NCL Review: Literacy Research and Practice
Published by the National Coalition for Literacy since its founding year, with editorial operations hosted at the University of Bridgeport.
Why This Journal Exists
The NCL Review: Literacy Research and Practice is a peer-reviewed, Open Access journal dedicated to advancing scholarship and informed practice across the full spectrum of adult literacy, basic education, and workforce development.
No journal has combined empirical research, practitioner knowledge, policy analysis, and learner voice in a single peer-reviewed venue — until now. The NCL Review fills that gap, serving researchers, program directors, state administrators, policymakers, and literacy learners themselves.
All published articles are free to read with no paywall. A standard APC of $399 applies for authors without NCL membership; APCs are fully waived for NCL members and eligible authors (CBOs, practitioners, and LMIC researchers). All articles are licensed under CC-BY 4.0.
Topics We Cover
Foundational literacy, numeracy, and HiSET/GED preparation.
ESL, ELL, ESOL — language learning for adult immigrants and refugees.
Occupational literacy, job-readiness, and employer-connected programs.
Parent literacy, home literacy environments, two-generation programs.
Patient communication, health navigation, and public health literacy.
Technology access, digital skills, and AI literacy for adult learners.
Correctional education, reentry programs, and justice-involved learners.
WIOA, state adult education systems, federal literacy policy.
First-person narratives, co-authored work, and community-based perspectives.
Ethics & Standards
All editorial processes align with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for editors, authors, and reviewers.
Authorship requires substantial intellectual contribution, drafting or critical revision, final approval, and accountability.
All submissions are screened using iThenticate prior to peer review assignment.
Authors, editors, and reviewers must disclose all relevant conflicts of interest. Editors recuse from decisions on their own submissions.
Authors are encouraged to share data, instruments, and materials in accordance with open science principles.
The journal publishes corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions when warranted, following COPE retraction guidelines.
Indexing & Archiving
The NCL Review is actively pursuing indexing in major academic databases. Articles receive DOIs via Crossref immediately upon publication.
Founded in 1977, NCL is the leading national coalition of organizations committed to advancing adult literacy, basic education, and workforce development across the United States.
nationalcoalitionforliteracy.org →A private, Hispanic-Serving Institution in Bridgeport, CT. The UB School of Education provides editorial infrastructure and the Managing Editor position through a graduate assistantship model.
bridgeport.edu →