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Special issue Policy
Special issue definition
A special issue is a collection of articles that concentrates on a particular area of research within the scope of a journal. Such issues offer an avenue for investigating emerging areas of study, emphasizing significant sub-disciplines, or exploring new cross-disciplinary applications.
Proposals/procedures
To submit a special issue proposal, the Journal Editorial Office usually extends invitations to scholars to guest edit on topics of interest to the scientific community. However, we also welcome direct submissions from our readers and authors on a topic within their field of expertise. If you have an idea for a special issue, please provide the required information and submit your proposal through the journal's website.
When submitting proposals for a special issue, the journal’s Editorial Team will meticulously evaluate both the proposal's content, the qualifications and credentials of the guest editors. The Editor-in-Chief of the journal will review the special issue for approval and supervise the special issue. We welcome applications for special issues that meet our standards of suitability and qualification. However, we reserve the right to reject applications that we deem unsuitable or unqualified.
Content Relevance
The Guest Editor is responsible for ensuring that the published content of the Special Issue adheres to the specified title and scope of the journal. The journal's editor reserves the right to review the content for relevance.
Timeline
The timeline for the special issue will be determined by the guest editor(s) in consultation with the journal's editorial team. The special issue will be announced on the journal's website, and the submission deadline will be clearly stated.
Conflicts of Interest
All those involved in the peer review process must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could affect the impartiality of the assessment, review, and decision-making process. If an Editor has a conflict of interest, they should recuse themselves to ensure the integrity of the peer review process. A substitute Editor will be designated if needed. Any possible editorial conflicts of interest should be disclosed to the publisher in writing prior to an Editor's appointment, and should be updated whenever new conflicts arise.
Open Access
The special issue will be published in an open access format, allowing articles to be freely accessible to all readers. Authors will be required to pay the journal's standard article processing charge to cover the cost of publication.
The review process and editorial procedure
The review process for papers in special issues follows the same protocol as for regular papers. Initially, our in-house editor may review all papers submitted to the special issue, rejecting those that do not meet quality, originality, or significance standards, or requesting revisions before proceeding to peer-review. The same rigorous peer-review process is conducted for each paper via the journal's online submission and peer-review system by the guest editor(s). Once the reviews are returned, the guest editor(s) will make a provisional decision, which will be communicated to the sponsoring editorial team (including Editorial Office, Editorial Board) for confirmation. In the event that the editorial team disagrees with the acceptance decision, the guest editor(s) may appeal the decision.
The proportion of articles by guest editors in the special issue should not exceed 25%, and submissions from guest editors should undergo independent peer review. During the review process, the sponsoring editorial team may reject individual papers or the entire special issue if they fail to meet quality standards. Any disagreements that arise during the editorial process will be adjudicated by the Editors-in-Chief.