A special issue is a virtual issue of a journal dedicated to a subject of special interest. It should contain the latest work on that subject, and provide a unique and valuable reference source for every researcher interested in that area. In contrast to regular issues, special issues are organized by a guest editor. The articles published in special issues go through the same rigorous peer review and get fully indexed as those published in regular issues, but are labeled as a special issue article upon publication. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the content of the special issues.

There are several unique advantages of special issues: Firstly, authors in the subject of interest will be invited personally, in addition to the open call for papers. Secondly, the articles will be openly and freely accessible to a targeted community of researchers, as well as the general readers. Thirdly, the guest editor will have the chance to network with scholars in the field, and receive full support from our editorial office. Fourthly, the special issue will accelerate the dissemination of science around the world and initiate new collaborations.

To ensure the success of the special issue, please read the following instructions before proposing a special issue of any Acadlore journal.

To begin with, you need to check whether the subject of your proposed special issue overlaps with that of any existing or ongoing special issues of Acadlore. The subject should not be covered by any other special issue.

The proposal of your special issue must provide the following essential information:

(1) The Acadlore journal to publish the special issue

The subject of the special issue must be in line with the scope of the journal.

(2) The tentative title of the special issue

The special issue must have a concise and informative title reflecting the subject of interest.

(3) The aims and scope, and keywords of the special issue

Write a 200-300-word aims and scope of the special issue, including the background, purpose, and topics of interest (at least 10). The aims and scope will be the basis for developing a customized call for papers of the special issue. In addition, provide at least 10 keywords of the special issue.

(4) The planned deadline for manuscript submission

The special issue can be open for submission for 6-12 months.

(5) The information on the recommended guest editor

The guest editor is the subject expert responsible for organizing and leading the special issue. He/she play a vital role in curating high-quality contributions on a particular topic and driving the editorial review process. Please recommend guest editors in the field to edit the special issue, and provide his/her name, affiliation, institutional email, ORCID (optional), and CV.

(6) The information on planned papers / potential authors

Each special issue typically contains at least five papers, excluding an editorial (optional) by the guest editor. Keep in mind that not all planned papers are suitable for publication, after the rigorous peer review. Therefore, you need to plan as many papers as possible. During the proposal, please provide the information on 4-8 planned papers (paper title, and name, affiliation, and institutional email of authors) or 8-16 potential authors (name, affiliation, and institutional email).

The guest editors are expected to edit special issues, and solicit papers for the special issue from suitable authors. Special issues are focused, timely and insightful collections of research articles, often themed around a subject that is particularly current, an emerging field, or a new perspective on an existing research matter.

Acadlore fully adheres to the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Our guest editors must have zero tolerance for publication ethics issues, such as plagiarism, data falsification, and inappropriate authorship credit, to name but a few.

The guest editors are expected to edit special issues, and solicit papers for the special issue from suitable authors. Special issues are focused, timely and insightful collections of research articles, often themed around a subject that is particularly current, an emerging field, or a new perspective on an existing research matter. The main responsibilities of guest editors are as follows:

The main responsibilities of guest editors are as follows:

The submissions to the special issue, whether from open call for papers or private invitation, will be peer-reviewed and processed following our editorial and production process for regular papers. Please view the entire publication procedure.

During preliminary assessment, the guest editor can accept or reject the submission in the light of the following aspects: whether the submission is in line with the scope of the special issue, whether the manuscript meets research and ethical standards, and whether the scientific quality of the paper is sufficient for peer review.

After the peer review, the guest editor is responsible for making the editor decision on the manuscript based on the reviewer comments. The following issues should be considered before making the final decision: whether the reviewers are suitable, whether the responses from the authors are adequate, and whether the scientific quality of the paper is sufficient for publication.

If the guest editor is unable to inform the editorial office about his/her decision, the decision-making will be done by another editor of the journal's editorial board. If the guest editor is against the reject opinion of a reviewer, the academic editor of the journal will make the final decision, after consulting the members of editorial board and the editor-in-chief of the journal.