Submissions

This journal is not accepting submissions at this time.

Author Guidelines

Commonwealth Centre for Connected Learning Foundation’s 3CL Insights is an occasional paper series exploring the relationship between technology, learning, communication, and society. It welcomes contributions from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, particularly interdisciplinary work drawing from fields such as education, sociology, psychology, communication studies, digital sciences, media and information literacy, anthropology, and economics.

Unlike a traditional journal, 3CL Insights publishes papers individually on a rolling basis rather than in scheduled issues, allowing authors to engage quickly and substantively with emerging technological and societal developments.

Types of Contributions

Contributions should typically be around 6,000 words and may take the following forms:

Original Research Papers

Technology-Driven Innovation in Education Studies examining the impact of AI, VR, AR, and other emerging technologies on learning outcomes, teaching methodologies, and learner engagement across the human life cycle, from early years to gerontology. These studies may also interrogate the reconfiguration of the perennial 'agency versus structure' debate.

Disruptive Communication Technologies Research on the social, cultural, and psychological effects of technologies such as social media, gaming, instant messaging, deep fakes, avatars, AI, and online communities.

Ethical and Sustainable Development Implications of Disruptive Technologies Critical reflections on the development and use of disruptive technologies, particularly in education and communication, from ethical or sustainability perspectives.

Review and Synthesis Papers

Broad overviews of a field or systematic examinations of existing research - for example, the evolution of mobile learning, the role of social media in political discourse, or the impact of generative AI on student performance.

Case Studies

Real-World Applications In-depth examinations of specific instances of technology deployment. For example, a VR training programme in healthcare or an AI literacy initiative in a small-state context.

Policy Analysis Analyses of government policies and regulations relating to technology, education, and communication, and their implications for innovation and development.

Conceptual and Theoretical Papers

The development of theoretical or epistemological frameworks for understanding the complex relationship between technology, learning, and communication, or informed critiques of existing theories and methodologies offering alternative perspectives.

Manuscript Format

File type: .docx only

Word count: circa. 6,000 words (excluding abstract, list of references, and figure labels).

Abstract: Approximately 150 words

Spacing and font: Single-spaced; Times New Roman, 12-point font

Keywords: 5-6 relevant keywords

Language: Standard UK English

Originality: Manuscripts must not already be published or otherwise in the public domain; and they must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere

Structure

Manuscripts should include the following sections, in this order:

Title page - Title, full author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), email address of corresponding author, and ORCID iD(s) where available
Abstract - Approximately 150 words
Keywords - five - six relevant terms
Introduction - Background, aims, and research question or central argument
Main body - Organised under clearly headed sections appropriate to the contribution type (e.g. methodology, findings, discussion; or thematic/analytical sections for conceptual papers)
Conclusion - Summary of key insights and implications
Author contribution statement - Description of each author's contribution (for multi-authored papers)
Acknowledgements - Acknowledge any funding, institutional support, or other assistance
A statement declaring the absence of a conflict of interest
Ethical statement - Where applicable, indicate institutional ethics approval and include the reference number
References - Complete list of cited works

Use a consistent numbering system for major sections. Avoid sub-subsections where possible.

Tables and Figures

Embed tables and figures within the text at the point of citation. Label clearly (e.g. Table 1, Figure 1) and indicate placement with: (Table 1 here), (Figure 1 here).

Citations and References

Style: APA 7th Edition

In-text examples:

As Fox (1959) argues...
Putnam (2000, pp. 14–15)
(Cooper & Shaw, 2009)
Three or more authors: list all authors on first mention; use et al. thereafter

Reference list: Include only cited publications, ordered alphabetically, with full bibliographic details. Here is an example of a list of references:

Beetham, H. (2013). Designing for active learning in technology-rich contexts. In H. Beetham & R. Sharpe (Eds.), Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age: Designing for 21st century learning (2nd ed., pp. 31–48). Routledge.

Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2010). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: A meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

Selwyn, N. (2011). Education and technology: Key issues and debates. Continuum International Publishing Group.

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3–10.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Quoted Material

Short quotes: use double quotation marks ("..."). Long quotes (40+ words): indent as a block, without quotation marks.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Not permitted. All content should be integrated into the main text.

Submission Process

The 3CL Insights occasional paper series operates a double-blind editorial review process. Submissions are first reviewed by the series editor and, where appropriate, by typically two additional reviewers. The editorial team may suggest revisions, accept, or decline contributions.

The series editor’s decision on submissions, including on the procedure and outcome of the review process, is final.

Manuscripts should be submitted by email to: insights@3cl.org

Authors will normally receive a quick response from the series editor, indicating next steps. Reviewers are kindly asked to submit their reviews regarding the suitability of publication of any submission within four to six weeks.

Ethical Guidelines

Submissions must be original and free from plagiarism.
Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contributions.
Any conflicts of interest must be declared.
Funding sources should be acknowledged.
Research involving human participants must have received ethics board approval.
Plagiarism is strictly forbidden: attributing someone else's work as one's own is unreservedly unprofessional.
Authors should disclose substantive use of generative AI tools in preparing the manuscript. AI is fast becoming mainstreamed as a valuable tool for academic research and writing. But it does not and cannot replace human judgment, creativity and accountability. When using AI in scholarly publishing, full disclosure, transparency and ethical considerations remain paramount. Insights encourages a responsible use of AI that complements, but never replaces, human expertise and which helps to advance knowledge, but not rehash what is already known.

Copyright and Licensing

3CL Insights is an open-access publication. All papers are freely accessible and published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY- 4.0) licence. This licence permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Privacy

Names and email addresses submitted to 3CL Insights will be used exclusively for the purposes of the series and will not be made available to any other party.

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided with this submission.

Copyright Notice

This journal is an open-access publication. All articles are freely accessible to readers and are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence. This licence permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, any modifications are indicated, and derivative works are distributed under the same licence.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered on this site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this paper series and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Research involving human participants must have authorisation from the appropriate Research Ethics Board. All data should be collected and analysed accurately and ethically.