A New Model for Scholarship Dissemination in Agricultural Communication, Education, Extension, and Leadership

Abstract

Most research is reported in scientific journals published by various professional societies, organizations, and institutions. These journals have evolved over time, with the Internet leading to substantial changes in the dissemination of research. The American Association for Agricultural Education’s (AAAE) Journal of Agricultural Education (JAE) is no different (JAE, n.d.). Emerging trends in scholarship dissemination include open-access, open-data, publication ethics, and document/researcher ID numbers (Conrad, 2022). Social media is also now a common way to share published research (Klar et al., 2020) In the AAAE, we have repeatedly discussed challenges related to timely publication of research, reviewer fatigue, indexing our journals, and impact factors. Given the changing landscape of scientific publishing and recurring challenges expressed within our profession, we created a new research journal, Advancements in Agricultural Development (AAD), to explore how things could be done differently. The purpose of this poster is to share what we have learned so far. For the calendar year 2022 (Volume 3 of the journal), we averaged 29 days to provide the initial editorial decision (end of Stage 2). The average peer reviewer completed their assigned review in 10.39 days (Stage 3). Finally, once accepted, we averaged 38 days for copyediting and getting author approval for publication (Stage 4). The largest observed delays in this process (Stages 2- 4) have been slow responses from authors when resubmitting revisions or approving page proofs. First, we are always assessing and improving our editorial process to provide the best experiences for both authors and readers. Second, we are continually seeking to engage new authors and readers from around the world. Third, as submissions to AAD increase, we will add additional editors and editorial assistants. Finally, we are making systematic adjustments to position AAD for acceptance into the prestigious indices of Scopus and Web of Science in 2024.