Editorial policy
Australian Universities’ Review (AUR, formerly Vestes) is published by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) to encourage debate and discussion about issues in higher education and its contribution to Australian public life, with an emphasis on those matters of concern to NTEU members.
AUR publishes articles and other contributions, including short commentary and satire.
Although some contributions are solicited by the Editor or the Editorial Board, AUR is pleased to receive contributions independently from staff and students in the higher education sector and other readers.
Articles will be assessed by independent referees before publication. Priority is given to contributions that are substantial, lively, original and have a broad appeal. Responses to previously published contributions are encouraged.
AUR is listed on the Australian Government’s register of refereed journals and is included in Scopus.
It is presumed that authors have followed the standard scholarly ethical practices involved in seeking to have their work published. Authors should take their lead from the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the Committee for Publication Ethics.
Subscriptions
AUR is available free to NTEU members on an opt-in basis. Paid subscriptions available for Australian and international subscribers.
Advertising
Advertising rates are available on application to [email protected].
Contributions
Contributors should send digital manuscripts in Word format via email to [email protected].
Contributions should be between 2,000 and 7,000 words, although longer articles will be considered. Articles should be accompanied by an abstract preferably not longer than 150 words.
The author’s full contact details should be provided, including email address and phone number.
Contributions are sent to a minimum of two referees, in accordance with Australian Government requirements for peer blind review.
Book reviews
Books for review should be sent to the Editor. Our policy is to review books dealing either with tertiary education or with matters pertinent to issues in tertiary education.
Book reviews should be between 200 and 1200 words; review essays may be longer.
Replies and letters
AUR welcomes letters of response to articles published in the journal. Longer responses to articles are also encouraged.
Responses should be a maximum of 1,000 words, and should be received within a month after the publication of the journal so that they can be properly considered by the Editor and the Editorial Board for the following issue.
Style
Use ‘per cent’ rather than ‘%’ in the text. Use ‘%’ in tables and figures.
Use ‘s’ rather than ‘z’ in words such as ‘organise’, ‘analyse’, ‘recognise’ etc.
Use a single space at the end of sentences.
Use single quotation marks. Use double quotation marks for quotes within a quote. Indent quotes of more than 50 words.
Dates thus: 30 June 2020.
Authors should ensure that the material cited in the text matches the material listed in the References.
Neither male nor female pronouns should be used to refer to groups containing persons of both sexes.
Do not use numbered sections.
Do not use underlining.
Do not use footnotes, endnotes or any headers or footers except for page numbers (bottom of page, centred).
Avoid use of abbreviations, except for well-known organisations or processes.
Tables & figures
Tables and figures should be incorporated into the text close to where they are first referred. In general, ‘tables’ comprise data, and ‘figures’ comprise everything else (graphs, photographs, etc.).
Do not refer to position of tables/ figures (e.g. ‘above’, ‘left’).
Tables and figures should have separate numbered sequences, with titles above for tables, and below for figures.
Figures should be prepared for black and white print. Graphs with coloured bars are often illegible in black-and-white print.
References
References to be cited according to APA Publication Manual 6th ed.
References in the text should be given in the author–date style:
King (2018) argues ...
or
as various authors (King, 2018; Markwell, 2007) argue ...
Two co-authors should be cited in the text as
(Smith & Jones, 2013).
More than two authors cite as
( Jones et al., 2017).
Page references should be thus:
(King, 2018, p. 314).
Use page references for direct quotations.
The reference list should be placed in alphabetical order at the end of the paper, utilising the author–date system.
For a reference to a book:
Gall, M., Gall, J. & Borg, W. (2003). Education Research: An introduction (7th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.
For a journal reference:
King, D.A. (2004). What different countries get for their research spending. Nature, 430, 311–316.
For a chapter in a collection:
McCollow, J. & Knight, J. (2005). Higher Education in Australia, in M. Bella, J. McCollow & J. Knight (Eds). Higher Education in Transition. Brisbane: UQ Press.
For a web reference:
Markwell, D. (2007). The challenge of student engagement. Retrieved from http://www.catl.uwa.edu.au/__data/ page/95565/Student_engagement_-_ Don_Markwell_-_30_Jan_2007.pdf.
Do not include retrieval dates for web references unless source material changes over time (e.g. wikis).