General | Special Issue Proposal

Special issues are a highly effective tool for increasing the output of high-quality content and promoting a journal to a wider audience. To help with the planning, the following provides some introductory information and a general timeline.

The Role of the Guest Editor/s

Special issues are led by a single Guest Editor or co-Guest Editors. Guest Editors are integral to the success of a special issue. They are responsible for:

• Identifying and inviting authors to contribute to the special issue (special issues articles are invite only).
• Writing a proposal to summarize the special issue.
  
• Managing the peer review process of submitted manuscripts.
• Making final decisions on manuscripts.
• Serving as the main point of contact throughout the course of the special issue with the CGRN Editorial Team

Guest Editor/s Workload

Special issues typically take around 80 hours of work spread over a period of about ten months. The amount of work may vary depending on the quality (and number) of papers you will handle, but it is around four to five hours per paper on average. To make the workload more manageable, you may consider one or two collaborators to serve as co-Guest Editors on the special issue.

Preparing Your Proposal

Your special issue proposal will be submitted to the Editorial Team for assessment. You should structure your proposal according to the following guide:

• Tentative Title of Special Issue: Write a succinct but descriptive title for your special issue in no more than ten words. Try to avoid phrases such as “recent advances in…” or “new insights into…,” and do not phrase the title as a question.
  
• Overview / Abstract: Special issues respond to trending topics in a research community. In one or two short paragraphs, you should provide a summary of your chosen topic and where it sits within the wider subject; you should set out your proposed aims and summarize the scope of the special issue, explaining what kind of studies you are hoping to attract.
• Content Fit: Describe how the special issue fits with the scope of the journal. (see listing of CGRN Journals). The proposal/issue may be moved for consideration in a different journal depending on needs or fit.
• List of Authors: Identify the authors who will be invited to contribute to the special issue. Special issues should contain five to ten articles that are between 4,000 to 8,000 words (you have some discretion here).

Guest Editor/s Responsibilities

Once your special issue proposal has been approved, the Guest Editor/s are responsible for the following:

1. Decide on the Rights Agreement Model: Individual authors can choose to publish using either a traditional rights agreement (All Rights Reserved [NO COST]) or an Open Access rights agreement (CC BY-NC-ND [$425] or CC BY [$625]). If you are interested in the entire issue being published as Open Access, we can offer a significant discount based on the number of articles, but this decision needs to be made early. Alternatively, authors can choose their individual rights agreements, and they would be responsible for any fees if they decide to publish their work as Open Access.
2. Complete Peer Review: Special issues are subject to the same strict and rigorous ethical principles as regular journal issues. No fewer than two independent experts review each article to ensure the quality, originality, and novelty of the work published.
3. Move to Production: Once the peer-reviewed articles satisfy the Guest Editor/s, they can be sent directly to the Managing Editor, who will upload them into our publication workflow. The articles must be in the journal template, use the Chicago Manual of Style Author/Date referencing and citation rules, and read fluently in English. All authors will need a completed CGScholar profile. From this point, the Managing Editor will communicate with each corresponding author to complete the rights agreements, copy-editing corrections, and typeset proof review.
4. Complete Issue Introduction / Overview: We require the Guest Editor/s to provide a two- to three-page introduction for the issue.
5. Keep to Deadlines: Special issue articles are often published quicker than regular articles, but failure to meet deadlines will impact the publication date. If the Guest Editor deadlines are not met, the special issue may be postponed or canceled. 

Timeline

Special issues usually take between nine and twelve months to complete from start to finish. Specific deadlines will be provided if the special issue proposal is approved. The general order of tasks is as follows:

• Submit Full Proposal
• Send Invitations for Manuscripts
  
• Select Peer Reviewers
• Complete Peer Review
• Work with Authors on Revisions
  
• Finalize Rights Agreement Selection
• Submit Accepted Manuscripts to CGRN Editorial Team
• Complete Introduction
• Publication