Rationale and Scope: Necessity of Establishing the Journal

The launch of a journal titled Governance and Policy Development in Higher Education (JGPDHE) can serve as an effective step toward strengthening the scientific foundation, fostering evidence-informed policymaking, and improving the quality of the higher education system. The primary justifications for this initiative are as follows:

1. Existing Knowledge and Research Gap

Despite the growing significance of good governance and effective policymaking in higher education, Iran’s academic landscape still lacks a specialized, reputable journal focused exclusively on this domain. Most existing research in this area is fragmented, applied, or embedded within broader studies, underscoring the need for a dedicated journal to concentrate and deepen knowledge in the field.

2. The Role of Governance in Higher Education Transformation

University governance is recognized as a key pillar of quality, transparency, accountability, and efficiency within higher education systems. Given the structural, administrative, and policy challenges facing Iranian universities—such as bureaucracy, lack of academic autonomy, and weak stakeholder participation—there is a pressing need for a forum to exchange ideas, critique policies, and propose innovative solutions.

3. Bridging Policy and Practice

Many higher education policies in Iran are designed and implemented without sufficient research backing or exhibit a significant policy-practice gap. This journal can act as a bridge between the research community, policymakers, and university administrators, thereby contributing to the development of evidence-based policies.

4. Addressing Global and Regional Challenges

Higher education worldwide faces challenges including globalization, digitalization, financial crises, educational equity issues, and demographic shifts. The journal will provide a platform to examine these challenges within the Iranian context and compare them with international experiences.

5. Strengthening the Academic and Research Community

Establishing a specialized journal will serve as an incentive for researchers, graduate students, and higher education professionals to produce knowledge in this domain. The journal can act as a venue for training in research methodologies, policy critique, and the development of indigenous theories in higher education governance.

6. Alignment with National and International Priorities

Iran’s Fifth, Sixth, and current Seventh Five-Year Development Plans, the Comprehensive Scientific Roadmap, and other national strategic documents emphasize the need to reform university governance structures and enhance the role of higher education in development.

7. Opportunity for Interdisciplinary Discourse

The field of higher education governance and policy is inherently interdisciplinary, inviting collaboration among scholars from educational sciences, political science, management, law, sociology, and economics. The journal will provide a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and intellectual creativity.

Concluding Statement on Rationale

The launch of JGPDHE is not merely a promotional or publishing endeavor but a scientific and policy imperative capable of strengthening the higher education system, improving policymaking, and promoting a culture of good governance within universities.

Focus Areas and Target Audience

Focus Areas

The journal focuses on:

• University governance structures (academic councils, rectorship, boards of trustees)

• Higher education policy at national and international levels

• University autonomy and accountability

• The state-university relationship

• Fundamental transformation and structural reforms in higher education

Target Audience

• Higher education policymakers (Ministry of Science, Research and Technology; Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution)

• University presidents and deans

• Educational policy researchers

• Doctoral students and researchers in higher education studies, political science, and academic management

Copyright and Licensing

Creative Commons License

Journal of Governance and Policy Development in Higher Education © by Allameh Tabataba'i University Press is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Copyright Transfer Statement

The author(s), with full discretion and awareness, assign all moral and material rights pertaining to the publication of the article to the journal and Allameh Tabataba'i University Press. The journal retains full authority to publish the article in print, online, CD-ROM, and international or domestic indexes. Any potential financial benefits arising from publication belong exclusively to the journal and the publisher. This transfer of rights is revoked only if the journal rejects the article or if the author(s) withdraw the manuscript before a final decision is made.

Journal Metadata

Archiving and Digital Preservation Policy

The Journal of Governance and Policy Development in Higher Education (JGPDHE) recognizes the concerns of authors, readers, librarians, and other stakeholders regarding the long-term preservation of and access to scholarly research in an increasingly digital publishing environment. Our policy addresses the issue of archiving—defined as long-term preservation coupled with continued access—directly and transparently.

JGPDHE is committed to archiving, i.e., the long-term preservation of and enabling access to, the scientific research information published electronically in the journal. This policy statement outlines the extent of the journal’s archiving commitment and the procedures employed to fulfill that commitment.

Archival Role

JGPDHE will serve as an archive for all electronic information published by the journal. The archival content will include all issues of the journal with online access capability, as well as any supplementary materials. The original intellectual content will never be altered; however, corrections, annotations, or supplementary additions may be made in cases of errors or subsequent updates to references or other content after initial publication.

Preservation Practices

To ensure efficient and secure operation of the online service, JGPDHE commits to creating copies of the journal’s electronic archive for preservation and security purposes. Distribution copies are used to enable rapid content delivery to users, while security copies are maintained as backups. JGPDHE commits to periodically renew these copies. At least one security backup copy will be stored at a location separate and remote from the editorial office of JGPDHE in Tehran, Iran.