Criteria for articles

DUT templates – MUST BE USED

Template for DUT Guide

Template for a specialised article

Template for scientific article

Template for debating article

Template for tables, images and graphs

Languages the article can be written in

  • Danish
  • Swedish
  • Norwegian
  • English 

Criteria for scientific articles

Please note: The order of the elements of the article below may vary slightly depending on the research tradition.

[Title]

  • The title is accurate and reflects the content of the article

[Introduction]

  • The article has a clear purpose and/or research question
  • The research and/or practical contribution of the article is described

[Theory]

  • Key concepts are clearly described/defined

[Method]

  • The author describes and justifies the selection of material (qualitative/quantitative material)
  • The author adequately argues for the choice of the method of analysis/approach
  • The chosen methodology is appropriate, given the purpose/research questions of the article
  • The analysis makes use of the chosen concepts/theories/methods

[Results/findings]

  • The author documents his/her findings/results/claims (e.g. using quotes, displays, statistical analyses)

[Results]

  • The results are presented in a manner that makes it easy for the reader to get an overview (e.g. by using references, figures, tables)

[Discussion]

  • Strengths and weaknesses of the chosen approach are discussed
  • The claims/results of the article are discussed in the light of the theory and/or research presented
  • The argumentation of the discussion is clear and consistent and the claims made are substantiated
  • Pedagogical/educational implications and perspectives of the study are discussed in the light of the study’s purpose (transferability, possible practical relevance, general relevance)

[Conclusion]

  • The conclusion is clear and appropriately balanced in the light of the strengths and weaknesses of the study

[Language]

  • The language is clear and not unnecessarily complicated. Unfamiliar terms are explained/introduced; abbreviations are avoided as far as possible.

Feedback options:

  • Acceptable
  • Minor corrections required
  • Major corrections required
  • Not necessary for this article

Criteria for specialised articles

[Title]

  • Is the title accurate and does it reflect the content of the article?

[Problem]

  • Is the pedagogical issue that motivated the article clearly explained?
  • Is the pedagogical issue significant, topical and of sufficient general interest?

[Literature]

  • Are key concepts clearly described?
  • Does the author refer to relevant higher education pedagogical or other literature relevant to the topic? 

[Initiative]

  • Is the initiative described in sufficient detail to be replicable by others?
  • Does the author describe what he or she sought to achieve with the initiative?

[Context]

  • Is the context fully described (e.g. class sizes, teaching methods, examination types)?

[Result]

  • Does the author assess whether the action has had the desired effect?
  • Are there observations or other empirical evidence of an impact (or lack thereof)?

[Discussion]

  • Does the author discuss the points/results of the article in the light of the literature presented?
  • Does the author critically analyse both the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own actions/initiatives?

[Conclusion]

  • Is the conclusion clear and balanced, given the strengths and weaknesses of the initiative?

[Language]

  • Is the language clear and not unnecessarily complicated?

[References]

  • Follow latest APA standards

Criteria for Debating Article

A debating article is debate-generating or a contribution to the Danish higher education pedagogical debate and must be of broad relevance to DUT’s readership. The editorial team initially assesses and decides whether the contribution has sufficient weight, topicality and broad relevance for DUT's target audience, and whether it fulfils the criteria for the genre.

The editorial team then decides whether the contribution will be assessed by the editorial team itself or by external experts in an open assessment process.

The structure/headings of debating articles are determined by the authors, but the contribution must be submitted in the correct template.

The maximum length of a debate article is 3,000 words (excluding references), but contributions can be shorter.

Assessment criteria

A debating article must:

  1. Be debate-generating or an opinion piece
  2. Be of sufficient general interest, i.e. rise above narrow academic or institutional contexts or interests.
  3. Have a clear problem/argument/position.
  4. Build on a sufficient basis (documentation/evidence/reasoning/lesson/experience).
  5. Be submitted using the correct template (Template for debating article)
  6. Comply with the formalities and layout of the template.

Criteria for DUT Guides

A DUT Guide must contain the following: 

  • A title beginning with ‘DUT Guide: [Subject]’
  • A short abstract entitled ‘Abstract’ (maximum 100 words)
  • A background section entitled ‘Background’, which summarises the current research-based knowledge on the main generic principles of the topic (maximum 500 words)
  • A framed box on page 1 entitled ‘Practice points’, which summarises in bullet points the concrete tips for pedagogical practice (maximum 10 tips and 75 words). Each tip (bullet) starts with a verb in the imperative mood, e.g.:
    • Provide feed-forward
    • Develop a rubric with your students 
    • Create a blueprint for the content of your exam 
    • Build teams to maximise diversity 
    • Etc.
  • The background section is followed by explanations of each of the selected tips with references to relevant literature. Each tip is explained under its own heading, which is ‘Tip 1’, and a sub-heading, which is the text from bullet item 1 from the ‘Practice Points’ box
  • A conclusion entitled ‘Conclusion’
  • A reference list entitled ‘References’
  • Word limit for the article format, excluding references (maximum 3,000 words)