What about the EFTRE Journal?
For a number of years EFTRE has had its own Newsletter – sometimes referred to as the Journal. The last edition – Winter-Spring 2016-17 – was issued in April 2017 and there have been no new submissions since then.
When it appeared initially, under the editorship of Paul Hopkins, it was published as a hard copy and distributed in that format as well as online via the EFTRE website. Paul was also able to get an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) for the publication. The last two editions, since Paul stood down, have been online only, with local contacts having the option of printing copies if they wish. The Journal has featured articles by members, news about events and relevant meetings, information about conferences and reviews of resources, books, etc. as relevant to RE teachers across Europe.
The task of gathering and editing suitable material is not easy; it has sometimes felt like trying to squeeze hard for very small results. Several people have asked why we don’t just put anything relevant onto the website, and while we have resisted this so far it is becoming more and more inevitable that this is the way to go. Limited evidence suggests that few people are aware of the journal and perhaps even fewer actually read it! It is hard to know how effectively it is distributed to EFTRE members and contacts, not least if there is little or no feedback. Other journals serving the RE community are, of course, available, and perhaps there is little more that an EFTRE publication can contribute to this.
As current editor it is with some reluctance, therefore, that I am proposing that we transform the journal into a regularly updated online facility via the EFTRE website. There is currently a section of the website that caters News, though little news is currently posted. The kind of article that the Journal has previously carried can be placed there – such as the article by Bob Jackson about Brexit and RE which is presently posted. We probably need to highlight this section more clearly in the future and it certainly needs to be reviewed and renewed regularly.
The views of EFTRE members and contacts would be welcome on this proposal. They may also be emailed to me directly at the email address below. I will look forward to any responses.
When it appeared initially, under the editorship of Paul Hopkins, it was published as a hard copy and distributed in that format as well as online via the EFTRE website. Paul was also able to get an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) for the publication. The last two editions, since Paul stood down, have been online only, with local contacts having the option of printing copies if they wish. The Journal has featured articles by members, news about events and relevant meetings, information about conferences and reviews of resources, books, etc. as relevant to RE teachers across Europe.
The task of gathering and editing suitable material is not easy; it has sometimes felt like trying to squeeze hard for very small results. Several people have asked why we don’t just put anything relevant onto the website, and while we have resisted this so far it is becoming more and more inevitable that this is the way to go. Limited evidence suggests that few people are aware of the journal and perhaps even fewer actually read it! It is hard to know how effectively it is distributed to EFTRE members and contacts, not least if there is little or no feedback. Other journals serving the RE community are, of course, available, and perhaps there is little more that an EFTRE publication can contribute to this.
As current editor it is with some reluctance, therefore, that I am proposing that we transform the journal into a regularly updated online facility via the EFTRE website. There is currently a section of the website that caters News, though little news is currently posted. The kind of article that the Journal has previously carried can be placed there – such as the article by Bob Jackson about Brexit and RE which is presently posted. We probably need to highlight this section more clearly in the future and it certainly needs to be reviewed and renewed regularly.
The views of EFTRE members and contacts would be welcome on this proposal. They may also be emailed to me directly at the email address below. I will look forward to any responses.
Norman Richardson
EFTRE Board representative for Northern Ireland & Journal Editor
n.richardson@stran.ac.uk
October 2018
EFTRE Board representative for Northern Ireland & Journal Editor
n.richardson@stran.ac.uk
October 2018
Old issues of the EFTRE Journal can be downloaded here.
