors and also suggest up to four reviewers for their paper. The suggested reviewers should not have any conflict of interest of professional nature with the authors. The editor and associate editors of DSJIE will consider the suggestions in making reviewer assignments.
Should the manuscript be accepted for publication, the author will be asked to submit the final document using Manuscript Central. Authors will be required to assign copyright in their paper to the Decision Sciences Institute. Copyright assignment is a condition of publication, and papers will not be passed to the publisher for production unless copyright has been assigned (Papers subject to government or Crown copyright are exempt from this requirement). To assist authors, an appropriate copyright form will be supplied by the editorial office.
Website
The
Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education website (
www.dsjie.org) contains information for contributors. The website also contains announcements about upcoming events related to innovative education in the decision sciences and a section for personal news about DSI members, such as news about winners of teaching awards.
The editor can be contacted at:
Dr. Chetan S. Sankar
Thomas Walter Professor
Department of Management
415 W. Magnolia, Suite 401
Auburn University, AL 36849
(334) 844-6504
dsjie.editor@gmail.com
Review Process
Each manuscript submitted to the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education is subjected to the following reviewing process:
- An initial screening by the Editor to determine the suitability of the article for the Journal. Suitable articles are assigned to an Associate Editor, according to their functional and methodological content. If the manuscript is deemed inappropriate for the journal because it is not a match for the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education's audience or mission, it will be promptly returned to the author. Based on the AE’s recommendation, the article is assigned to two or three reviewers.
- A careful review by the referees, each of whom makes a recommendation to the Associate Editor/ Editor and provides comments for the authors.
- An appraisal of the review by the Associate Editor who makes a recommendation to the Editor. If the Editor feels the paper has potential for publication, the author is invited to make revisions, according to the suggestions of the AE and reviewers. If major revisions, minor revisions, or reject decisions are appropriate, the editor will inform the author(s) and provide them with feedback from the reviews.
- Upon receipt of the revisions, the Editor will make a final decision. The Editor will appraise the entire review process, making sure that all revisions suggested by the referees have been addressed. In the case of major revisions, the article will be sent through the review process again. if in the Editor's opinion significant changes have been made.
The Editor reserves the right to deviate from the above procedures when the situation warrants and as it is deemed appropriate.
Appointment of Associate Editors and Editorial Review Board Members
- All academic and non-academicians with a strong interest in education and pedagogy research are encouraged to enroll as a reviewer using the Manuscript Central system. Those reviewers who have reviewed at least 2 papers in a year and have received high rating for their reviews will be considered for inclusion in the Editorial Review Board.
- Members of the Editorial Review Board will be expected to review one to two papers per year and receive a high rating score for their reviews. These appointments are for two years subject to renewal. By being an editorial review board member, they agree to review 2 or more articles in a year.
- Exceptional editorial review board members will be considered for appointment as Associate Editors. The associate editors form the leadership team that strives to position the DSJIE as a top-tier journal. They will hold their appointments for a period of two years and can be considered for a reappointment.
- Those who will like to be considered for appointment as editorial review board members and/or associate editors are requested to contact the editor to express their interest.