Submissions

Author Guidelines

We are looking forward to receiving your submission. Below, you will find useful information for you as an author. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

Submission types 

Research article (4,000-7,000 words excluding references)

Present original empirical, theoretical, conceptual or methodological research relevant to the scope of NORIL. Articles should state a clear purpose or research question, engage with relevant literature, provide a transparent account of the research design and methodology, and discuss the significance of the findings. 

Add an English abstract (max. 250 words) in which you briefly describe the purpose or research question, research design and methodology, main findings, and contribution of the study. 

Practice article (1,000-4,000 words excluding references)

Present and critically examine an educational initiative, method, service, collaboration or development project relevant to the scope of NORIL. Authors should explain the context and objectives of the initiative, its research, theoretical basis or systematically developed professional experience, how it was implemented or evaluated, what was learned, and how the experience may be relevant to other settings.

Add an English abstract (max. 250 words) in which you describe the context or problem addressed, the initiative or approach, its knowledge base, and the principal experiences or lessons reported. 

Perspectives and debate (1,500-3,000 words excluding references)

Provide a well-founded argument, critical reflection or intervention concerning a current issue within the scope of NORIL. Contributions may address emerging developments, contested concepts, policy questions or changes in professional and educational practice. 

Book review (800-1,500 words excluding references)

Critically engage with recent publications relevant to information literacy in higher education. The book review should situate the reviewed publication within a broader scholarly or professional context, discuss its main arguments and contribution, assess its strengths and limitations, and consider its relevance to research, teaching, guidance or professional practice.   

Language 

Articles can be written in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, or English. 

Research and Publication Ethics 

NORIL strongly supports ethical research and publishing processes. To promote research and publication integrity, NORIL follows 

• The guidelines formulated by Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) 

• The Norwegian Guidelines for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities by the National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH)  

By following these guidelines, we expect authors to 

• only submit original research and text following established rules for the use of sources. The submission must not have been published elsewhere.  

• be transparent about all phases of the research process and the results and present the research in an honest way, that is without manipulating findings, fabricating data, or plagiarizing other research or publications. 

• declare possible conflicts of interest and funding sources. 

• have substantially contributed to the publication to be listed as author. AI cannot be listed as an author.  

For submissions with several authors, all authors have to  

• decide on a corresponding author who acts as a contact person for all matters regarding the submission/publication. 

• agree on the order of author names for the final publication. The corresponding author does not have to be named first. 

Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.  

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

NORIL follows the Living Guidelines on the Responsible Use of Generative AI in Research published by The European Commission and does not accept submissions that do not follow these guidelines. 

When using GenAI for proofreading – that is correcting spelling, punctuation and grammar – or formatting, authors do not have to declare the use of AI. Authors must disclose and describe every other use of AI or tools that make use of AI in a suitable section of their submission, for instance in the acknowledgments or in the methods section. Authors remain responsible for the content and the text of their submission and must ensure that neither GDPR nor copyright is violated when using AI tools. GenAI cannot be cited as a source. 

AI cannot be used by the editors when assessing a submission and during the peer-review process. 

Use of Material  

Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. Authors have to pay any fees that may follow the use of the material.  

Open and FAIR Data Sharing Policy 

NORIL supports the FAIR principles stating that data should be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Thus, NORIL encourages authors to make their data open by storing it in a repository with an open license as long as sharing this data does not violate GDPR, copyright concerns, commercial interests or safety concerns. 

Referencing 

For referencing, please use APA7 style. For more information, see the latest version of Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: the official guide to APA style  published by American Psychological Association, http://apastyle.apa.org/ or Kildekompasset ("The Citation Compass").

Authors are responsible for the correct use of sources. 

AI tools are not considered a scientific source and cannot be referred to as a source. 

Formatting 

The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font in Times New Roman (TNR). Subheadings in bold, either 14-point font TNR or in 12-point bold if less important. Employ italics, rather than underlining (except URL-addresses).   

Please use footnotes for additional information but keep this use to a minimum. 

Alternative Text for Figures, Charts and Diagrams 

When incorporating figures, charts or diagrams into your submission, you must add an alternative text that describes the visual. Please upload this alternative text in an additional document when submitting your article. For more information on how to write a good alternative text, see for instance this guide. 

Copyright Notice  

NORIL is a diamond open access journal. All articles are freely available immediately upon publication, and authors pay no submission or publication fees. 

Authors retain copyright and grant NORIL the right of first publication. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0), which permits sharing and adaptation, provided that appropriate credit is given, a link to the license is provided, and any changes are indicated. 

File Format and Anonymization 

Please upload your submission as a docx file. 

To ensure a double-blind peer review, make sure that your submission file is anonymized by 

• Deleting your names from your text. Use “Author” and year in references instead of your names, publication and alike when referring to your own publications. 

• Removing your personal information from the file you upload.  

Where to Submit? 

Please upload your submission in our submission system. Here, you can also follow the progress of your submission.

Questions? 

Do you have questions regarding the submission process? Is it the first time you are publishing an academic paper and would like some guidance? Do you wonder whether your paper might fit NORIL’s scope? Or is it something else you would like to know? 

You are very welcome to contact us! Send an email to hannah.tischmann@uis.no and we will get back to you.