Call for Research Articles for a Special Issue on

ASEAN Higher Education in Response to the Global Pandemic

Editor-in-Chief: Bill Atweh

Associate Editor: Auxencia Limjap
Executive Editor: Jovito Anito Jr.

Within a short span of few months, the Covid19 pandemic has re-shaped our lives in several
aspects, not the least of which is higher education. It affected not only teaching, but also
administration, research and workplaces. Responses from the different ASEAN countries varied
depending on government policy, availability of resources and other factors.
This Special Issue of the BEL journal aims to document some of the learning obtained from the
ongoing crisis about successful responses and identify remaining challenges for the future of
higher education in the ASEAN Region.
In particular, we are interested in empirical and/or theoretical based research manuscripts
dealing with one or more of the following issues:
1. Sociological analysis of the effect of the pandemic on higher education systems of
particular countries or the whole region
2. Critical analysis of policy developed at national or local university level to deal with the
crisis
3. Pedagogical response to the crisis in terms of curriculum, teaching origination and/or
delivery
4. Issues of quality and equity in higher education as a result of the interruption of the
normal conduct of higher education in specific country or regionally
5. Future challenges that the crisis has raised to higher education in the region
Towards the development of this Special Issue we encourage collaborative projects between
different institutions and countries.
Towards attracting quality research reports, the Editors will provide a series of capacity
development activities at different stages of the Special Issue development process.
About the Journal
The BEL Journal commenced over two decades ago as a local journal of the José Rizal
University, Manila, the Philippines. With this Special Issue it aspires to establish itself as a
quality regional publication dealing with all areas of research conducted in higher education in
the region.
Specifically, the following submissions are highly encouraged:

 Research reports on topics that are of international significance across any area of
research in/about higher education contexts employing any methodology
 High quality research manuscripts that reflect international significance in terms of
theory, design, and findings
 Research reports on projects that encourage regional and international collaboration.

Submission Guidelines
Submission of a manuscript to the BEL journal implies that the work submitted has not been
previously published, nor is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submission likewise
implies that its publication has been approved by all authors and responsible authorities. The BEL
journal publisher will not be held legally responsible in any claims for compensation arising from
the publication of the submitted manuscript.
Peer Review
This journal employs a double-blind review process. All submissions will be initially assessed by
the associate editor for suitability to the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent
to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper.
The Editor in Chief is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of
articles. The Editor's decision is final.
Manuscript Format
BEL follows a format-free submission of articles. If your paper is accepted for publication, the BEL
publication team will do all the work of formatting your manuscript to suit the journal’s style.
Just make sure your references follow the APA citation format throughout the article.
Submission Checklist
Authors are encouraged to check the following items before submitting their manuscripts:
1. Copyrighted materials – If the submitted manuscript includes figures, tables, or any
materials published elsewhere, of any format, authors must ensure that permission
from the copyright owner(s) has been obtained and that evidence of such permission is
included in the submission.
 2. Cover Letter – Underscore the paper’s potential to inform research, policy, and practice
in identified discipline.
3. Authors and Affiliation- The author(s)’ affiliation must include the department, the
name of the institution, city, and country. For authors that are not affiliated to any
institution, indicate only the city and country of resident. The author(s)’ 16-digit ORCID
must also be indicated, if available. One author must be designated as the
corresponding author with complete contact details (i.e. email address and full postal
address).
4. Keywords. Provide 5 to 7 keywords.
5. Word count. Manuscripts must be between 6,000 and 10,000 words including
references and captions and notes in tables and figures.
6. Abstract. Abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations. Abstracts should be
between 200 and 400 words.
7. Tables and Figures. Tables and figures (if any) must be numbered using Arabic numerals
and must be cited in text in consecutive numerical order. For each table or figure, supply
the title (caption) and other relevant notes (e.g. footnote). Figure parts should be
denoted by lowercase letters (a, b, c, d…)
8. Headings. Use no more than three levels of displayed headings.
9. References – Use APA citation and referencing style. Indicate the DOI (Digital Object
Identifier) if available.
10. Research-funder information. Include the details of the funding organization, grant
number, and year of grant.
11. Conflict of Interest Disclosure
12. Document Type. Authors are requested to submit their papers in MS Word Format, with
page numbers and line numbers.

Submission Deadline
All manuscripts must be emailed to the executive editor on or before June 30, 2021.

Contact details for inquiries

Questions about this Call for Papers must be addressed to:
Jovito Anito Jr.
Executive Editor, BEL 2021 Special Issue
Tower Building, No. 80 Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City
Email Address: research@jru.edu