Below is a call for proposals from the Online Learning Journal (OLJ), drawn from the full announcement:

State of the Science: Evidence Synthesis in Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE)

Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analyses, and Meta-Syntheses on Key Questions in ODDE

Target publication: Online Learning Journal (OLJ), Vol. 30, No. 3 (2026)

Guest Editors:

  • Olaf Zawacki-Richter <olaf.zawacki.richter@uni-oldenburg.de>
  • Melissa Bond <melissa.bond@ucl.ac.uk>
  • Richard West <rickwest@byu.edu>
  • Florence Martin <fmartin3@ncsu.edu>

Proposal Deadline: November 30, 2025
Full Manuscript Deadline: February 16, 2026
Expected Publication: November 1, 2026

Rationale for Special Issue

In recent years, the number of evidence syntheses published in the field of education has increased significantly. By consolidating diverse bodies of research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses provide scholars and practitioners with a more comprehensive and reliable understanding of what is known in a rapidly evolving field, as well as informing policy. However, recent umbrella reviews and large-scale meta-analyses indicate that the overall quality of such reviews in the areas of Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE) and educational technology remains uneven (Bond et al., 2024; Buntins et al., 2024, Zawacki-Richter et al., 2025). Common concerns include insufficient transparency in reporting methodological steps, lack of adherence to established review protocols, and weaknesses in the synthesis of empirical results. These issues reduce the trustworthiness, rigor, and replicability of review findings, which are essential for building cumulative knowledge in online learning research.

Aims and Scope of Special Issue

The Online Learning Journal invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to systematic, meta-analytic, and meta-synthetic reviews, umbrella reviews, and scoping reviews that consolidate what is known—and what remains uncertain—about critical topics in online, open, digital, and distance education (ODDE).

This issue seeks to:

  • Map the evidence base across key domains in digital education.
  • Quantitatively or qualitatively synthesize findings to inform research, design, methods, and policy.
  • Highlight gaps and set future research agendas.
  • Address weaknesses in methods outlined above
  • Strengthen OLJ’s position as a leading venue for integrative scholarship.