Two UConn Neag School of Education faculty members have been named Outstanding Reviewers for 2023 by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Suzanne Wilson, Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education, received the award for her work with the Review of Educational Research, while Alyssa Hadley Dunn, director of teacher education and professor, was recognized for her service to the American Educational Research Journal.
Both faculty officially received their awards earlier this month at the AERA 2024 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, as the Outstanding Reviewer awards are always celebrated at the following year’s meeting. The awards are presented by AERA journal editors, recognizing the invaluable contribution of volunteer reviewers who have provided exemplary, thorough, and timely reviews of manuscripts received by their respective journals.
“Congratulations to Dr. Wilson and Dr. Dunn,” Dean Jason G. Irizarry says. “The peer-review process is vital to creating a vibrant, empirically rigorous body of research to inform education policy and practice. Their contributions in this regard have been profound, and I am thrilled that they were recognized for this important work.”
The Review of Educational Research publishes critical, integrative reviews of research literature bimonthly. Such reviews typically include conceptualizations, interpretations, and syntheses of literature and scholarly work in a field broadly relevant to education, but the journal also encourages submissions from other disciplines if the research is relevant to education.
“Reviewing for RER has been a privilege, allowing me to learn about new research,” Wilson says. “Reading the reviews of other researchers and the editors also allows one to witness how manuscripts get stronger through the review process. It also teaches one to be a much better critic of one’s own scholarship.”
The American Educational Research Journal is AERA’s flagship journal. It features articles that advance the empirical, theoretical, and methodological understanding of education and learning. It publishes original, peer-reviewed analyses that span the field of education research, all levels of education, and all forms of learning.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve as a peer reviewer for a foundational journal like AERJ,” Dunn says. “It is a great chance to learn about new, exciting research from colleagues around the world who are seeking to publish their findings and advance the field. I’m grateful to AERA for this recognition.”
To learn more about Neag School-affiliated awards and presentations from the 2024 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, visit education.uconn.edu/aera.
