Focus and Scope

FOCUS AND SCOPE

FOCUS

Epistemic publishes empirical and systematically conducted research in the field of education. The journal focuses on studies that investigate educational problems, practices, processes, institutions, policies, and innovations through appropriate research methods and traceable evidence.

Educational issues must constitute the central object of investigation, rather than merely the setting in which the study is conducted.

For example, conducting research in a school, madrasah, university, pesantren, training institution, or other educational setting does not automatically make a manuscript suitable for Epistemic. The manuscript should clearly investigate an educational problem and demonstrate its relevance to educational research, practice, policy, or development.

Epistemic welcomes manuscripts that:

examine teaching and learning practices, educational processes, policies, or institutional management;
develop, apply, test, or evaluate educational concepts, models, strategies, programs, or interventions;
investigate educational experiences, behaviors, outcomes, or institutional practices using empirical evidence;
evaluate educational innovations, technologies, policies, or program implementation;
provide systematic evidence that contributes to the understanding or improvement of education.

Research does not need to involve highly complex methods. However, every manuscript must demonstrate a clear relationship between the research problem, objective, method, evidence, findings, and educational contribution.

SCOPE

Epistemic accepts manuscripts within the following areas.

Learning and Curriculum

Research related to:

curriculum development and implementation;
instructional design;
teaching and learning strategies;
learning materials;
classroom practices;
learning assessment;
learning outcomes;
student engagement;
differentiated learning;
educational innovation in teaching and learning.

Studies should move beyond describing classroom activities and provide analysis of processes, outcomes, effectiveness, challenges, or implications.

Teacher Education and Professional Development

Research related to:

teacher competence;
pre-service teacher education;
in-service teacher development;
teacher training;
teacher professional learning;
instructional competence;
teacher beliefs and practices;
teacher performance;
supervision and professional development;
the impact of professional development programs on teaching practices.

Educational Technology

Research related to the use, development, implementation, or evaluation of technology in education, including:

digital learning;
artificial intelligence in education;
learning management systems;
online and blended learning;
digital learning resources;
educational applications;
technology-supported assessment;
digital literacy;
technology-enhanced teaching and learning.

Manuscripts should examine educational processes or outcomes rather than merely describe the technology being used.

Educational Management and Policy

Research related to:

educational leadership;
school and institutional management;
educational governance;
educational planning;
organizational development;
quality assurance;
educational supervision;
human resource management in educational institutions;
institutional performance;
educational policy;
policy implementation;
data-informed educational decision-making.

Studies should demonstrate clear relevance to the management, governance, quality, or development of educational institutions.

Community Education and Lifelong Learning

Research related to:

non-formal education;
community-based education;
adult education;
lifelong learning;
literacy development;
community empowerment through education;
family and community learning;
vocational and skills education;
educational programs conducted outside formal schooling.

Studies should clearly identify their educational processes, learning outcomes, empowerment mechanisms, or program implications.

Social and Cultural Issues in Education

Research examining the relationship between education and social or cultural contexts, including:

inclusion;
equity;
diversity;
multicultural education;
gender and education;
social inequality in education;
culturally responsive education;
local knowledge and education;
educational participation;
socio-cultural influences on teaching and learning.

Cultural, religious, or social topics are suitable for Epistemic only when they are directly connected to an identifiable educational problem, process, practice, policy, or outcome.

RESEARCH APPROACHES

Epistemic accepts research using appropriate and clearly explained methodologies, including:

quantitative research;
qualitative research;
mixed methods research;
experimental and quasi-experimental research;
action research;
case study research;
evaluation research;
research and development;
design-based research;
systematic literature review.

Other systematic research approaches may also be considered when they are appropriate to the research objective and clearly explained.

MINIMUM RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS

Every manuscript submitted to Epistemic should meet the following minimum requirements.

Clear Research Problem

The manuscript should identify a specific educational problem, issue, gap, phenomenon, or question that requires investigation.

Authors should explain:

what problem is being investigated;
why the problem matters;
what is not yet adequately understood;
why the study is necessary.

Clear Research Objective

The research objective or research questions should be explicitly stated.

The objective should be consistent with the research problem and should guide the method, results, and conclusion.

Appropriate Research Method

The methodology should be appropriate to the research objective.

Authors should clearly explain:

research design;
research setting or context;
participants, respondents, documents, or data sources;
sampling or participant selection;
instruments or data collection procedures;
research procedures;
data analysis techniques;
relevant procedures for ensuring the quality or trustworthiness of the data.

