About the Journal

Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation (JMDE) is a refereed, open-access journal whose mission is to freely publish and disseminate scholarly work that contributes to the development of evaluation theory, methods, and practice. The journal was founded in 2004 at Western Michigan University, within the groundbreaking Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Evaluation (IDPE) doctoral program and in concert with The Evaluation Center. Given its unique origins at the intersection of interdisciplinary evaluation training and practice, the journal seeks to broadly inform and enhance evaluation theory, methods, and practice by reaching a wide and diverse audience. Our target readership includes evaluation scholars, students, funders, practitioners, and policy makers.  

 

Aims and Scope

As our title suggests, the papers we publish cover not only the various constituent influences that make up evaluation, but also the intersections of evaluation with traditional disciplines or combinations thereof. JMDE publishes peer-reviewed articles that present original research in the following areas:

  • Research on evaluation*
  • Systematic literature reviews of evaluation theories, methods, or practices
  • Methodological advances for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods evaluations
  • Theory development
  • Case Studies
  • Innovative evaluation teaching practices

The journal also publishes shorter reflective manuscripts in two regular sections: (a) Ideas to Consider, which provides a platform for authors to highlight innovative ideas or reflect on emerging concepts in evaluation, and (b) Reviews, in which authors critically reflect on materials and events from around the world of evaluation through scholarly reviews of evaluation books, conferences, and journals. Other types of manuscripts will be given due consideration. Because it is not a print journal, JMDE is interested in fully utilizing the online, multimedia environment and gives due consideration to non-manuscript works, including audio, video, and image submissions.

JMDE is committed to expanding access to its content and to the publication process. If an author requires accommodations at any point during the submission process or has any questions regarding the relevance of a potential submission or how to submit a non-manuscript work, they may contact the co-executive editors at eval-jmde@wmich.edu.

* The journal endorses the definition of research on evaluation proposed by Editor in Memoriam Chris L. Coryn and colleagues in 2016: “Any purposeful, systematic, empirical inquiry intended to test existing knowledge, contribute to existing knowledge, or generate new knowledge related to some aspect of evaluation processes or products, or evaluation theories, methods, or practices” (p. 161). 

 

Land Acknowledgement

We recognize that Western Michigan University is located on lands historically occupied by Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations. We acknowledge and honor this ancestral land of the Three Fires Confederacy, the sacred lands of all Indigenous peoples, and their continued presence.

 

Publishing Frequency

JMDE publishes one issue each spring (typically April/May) and one issue each fall (typically October/November). When appropriate, we ask guest editors to help us publish special issues highlighting recent developments, significant themes, neglected concerns, or novel approaches of interest to evaluators and the field. These special issues may replace or supplement the scheduled regular issues according to the editorial board’s discretion.

 

Archival Policy

Contents of the journal are archived for perpetual access through PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe).

 

Indexing Policy

The journal makes content discoverable and accessible through indexing services. The following services currently index the journal:

  • CORE
  • Crossref
  • Directory of Open Access Journals
  • EBSCOhost: Education Abstracts (only 2013 forward )
  • ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)
  • Google Scholar
  • Ulrichsweb
  • Universitätsbibliothek Regensburg - Frei zugängliche E-Journals

 

Copyright

With some notable exceptions, authors who publish with JMDE retain all of the copyrights to their work.

Exceptions to this rule include work created during the course of employment, where in many jurisdictions the copyright belongs to the employer. Additionally, works created by U.S. government employees in the course of their employment duties are in the public domain and may not be copyrighted. In many Commonwealth realms, the Crown holds the copyright for any work created by government employees for government purposes. Please check with a local copyright expert to determine copyright ownership.

 

Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Rights

JMDE recognizes that copyright and licensing have limits, particularly with respect to cultural property, cultural heritage, and Indigenous data. We require authors to ensure the recognition and attribution of Indigenous interests and encourage the use of traditional knowledge (TK) notices and biocultural (BC) notices. For more information on these notices, please visit Local Contexts.

 

Licensing 

In order to publish the manuscript, JMDE seeks a non-exclusive worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, display, and perform the work, and to make reasonable derivative works (e.g., translations, abstracts, and changes in file type/format for accessibility).

In keeping with our core purpose of freely and broadly communicating current developments in evaluation, JMDE requires all manuscripts to be published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Under all Creative Commons licenses, the author(s) retain(s) the full copyright and the public is allowed to reuse the published content with specific stipulations. This license both facilitates the discoverability and usability of JMDE publications and alerts researchers to the permitted uses of manuscripts in clear, standardized terms. Through the submission process, author(s) grant(s) JMDE the right to publish the manuscript and agree to identify JMDE as the original publisher in all future printings.

More information on Creative Commons licenses is available on their website. 

More information on JMDE’s copyright and licensing policies is available on our Policies page.

 

Author Charges and Operational Funding

JMDE charges no article processing or submission fees. The journal is funded with the generous support of The Evaluation Center and the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology within Western Michigan University’s College of Education and Human Development.