Proposing a Special Issue

Submit your proposal and lead a Special Issue in your area of research with us
Advice to help you prepare your Special Issue proposal for submission

Choosing a Topic

You should choose a topic that is both close to your own research interests and of increasing interest within your field. When selecting a topic for your Special Issue proposal, ensure that it falls within the scope of the Journal of International and Prospective Studies (JIPS). The scope of your Special Issue should be broad enough to attract a reasonable number of submissions but narrow enough to provide a cohesive collection of articles. Your Special Issue should cover a specific area within the journal's scope, but not encompass its entirety.

We strongly recommend reviewing the Special Issues currently open to submissions in JIPS before submitting your proposal. Please refer to the Call for Papers page listed on the journal homepage. This will help you understand the level of specificity we look for in Special Issue topics and ensure there is no overlap with any currently open issues.

Preparing Your Proposal

Your proposal should include the information needed for evaluation. If approved, it will form the foundation for the Call for Papers. Your proposal should provide sufficient background information on the aims of the Special Issue to attract submissions but need not be overly detailed. Concise descriptions are more likely to catch and hold the attention of qualified researchers, leading to higher quality submissions. Ideally, communicate the Issue’s focus clearly and efficiently in no more than 400 words.

Special Issues should consist of 5 - 10 articles that meet the submission requirements, a guest editor introduction, and optional commentary articles, both approximately 3,000 words.

Please structure your proposal according to the following guide:

• Title: Write a succinct but descriptive title for your Special Issue, ideally below ten words in length. Avoid phrases such as ‘recent advances in…’ or ‘new insights into…’, or phrasing the title as a question.
• Summary: In one or two short paragraphs, give a brief summary of your chosen topic and where it fits within the wider subject area.
• Challenges: In another paragraph, explain the main challenges that research in your chosen topic is facing.
• Aims and Scope: In the final paragraph, set out your proposed aims and summarize the scope of the Special Issue, explaining what kind of studies you are hoping to attract. You might ‘encourage’ or ‘especially welcome’ submissions relating to a certain concept. Suggest suitable types of articles, including original research and review articles.
• Topics: Propose a list of ten to twenty bullet-point topics that you expect to receive submissions on. These topics act as ‘signposts’ for the direction of the Special Issue, providing authors with guidance on areas in which they may wish to submit. Each topic should contain more detail than one or two keywords and should be clearly linked to the scope of your proposed Issue, with a maximum of 250 characters per topic.

The scope of the proposal should be clear throughout the text and topics. Broad descriptions that cover the entire scope of the journal are unsuitable for a Special Issue. Ensure the text and topics are explicitly linked to the narrower scope of the Special Issue.

Recruiting an Editorial Team

Special Issues are typically led by one or two Lead Guest Editors and a team of 2 - 5 Guest Editors. As a Guest Editor, you should have a strong publication record within the scope of the proposed topic and sufficient time to commit to handling manuscripts throughout the course of the Special Issue.

Your proposal should list the full names and affiliations of the researchers willing to act as Guest Editors alongside you. Your Guest Editor team should include individuals based in different institutions and countries, as this diversity reduces conflicts of interest and helps the issue reach a wider audience.

All Guest Editor suggestions undergo a routine screening and verification process. If any suggested Guest Editors do not meet our criteria, we reserve the right to request that Guest Editors be removed and/or replaced. An individual can only act as a Guest Editor for up to two open Special Issues at one time.

Assessment and Approval of Special Issues

Our editorial and publishing teams carry out initial checks on submitted proposals to ensure that they are appropriate in terms of detail, structure, and focus, and to assess the Guest Editor team’s expertise, previous publishing ethics, and diversity. The team may request changes to your proposal before it can be considered further.

Special Issue proposals are then sent to the journal’s Editorial Board for approval. The Board will assess the quality of the proposal and the fit of the suggested topic for JIPS.

Once accepted, Special Issue guest editors will be provided with instruction on editorial details and negotiate a final timeline with the journal editors. Guest editors are responsible for identifying reviewers, managing a timely peer review process, and making a recommendation to the journal Editor on publication of manuscripts.

The Journal Editorial Board and our editorial and publishing teams may work with you to improve your proposal through revisions. You should carefully consider the feedback provided to increase your proposal’s chance of approval and to help make the Special Issue as successful as possible.

Final approval of any proposal will be decided by the journal’s Editorial Board. We reserve the right not to proceed with any Special Issue at any time, for any reason, and at our sole discretion.

Our editorial and publishing teams will also ensure that Special Issues on similar topics are not launched concurrently. If there is significant overlap between your proposal and an open Issue, the launch of your Issue may be delayed until the open Issue has closed to submissions. This is to ensure the success of both Special Issues.

Assessments by the journal’s Editorial Board and our editorial and publishing teams typically take two to four weeks from submission of your proposal.

Submit Your Proposal

Please submit your Special Issue proposal by email to the Editor-in-Chief at jips@uit.ac.ma. In your email, include your proposal as an attached document along with a brief cover letter outlining your contact details, the title of your proposed Special Issue, and any relevant affiliations. Ensure that your proposal adheres to the guidelines provided above.