Research procedures should be described clearly enough for readers to understand how the study was conducted.

Traceable Data or Evidence

Research findings must be based on identifiable and traceable data or systematic evidence.

Depending on the research design, evidence may include:

survey data;
experimental data;
interviews;
observations;
documents;
assessment results;
institutional records;
learning analytics;
systematic literature data;
other relevant research evidence.

Opinion-based claims without supporting evidence are not sufficient.

Analytical Findings

Results should do more than report what participants said, present questionnaire percentages, reproduce documents, or describe activities.

Authors should analyze the evidence and identify relevant:

patterns;
relationships;
differences;
processes;
mechanisms;
explanations;
themes;
outcomes;
challenges;
implications.

The discussion should explain what the findings mean and how they relate to the research problem and relevant educational knowledge.

SCHOLARLY CONTRIBUTION

Every manuscript should demonstrate at least one identifiable contribution to education.

A contribution may take the form of:

Empirical Contribution

New findings derived from research data.

Practical Contribution

A strategy, model, practice, intervention, or recommendation that can inform educational practice.

Theoretical Contribution

Testing, extending, refining, comparing, or developing an educational concept or theoretical explanation.

Methodological Contribution

Applying, developing, or evaluating a research approach, instrument, analytical procedure, or educational measurement method.

Policy Contribution

Evidence that informs educational policy, governance, institutional decision-making, or policy implementation.

Contextual Contribution

Evidence from a particular educational context that provides lessons, comparisons, explanations, or implications relevant to other settings.

Systematic Synthesis

For systematic literature reviews, a structured synthesis that identifies patterns, gaps, trends, relationships, or directions for future educational research.

Authors do not need to demonstrate all types of contribution. One strong, clearly supported, and well-explained contribution is sufficient.

LOCAL AND CONTEXT-SPECIFIC STUDIES

Epistemic welcomes studies conducted in local schools, madrasah, universities, pesantren, communities, educational institutions, or other specific settings.

However, the manuscript should move beyond merely describing the research location.

Authors should explain what can be learned from the study beyond the immediate research site.

A strong local study may identify:

a transferable educational practice;
a recurring problem;
an explanatory mechanism;
a useful educational model;
a distinctive contextual factor;
implications for similar institutions;
comparisons with previous research;
lessons that may inform broader educational discussions.

Authors are encouraged to answer the following question:

What can researchers, teachers, institutional leaders, or policymakers outside this research site learn from this study?

SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEWS

Epistemic accepts systematic literature reviews when they use a clear and transparent review protocol.

Authors should explain, where relevant:

databases or information sources;
search strategy;
search terms;
publication period;
inclusion criteria;
exclusion criteria;
screening process;
number of records identified and selected;
data extraction procedures;
method of synthesis or analysis.

A systematic review should produce a structured synthesis, research gap, conceptual pattern, methodological insight, or direction for future educational research.

Traditional narrative literature reviews without a transparent and systematic method are not considered research articles for publication in Epistemic.

WHAT EPISTEMIC DOES NOT NORMALLY PUBLISH

Epistemic does not normally consider manuscripts that primarily consist of:

opinion papers without research data or systematic evidence;
purely descriptive reports of educational activities or programs without analytical findings;
philosophical or conceptual essays without a systematic research method or evidence-based analysis;
normative religious, legal, political, historical, literary, or cultural studies that do not investigate a clear educational problem;
studies in schools, universities, pesantren, or other educational institutions where education is only the research location rather than the central object of analysis;
manuscripts that merely summarize interview statements or observation results without interpretation;
survey studies that only report percentages without meaningful analysis;
institutional profiles or descriptions of programs without evaluation or analytical contribution;
literature reviews without a clear systematic protocol;
bibliometric studies that only report publication trends without meaningful educational synthesis or implications;
manuscripts without clearly identifiable research objectives;
studies in which the research method or data source cannot be clearly identified;
manuscripts whose conclusions are not supported by the presented findings;
manuscripts without a clear educational contribution or implication.

SCOPE FIT TEST

Before submitting a manuscript, authors are encouraged to answer the following questions.

