Network Procedures

EERA is constantly striving to improve the effectiveness and quality of its annual conference. The Networks are a key factor in meeting this objective. They have the key role in refereeing papers. It is, therefore, important to ensure that they apply common procedures on refereeing and making decisions about papers and to ensure that Networks report properly and fully about their practices (in their annual report).

• EERA Network should have at least three convenors, drawn from three different countries. One needs to act as the Link-Convenor, the main contact for the EERA office;
• Convenors meet with the Secretary General and/or the Networks’ Representative on Council at ECER to discuss policy and practice.
• Networks need to be active, for instance by selecting topics they want to focus on during the following conference to secure that network activities respond to the conference theme in their symposia or special panels, and advertising them in advance
• It is vital that after each ECER, the Convenors produce an annual report about the activities of the Network at the conference and during the year. If no report is produced then this is taken as a sign that the Network is closing down and will not operate at the following ECER!

The roles of Convenors vary from Network to Network, partly depending upon their size and ambition. As the Networks are the main organizers of each ECER (European Conference on Educational Research), it is necessary for the Convenors to liaise with their members and with the EERA Office and Council. This happens via the Networks Representative on Council. Some of this communication is made through the elected Networks’ Representative on Council.
As each Convenor can take a different role in the Network, the workload will be light and the role allows wide scope to establish a lively network. Each network appoints a Link-Convenor who speaks on behalf of the network and the other Convenors.

The main responsibilities of the Network Convenors are:

• to maintain contact with the EERA Secretary General, the Networks’ Representative on Council and the EERA office; 
• participate in Link-Convenor Meeting at ECER;
• to communicate with Network members and organize the annual Network Business Meeting; 
• to communicate with the Editor of the European Educational Research Journal; 
• to invite/ coordinate ECER contributions; 
• to review ECER proposals or find reviewers in the Network and to put together the ECER Network Programme (including session chairs); 
• to organize Network activities at ECER, including Symposia, Roundtables and Workshops
• To write an annual network report, to be handed in to the EERA office by November 1

Reviewing for ECER takes place from February to the beginning of April.
To ensure a well-balanced reviewing process, three reviewers from three different countries should be involved for each Network.  The Networks are however encouraged to appoint non-convenors to act as reviewers.  If a Network chooses to do so, it MUST give full contact details to the EERA office. At ECER each year, Networks should decide who will be reviewers for the next conference.

Please note that reviewers must be registered as users of the conference management system in order to have access to the online proposals.  

Proposals for contributions are welcome from all fields of educational research. The criteria used in reviewing each proposal will be as follows:  

• it should be directly related to a topic of interest for educational research; 
• it should involve systematic enquiry of an empirical or analytic nature and should make reference to a theoretical framework; 
• the background, method, results and implications should be set out clearly in a manner which is accessible to an international audience; 
• it should take account of the European and/or international context;
• and  it should help a European dialogue to develop by reference, for example, to current European policies or intellectual and educational traditions.