Special issues bring together high-quality work on a focused, timely topic. They follow exactly the same editorial and ethical standards as regular issues of International Journal of Advances in Interdisciplinary Research, in line with the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). To keep standards high, the journal runs no more than 2 special issues at a time.
Who can propose
- The lead guest editor holds a doctoral degree and has a substantial publication record in the topic of the special issue.
- A team of 2–3 guest editors from different institutions is preferred.
- Guest editors must have an ORCID iD and a public research profile (Google Scholar, Scopus or institutional page).
What to include in a proposal
- Title, aims and scope, and a list of topics.
- Why the topic is timely and how it fits the scope of the journal.
- Guest editors' names, affiliations, emails and ORCID iDs, with a CV for the lead guest editor.
- Expected number of papers, potential contributors, and a proposed timeline.
- Any potential conflicts of interest.
How proposals are evaluated
The Editor-in-Chief, with members of the editorial board, assesses each proposal for scientific relevance, fit with the journal's scope, the expertise and independence of the guest editors, and feasibility. We aim to reply within three weeks. The journal may suggest changes to the title, scope or team.
Peer review and decisions
- Every special-issue manuscript is submitted through the online system and goes through the journal's normal double-blind peer review with at least two independent reviewers.
- Guest editors may act as handling editors: they invite reviewers and make a recommendation. The final decision is always made by the Editor-in-Chief.
- Guest editors never handle manuscripts by themselves, by colleagues at their own institution, or by recent collaborators. These are handled by the Editor-in-Chief or a board member.
- Guest editors may contribute at most one paper to their own special issue. It is handled entirely by the Editor-in-Chief.
- Invited authors must not be promised acceptance. Acceptance depends only on peer review.
- Reviewers suggested by authors may be used only together with independent reviewers chosen by the editors.
Publication
- Accepted papers are published online as soon as they are ready, with a DOI, and are labelled as part of the special issue.
- Articles in special issues follow the same article processing charge policy as regular articles, including waivers. Guest editors receive no payment linked to the number of papers.
- An editorial by the guest editors introducing the collection is welcome and is handled by the Editor-in-Chief.
Responsibilities of guest editors
- Promote the call for papers within their research community.
- Handle assigned manuscripts promptly and impartially, and keep the content of manuscripts confidential.
- Declare any conflict of interest as soon as it arises.
- Follow the journal's publication ethics and peer review policies.
The journal may close a special issue early, or remove a guest editor, if these guidelines are not followed.