About the Journal

About the Journal

GiST – Education and Learning Research Journal is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal dedicated to disseminating high-quality research in education and learning, with a particular focus on language education, bilingual education, and teacher education.

The journal’s name, gist, refers to “the essence or core of a matter.” This concept reflects GiST’s commitment to publishing research that contributes meaningfully to academic knowledge, educational practice, and societal development through rigorous analysis, critical reflection, and pedagogical relevance.

GiST promotes international dialogue and diversity of perspectives. Recent issues have included contributions from researchers based in Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, reflecting the journal’s commitment to global scholarly exchange.

 

Publisher and Institutional Context

GiST is published by the Publications Office of Institución Universitaria Colombo Americana – ÚNICA, a private, non-profit higher education institution based in Bogotá, Colombia, specializing in teacher education and Spanish–English bilingualism.

Founded in 2004 as a social responsibility initiative by Grupo Bolívar in partnership with the Centro Colombo Americano, ÚNICA is committed to improving educational quality and redefining the role of teachers in Colombia and beyond. GiST supports this mission by fostering rigorous, ethical, and internationally oriented scholarly publishing.

Editorial decisions at GiST are made independently of the sponsoring institution and are based solely on academic merit, relevance to the journal’s scope, and compliance with ethical standards.

 

Focus and Scope

GiST publishes original research and scholarly contributions in the field of bilingual education, with a particular focus on:

  • bilingual and multilingual education across educational contexts,
  • language education in bilingual and plurilingual settings,
  • teacher education and professional development for bilingual education,
  • pedagogical innovation and instructional practices in bilingual language teaching and learning,
  • critical, reflective, and empirical studies addressing educational processes in bilingual contexts.

The journal welcomes contributions from diverse methodological and theoretical perspectives, provided they demonstrate academic rigor and clear relevance to bilingual education.

 

Publication Frequency

  • GiST publishes two issues per year, in June and December.
  • Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
  • Occasionally, GiST may issue Calls for Papers to highlight specific themes or emerging areas of research.

 

Open Access Policy

GiST is an open-access journal. All articles are freely available in PDF format through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

The journal does not charge article processing fees (APCs).

 

Indexing and Visibility

GiST is currently indexed in and listed by several national and international databases and directories, including:

  • MLA – Modern Language Association,
  • Educational Research Abstracts (ERA),
  • Linguistics Abstracts Online,
  • ERIC,
  • CLASE,
  • ProQuest CSA,
  • EBSCO Host,
  • Dialnet,
  • REDIB,
  • DOAJ,
  • Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI),
  • Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory.

Copyright and Licensing

GiST uses the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Articles may be downloaded and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given, and no modifications are made.

 

Archiving and Preservation

GiST ensures long-term digital preservation of its content through Portico.

All published articles are assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) via Crossref to ensure persistent access and reliable citation. In accordance with national regulations, legal deposit is made at the National Library of Colombia and the Library of Congress of the Republic of Colombia. Additionally, two physical copies of each issue are preserved at ÚNICA.

 

Ethical Standards

GiST adheres to internationally recognized standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Ethical principles, responsibilities, and procedures are detailed in the journal’s Ethical Guidelines and Ethical Procedures, which are aligned with the COPE Core Practices.