On June 14th, 2015, a small symposium on the internationalization of academic journals was held at the publishing house of Distance Education in China.
Chairman of Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia and Chief Editor of Distance Education Dr. Som Naidu, Institute of Modern Distance Education of Anhui Radio and TV University (RTVU) Professor Zhu Zulin, Shantou Radio and TV University (SRTVU) Professor Xiao Junhong, and relevant personnel of Distance Education in China exchanged views related to the theme.
The main topics of the symposium included: academic achievement exchanges of distance education in China and abroad and the mission and responsibilities of academic journals; problems that exist in publicizing local academic achievements to the international academic fields; the path of the internationalization of academic journals; academic norms of Chinese and foreign academic exchanges; the exchange platform of Chinese and foreign academic achievements and new media operation, etc.
The participants agreed that academic research institutes of distance education around the world are faced with the same basic problems, but their specific practical problems are different due to their different social and education backgrounds. Through international academic exchanges, relevant parties will gain enlightenment. The academic journals should proceed from their own academic positions and academic perspectives, strengthen topical diversity planning, focus on the key issues of distance education, promote in-depth study of relevant subjects, and intensify the profoundness of international academic exchanges. Academic journals should pay special attention to their cooperation with scholars and academic teams, and take corresponding measures to cultivate the selection of topics, cultivate more authors, expand their teams, and enhance the academic level and international brand of academic journals. Academic journals should also attach great importance to the application of scientific research methodologies in the academic research, and promote deepening of academic research on practical problems, data and case-based analysis, thus laying a sound foundation for the formation of the common academic discourse in the international exchanges.
Dr. Naidu introduced the positioning and operation of Distance Education as an international academic journal. Deputy General Manager of the OUC Publishing Media Group and Director of the Magazine Division of the Group Zhao Wei introduced the basic situation of the Group, and elaborated on its business deployment and related issues of academic publishing.
By Feng Lin, OUC