About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The journal exists to showcase and disseminate innovation and research in the teaching of Natural Sciences in higher education. The journal seeks to promote developments in teaching and learning to practitioners and to the wider community through the publication of short reports and reviews and to support and encourage evidence-based teaching through the publication of research articles, particularly in the early stages of development.

There are five sections to the journal:

[1] Editorial and opinion pieces on policy issues

[2] Community Directions: This section will consist of short reports of innovations or developments in teaching. These should be written in an accessible style for a general audience. Short reports of conference presentations may be appropriate for this section.

[3] Research Directions: This section will contain peer reviewed research articles on pedagogy and outreach in higher education. These articles should be directed towards evidence-based developments in teaching and learning and in the delivery of outreach. The journal will be pleased to receive reports of the preliminary findings of research subject to appropriate standards of scholarship.

[4] Pedagogic Direction: Reviews of topics in pedagogic research and innovative practice

[5] Book reviews: the journal will continue to publish reviews of books received

In addition, in order to promote the innovative work in pedagogy in the physical sciences to an external audience the journal will contain a summary of some of the highlights from conferences and other publications. 

Sections 1 and 4 are usually by invitation but suggestions to the editor are welcome.

Submissions to sections 2 and 3 are peer reviewed.

Peer Review Process

Submissions to sections 1 and 4 are usually by invitation, but suggestions to the editor are welcome.

Submissions to sections 2 and 3 are peer reviewed by one or more members of the editorial board.

Where peer review of submissions falling within the remit of the journal highlights issues that need to be addressed, the editorial team would normally expect to work with authors to overcome these.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. All content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0).

Indexing and Abstracting 

Our articles are indexed in Google Scholar, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Dimensions. Our metadata is deposited with CrossRef. 

Archiving

Our content is archived with the PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) for digital preservation.

Publisher

University of Leicester Open Journals 

Sponsorship

University of Leicester

Journal History

The journal was established in 2003 as part of the Physical Sciences Learning and Teaching Subject Network under the title New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences (Print ISSN: 1740-9888). Upon the transition from LTSNs to HEA Subject Centres, The journal was adopted by the HEA Physical Sciences Subject Centre and subsequently in 2013 as New Directions (Physical Sciences) by the HEA itself. With the reorganisation of the HEA in 2014 some of the HEA discipline journals have been adopted by Taylor and Francis and others, including New Directions, have been taken on by volunteer groups. The journal is now published as an open access e-journal by the University of Leicester. In keeping with the ethos of the journal there are no page charges to authors.

The journal had several roles:  to act as a stepping stone into pedagogic research and development for lecturers in the physical sciences; and to inform the HE community about developments in teaching and learning. These remain its roles today.

In 2023, the journal changed its name to New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences.