Manuscript preparation

Template

All guidelines for creating articles can be found in the template. This template must be used for submission.

References

References must be given as referenced in the template.

Language

The journal is deliberately published in two languages, both to make the lessons learnt accessible to an international audience and to ensure that the linked examples are accompanied by a text in the teaching language in which they were produced. This means no additional work for the authors, as articles can be submitted in either German or English. Once an article has been accepted, it is translated into the other language by the journal, which means that the authors only have to proofread the translated article.

After acceptance

After acceptance, the corresponding author is required to sign a publication agreement, which formally grants the publisher the right to publish the work. Before signing, the corresponding author must obtain consent from all co-authors, ensuring that everyone agrees to the terms of publication and the final version of the manuscript. Once the agreement is signed, the article proceeds through the final production stages, before it is published online.

The types of manuscripts the journal will consider for publication

Typology of contributions

Lessons Learned publishes original research articles presenting new developments in higher education teaching and didactics across all disciplines. Contributions should provide empirical or theoretical insights that advance digital or hybrid university teaching.

Previously published papers

Submissions to our journal may only contain content that has not been published previously. 

As an exception, the journal accepts manuscripts based on the content of a dissertation, provided that the following guidelines are observed:

Status of prior publication: Making a dissertation available in an institutional repository of a university or research institution is not considered prior publication within the meaning of our guidelines. Submission of the resulting manuscript as an original work is therefore permissible. Please note the guidelines of your university or research institution.

Citation and transparency: Authors are required to identify the underlying dissertation as a source and to cite it correctly in the manuscript and in the bibliography.

Copyright and co-authorship: If parts of the dissertation were written in cooperation with other researchers, the express consent of all co-authors must be obtained before submission.

Exclusion of cumulative works: Content that has already been published in other scientific journals as part of a cumulative dissertation cannot be resubmitted as an original contribution. In this case, the usual provisions prohibiting multiple publications (redundant publication) apply.

Multiple or redundant publications

For information regarding multiple or redundant publications see "Redundant publication (or 'salami' publications)" in "Publication Ethics" on the publishers website.

Submission process

To submit a manuscript click on the "Make a submission" button on the journal landing page. You will be forwarded to the Submissions page where you will find all the relevant information such as author guidelines and a Submission Preparation Checklist. Either login or register a new account. If you register a new account, fill in your data (the username can contain only lower-case alphanumeric characters, underscores, and hyphens, and must begin and end with an alphanumeric character) and decide whether you would like to be contacted in the future to review submissions. You will receive an email for verification.

After logging in you will be forwarded to the author dashboard. Click on "New Submission" and follow the steps in the dashboard. This includes checking all boxes and adhering to the Submission Checklist and acknowledging the copyright statement. Please provide your submitted manuscript in one of the following formats: docx

Please also copy and paste your references in the relevant step in the submission system. This is important for cross-referencing scientific papers and will help your and the referenced papers to be more visible to the scientific community.

In step "4. Confirmation" click on "Finish Submission" and confirm that you want to submit your manuscript for review. The journal will be informed of your submission and you will receive an automatically generated email providing a link where you can track the progress of your manuscripts throughout the editorial process.

Articles can be submitted at any time.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

• The text was created using the template provided on the Submissions page. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that have not used the template.
• The text follows the stylistic and bibliographical guidelines in Submissions and the template.
• The article is previously unpublished and has not been submitted to any other journal (otherwise an explanation is attached in "Comments to the Editor").
• Literature citations are - as far as possible - provided with URL.
• Both a WORD file and a PDF file of the article were uploaded.
• The authors adhere to the policies of Lessons Learned.
• The authors agree that their manuscript is screened for plagiarism with the then offered version of Crossref's Similarity Check, currently iThenticate.
• The submission contains a statement on competing interests: authors need to declare competing interests and also must explicitly state if they have no competing interests.
• The authors are aware that if the manuscript gets accepted, the published article/contribution and its metadata will be distributed to various search engines, data bases, and abstracting and indexing (A&I) services.
• Moreover, its metadata (including abstract and references) will be sent to Crossref during the DOI registration process. Crossref makes all metadata available through APIs.
• The submission includes a declaration of the authors' contributions in accordance with the CRediT guidelines
• When submitting the article, care is taken to enter all metadata in the submission form. This includes specifying all authors and their affiliation in OJS.

Authorship and contributorship

The author list of the manuscript must only include individuals who have made significant scientific contributions to the research. Likewise, every person who has made a substantial contribution must be included. To achieve this, Lessons Learned uses the Contributors Roles Taxonomy (CRediT), which defines 14 roles that contributors may have in a research project and therefore provides a standardized framework for acknowledgement. During the submission process, the submitting author will be asked to describe each co-author's role using these categories. It is essential that all authors have reviewed, discussed, and come to an agreement about their respective roles and contributions to the paper prior to submission.

According to our authorship policy, co-authors must either have written a substantial part of the manuscript and / or have critically reviewed and edited the content. If someone does not meet these criteria, they can still be recognized in the acknowledgement section with their consent.

We expect all authors to take public responsibility for the content of the manuscript submitted to Lessons Learned. Furthermore, all authors agree to ensure that inquiries related to the correctness or integrity of any section of their work are suitably examined, resolved, and that the resolution is recorded in the published literature. 

As stated in our Publication Ethics artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors of a paper. If you have used artificial intelligence tools in the preparation of your manuscript, include an AI disclosure in your paper. Provide the name of the platform or program, the version and manufacturer and which tasks were given to the AI tool. Here are two examples:

Lessons Learned asks that all authors are listed during submission prior to peer review.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author is responsible for representing and speaking on behalf of all authors before and after the publication of the article.

Before publication, the corresponding author should ensure that the manuscript adheres to all of Lessons Learned's editorial and publishing policies and that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to the authorship list. The corresponding author must also provide written confirmation of all authors' consent to any changes to the manuscript's authorship.

After publication, the corresponding author remains the main point of contact for any queries about the published article and is responsible for informing all co-authors of any issues and making sure they are resolved in a timely manner.

Authorship Changes

Altering the author list after submission is only allowed with the agreement of all authors. This includes adding, removing, or reordering authors. Any modifications must be initiated by the corresponding author, along with a rationale for the changes and evidence of each author's consent, including any new authors. Authorship changes are subject to approval by Lessons Learned.

If issues related to authorship are not resolved in a timely manner, Lessons Learned might decide to reject the manuscript. However, a resubmission could be considered if the problem is solved during that time. Lessons Learned might consider a resubmission if/when the authorship issue has been fully addressed and resolved.

Author Identification

While it is not mandatory, Lessons Learned encourages all authors to provide their ORCID iD during submission.

Upon acceptance of a manuscript, Lessons Learned discloses all ORCIDs provided.

Lessons Learned uses the Crossref-implemented automatic update feature which means that the authors’ ORCIDs will be saved and used to update the records of authors once the paper gets published.

Conflicts of interest / Competing interests

Please refer to Publication Ethics for information on what and how to declare conflicts of interest.

Ethical oversight

Any research submitted to Lessons Learned for publication must comply with our guidelines on research ethics. In accordance to COPE guidelines, we retain the right to reject a manuscript if we believe it does not meet our high ethical standards, regardless of whether the authors obtained ethical approval or it falls outside the requirements for such approval.

Studies involving animal subjects

Research involving animals must adhere to internationally recognized ethical standards. Authors are required to secure prior approval from their Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or an equivalent ethics review board.

At the time of submission, authors must provide the name of the approving committee, relevant permit numbers, and any other essential details related to the animal experiments.

The journal’s editorial team may request additional documentation or information concerning studies involving vertebrates or higher invertebrates, especially when animal welfare considerations or experimental endpoints involving euthanasia are relevant to the manuscript’s assessment.

Lessons Learned recommends that authors adhere to the ARRIVE guidelines when designing, analysing, and presenting their scientific research.

Studies involving human subjects

Our journal requires that research involving human participants be carried out in compliance with the principles outlined in the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki, which provides guidance on ethical considerations in human research.

Global Research

Lessons Learned aims to promote inclusivity in global research by ensuring that publications adhere to high standards for research ethics and authorship. Authors of research articles that involve global research may be required to complete a questionnaire that addresses ethical, cultural, and scientific considerations specific to inclusivity in global research. This questionnaire is typically requested for research that involves:

• Conducting research in a different country
• Using samples collected in another country
• Working with Indigenous populations or their lands
• Studying cultural artefacts

However, researchers who only travel to another country to use laboratory equipment may not be required to complete the questionnaire. If you have been requested to complete the questionnaire, please do so and include it as a Supporting Information file with your manuscript. The questionnaire will be published with your article if your paper is accepted for publication. Please reference the questionnaire in the main body of your manuscript. Additionally, please add a separate section to your Methods section titled "Inclusivity in global research" and include the following statement: "Further details on the ethical, cultural, and scientific considerations relevant to our global research are provided in the Supporting Information."

Reporting Guidelines & Statistic

To ensure transparency and reproducibility, authors must follow established guidelines for reporting materials, methods, and study types. Relevant checklists should be submitted as Supporting Information.

Materials and Resources:

• Antibodies: Provide the source (supplier or lab), catalog or clone number, and batch/lot number if available.
• Cell lines: Include species, strain, sex, and any modifications. Indicate the source (person, repository, or vendor), and confirm authenticity and absence of contamination (e.g., using ICLAC’s database). Include authentication data (e.g., STR profiling).

Study Types and Corresponding Guidelines:

• Clinical trials: Use CONSORT (or TREND for non-randomized studies).
• Observational studies: Follow STROBE.
• Systematic reviews & meta-analyses: Use PRISMA.
• Diagnostic accuracy studies: Apply STARD.
• Animal research: Follow ARRIVE, detailing species, housing, welfare, experimental design, and statistical analysis.

For other study types (e.g., botanical, ecological, microbial), consult the EQUATOR Network or FAIRsharing for discipline-specific standards.

At the same time, editors and reviewers of Lessons Learned will respect confidentially of any non-public information they see during peer review.

Territorial Descriptions

In submitted manuscripts, territorial descriptions should adhere to international conventions and agreements. PUBLIA – SLUB Open Publishing and Lessons Learned maintain neutrality and take no position on any claims to territory, be they explicit or implicit, made in published manuscripts, maps, or institutional affiliations.

Intellectual property & Research integrity

For information on intellectual property and research integrity including redundant publications and listing AI tools as authors, please refer to Authorship and Contributorship and the publisher's Publication Ethics website.

Peer Review process in detail

All submissions undergo an initial review by the Editor-in-Chief to assess their formal suitability for publication, which may include a plagiarism check.

If the manuscript demonstrates sufficient originality and content relevance, it proceeds to a single-anonymized peer review process. Two or more external reviewers are invited to evaluate the manuscript's scientific quality.

The editorial team is mindful of the diverse knowledge cultures within digital and hybrid teaching and takes this into account when selecting reviewers. This approach is intended to prevent the privileging of particular schools of thought or methodologies, thereby ensuring a balanced representation of the field’s varied perspectives.

Reviewers are asked to disclose any potential conflicts of interest transparently, in line with the journal's ethical guidelines. The full text of the reviews is made available to the authors. With mutual consent, reviewers may also receive each other’s reports.

A publication decision is made after a sufficient number of expert reviews have been received. If the assessments diverge significantly, additional reviewers may be consulted, or the Editor-in-Chief may make the final decision.

The average time from submission to publication is approximately 15 weeks.

Post-publication discussions and corrections

Post-publication discussions

Lessons Learned allows post-publication discussion through letters to the editor / a commentary and follows COPE flowcharts in handling these. If they are found to be constructive and useful to the community, they will be peer-reviewed and revised. The original authors are asked for a response or reply, which again will be peer reviewed and revised and, if accepted, both will be published and indexed in bibliographic databases.

Corrections

In certain instances, corrections may be necessary to maintain the integrity of published scientific research. Lessons Learned recognizes the following methods to correct the scientific record:

Corrigendum: Minor technical errors can be corrected with the new version of the same article without notification. Otherwise a corrigendum will be issued when a minor error is found in an otherwise reliable publication, typically due to an honest mistake. This type of correction may also be used when the author list is incorrect.

Retraction: Lessons Learned adheres to the retraction guidelines set by COPE. When issuing a retraction, Lessons Learned will provide a detailed note explaining the reasons for the removal.

Removal: Manuscripts can be withdrawn before publication. However, once published, articles cannot be "unpublished." In exceptional cases, such as legal action, Lessons Learned may remove the full text and add a statement on the article's landing page.

Expression of Concern: In cases where editors have well-founded concerns that potentially misleading information may be contained in an article, they may consider issuing an Expression of Concern. However, this should only be done after conducting an inquiry that failed to resolve the issues and when clear indications suggest that the concerns are legitimate. It's essential to note that an Expression of Concern can harm a researcher's reputation just as a retraction can, and in most cases, it's recommended to publish a retraction only after an independent investigation reaches a definitive conclusion.

If you suspect a Lessons Learned article or submission contains errors, unethical research, or other issues related to its integrity, please contact Lessons Learned's managing editor directly through email Stefan.odenbach@tu-dresden.de and cc the SLUB Diamond OA-team (diamondoa@slub-dresden.de). To bring concerns to our attention, please provide the article's citation, DOI, and a clear explanation of the issue, along with any potential conflicts of interest you may have with the authors, funders, or sponsors. Lessons Learned will investigate concerns raised about our submissions or publications, independent of the study's age and source.

If necessary, Lessons Learned will issue a corrigendum, expression of concern, or retraction to clarify the scientific record. In cases where follow-up may be delayed or prolonged, Lessons Learned may post a temporary notice on the article to inform readers about the issues raised.