Question	Expected Answer
Is the central problem of the manuscript an educational problem?	YES
Does the manuscript state a clear research objective or research question?	YES
Does the study use empirical data or systematic evidence?	YES
Is the research method clearly explained?	YES
Do the results directly answer the research objective or questions?	YES
Does the manuscript provide analysis rather than description alone?	YES
Does the study demonstrate an identifiable contribution to education?	YES

If the answer is NO to the first, third, or seventh question, the manuscript may not be suitable for Epistemic.

SCOPE FIT STATEMENT

Authors are encouraged to prepare a brief Scope Fit Statement before submission.

The statement should explain:

the educational problem investigated;
the most relevant Epistemic scope area;
the main research method and data source;
the principal finding or expected contribution;
why the study matters beyond the immediate research setting.

A useful Scope Fit Statement should normally be approximately 100 to 150 words.

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT

A manuscript is potentially suitable for Epistemic when it demonstrates the following relationship:

Educational Problem + Clear Research Objective + Appropriate Method + Traceable Evidence + Analytical Findings + Educational Contribution

Authors should ensure that:

the educational problem is clearly defined;
the research objective or questions are explicit;
the research method is appropriate and transparent;
the source of evidence is identifiable;
results directly address the research questions;
findings are interpreted rather than merely described;
the discussion explains why the findings matter;
the contribution to educational research or practice is clear;
the conclusion is supported by the study findings.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR AUTHORS

Having an educational institution as a research location does not automatically make a study suitable for Epistemic.

For example:

Topic	Suitability
Analysis of religious values in a literary work	Normally outside scope
Use of a literary work as learning material and its educational impact	Potentially suitable
Description of a local cultural tradition	Normally outside scope
Integration of local cultural knowledge into curriculum or learning	Potentially suitable
General discussion of artificial intelligence	Normally outside scope
Evaluation of AI-supported feedback in student learning	Potentially suitable
Description of school management activities	Insufficient by itself
Analysis of leadership practices and their relationship with educational outcomes	Potentially suitable
Description of a teacher training program	Insufficient by itself
Evaluation of the impact of teacher training on teaching practices	Potentially suitable

The determining factor is not simply the topic or research location, but whether the study investigates an educational problem through a systematic method and produces meaningful educational findings.

EDITORIAL SCREENING

Submitted manuscripts may receive one of the following initial editorial decisions.

Proceed to Peer Review

The manuscript demonstrates:

clear alignment with the Focus and Scope;
an identifiable educational research problem;
appropriate methodology;
traceable evidence;
analytical findings;
a potentially meaningful educational contribution.

Pre-Review Revision or Resubmission

This decision may be considered when the study is relevant to Epistemic but the manuscript requires substantial improvement before peer review.

Examples include:

educational relevance is present but not sufficiently articulated;
research objectives require clarification;
methodology requires additional explanation;
findings remain overly descriptive;
discussion requires stronger interpretation;
scholarly contribution is not yet clearly demonstrated;
implications beyond the immediate research setting need further development.

Authors may be invited to revise and resubmit the manuscript after addressing the editorial comments.

Decline

A manuscript may be declined at the initial editorial stage when fundamental problems cannot reasonably be addressed through normal revision, particularly when:

the central research problem is outside the field of education;
the manuscript does not contain empirical data or systematic evidence;
no identifiable research methodology is provided;
the manuscript is primarily an opinion, essay, or descriptive report;
the study has no identifiable educational contribution;
the manuscript fundamentally does not align with the Focus and Scope of Epistemic.

COMMON REASONS FOR INITIAL EDITORIAL REJECTION

Authors should particularly avoid the following problems:

unclear educational research problem;
no explicit research objective or research question;
weak alignment between objectives, methods, results, and conclusions;
insufficient explanation of research procedures;
unclear or unverifiable data sources;
descriptive findings without meaningful analysis;
conclusions that merely repeat the results;
absence of scholarly contribution;
absence of implications for education;
research location presented as the main justification for educational relevance;
local findings presented without explaining their broader significance.

OUR EDITORIAL PRINCIPLE

Epistemic aims to be inclusive in educational topics while maintaining clear standards for research quality.

The journal therefore welcomes diverse educational contexts, methods, populations, institutions, and research problems. Manuscripts do not need to demonstrate methodological complexity or multiple forms of contribution.

However, every published study should provide:

credible evidence, appropriate analysis, and a clear contribution to understanding or improving education.

A well-designed study addressing a focused educational problem with one strong and clearly demonstrated contribution is highly valued by Epistemic.

Focus and Scope

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