About the Journal

Aims and scope

Netla – Online Journal on Pedagogy and Education (Netla – Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun) publishes academic articles in Icelandic and English, as well as reports on development projects, discursive and reflective articles, essays, interviews, publication announcements and critical abstracts relating to the disciplines of pedagogy and education. When appropriate, a special effort is made to make use of the diverse communication capabilities of the internet and, in this connection, authors have in several instances published materials combined with sound and motion picture clips. Specialized editions of the journal have generally been either confined to a particular theme or associated with educational science conferences and have published peer-reviewed materials and academic articles.

The journal is mostly published in Icelandic, although peer-reviewed articles are accompanied by abstracts in English and the journal encourages its contributors to publish articles in English with an international readership in mind. The publication of articles in other languages is open to consideration. All persons, whether in Iceland or abroad, may send contributions to the journal and all material relating to pedagogy and education will be considered by the editorial board, whether this is based on research and academic studies or insight and experience.

The editorial board comprises members of academic staff at the University of Iceland School of Education. The board has an advisory role to the editor of the journal. Netla’s spezialised and conference editions have generally been administered by a special editorial board under the auspices of the University of Iceland Educational Research Institute in consultation and cooperation with Netla’s editorial board.

There are no fixed publishing dates for Netla – Online Journal on Pedagogy and Education, material is published as soon as it is ready. It is possible register on a mailing list and receive notifications of new material as required. Those who are interested in publishing in Netla can contact the editor. Please note that articles cannot be submitted in December. The editorial boards of Netla´ s conference and special publications request contributions specifically. All articles from the journal’s establishment in 2002 as well as conference and special publications from 2009 can be accessed on the website of Netla – Online Journal on Pedagogy and Education https://netla.hi.is.

Peer review

Netla is a peer reviewed journal. Decisions by the editorial board on the publication of peer-reviewed articles are based on the professional assessment of a minimum of two specialist reviewers and authors’ responses to comments and suggestions. Reviewers enjoy full anonymity and care is taken that one of them, or both, have a doctorate. It is also attempted to ensure that the reviewers approach the task from different perspectives.

Open access

Netla is an Open Access  journal; that is, its content can be freely distributed by individual users and institutions. Users are permitted to read, upload, copy, distribute, print, search or link the full text of articles which appear in the web-based journal without requiring advance permission from the publisher or the author. Authors retain distribution rights to their articles.

The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. 

Publications ethics

NETLA – Online Journal on Pedagogy and Education is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics in academic publishing. This Code of Ethics reflects international best practices as outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Elsevier Publishing Ethics, and the Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration.

All parties involved in the publication process for Netla including editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers, must adhere to these guidelines.

Responsibilities of Authors

  • Originality and Plagiarism
    Authors must submit original, unpublished work. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and redundant publication is unacceptable. AI - assisted writing tools must be disclosed; ultimate responsibility remains with the authors.
  • Authorship: Those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Contributors not meeting authorship criteria should be acknowledged. Authorship changes post-submission require written consent from all authors.
  • Data Integrity and Transparency: Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of data. Data may be requested for editorial review and should comply with open data policies where applicable.
  • Conflict of Interest: Authors must disclose all financial, institutional, or personal conflicts of interest. All funding sources must be acknowledged.
  • Ethical Approvals: Studies involving human participants require prior ethical approval and informed consent. Compliance with GDPR and Icelandic data protection laws is mandatory.
  • Corrections and Retractions: Authors must promptly notify the journal of significant errors. Corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern will follow COPE procedures.

Responsibilities of Editors

  • Fair Review Process: Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit, relevance, and originality, free from discrimination.
  • Confidentiality: Editors will maintain confidentiality throughout the review process.
  • Conflict of Interest: Editors must disclose any conflicts and recuse themselves from conflicted submissions.
  • Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are made independently of institutional, political, or commercial interests.

Responsibilities of Reviewers

  • Confidentiality: Reviewers must keep all materials confidential and not use them for personal gain.
  • Objectivity: Reviews should be conducted impartially with constructive feedback.
  • Conflict of Interest: Reviewers must disclose conflicts and decline reviews where conflicts exist.
  • Timeliness: Reviews should be completed within agreed timeframes; delays must be communicated promptly.

Responsibilities of the Publisher

  • Uphold editorial independence and support editors.
  • Investigate allegations of misconduct following COPE guidelines.
  • Ensure long-term digital preservation and access to content.
  • Provide advice and assistance regarding academic publications.

Misconduct Handling

  • Misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship disputes) will be investigated per COPE flowcharts.

NETLA online journal fosters diversity and prohibits discrimination at all stages of publication.

Publication ethics will be reviewed annually.

Netla's story

Netla – Online Journal on Pedagogy and Education relates to the disciplines of pedagogy and education. The publication arose from the work of an interest group to publish an online journal at the University of Iceland. The founding date of January 9, 2002 was chosen with reference to the 60th birthday of Ólafur Proppé, rector of the Icelandic University of Education.

A five-member editorial board managed the publication for the first few years, as can be seen in the overview of the editorial board since its inception. On March 28, 2006, a collaboration agreement was signed between the Research Institute of the Icelandic Teachers, the Icelandic Teachers' Association and The Association of Developmental Therapists and one of the editors took on the role of editor and led the group for the next six years. The University of Iceland's School of Education was behind the publication after the merge of Icelandic University of Education and the University of Iceland, and at the beginning of 2012, the ten-year anniversary of the publication was celebrated in an auspicious way. At that turning point, the publication was given a new look and for the next four years was edited by three editors as well as the editorial board members. One of the editors handled articles and other content in English, while the other two handled all Icelandic content, communication and publication on the web.

Since 2016, one or two editors have been managing Netla. Editors are supported by the editorial board and the Institute of Educational research institute at the University of Iceland.