Journal of Island and Marine Studies Special Themes Index

Vulnerability of islands to transboundary pollution

Islands and digital transformations

Climate Change, Small Island States and International Law (virtual issue)

Pacific Ocean and Islands (virtual issue)

South China Sea (virtual issue)

Special Issues Guidelines

What is a Special Issue?

Special Issues (SIs) are collections of papers centered around a subject of special interest and are organized and led by subject experts who take on the role of Guest Editor of the Special Issue. A Special Issue is not an issue of the journal. All submissions follow the same peer review process as regular papers and are published in the regular issues of the journal when they are accepted, but are additionally labelled as belonging to a Special Issue and are discoverable within the collection.

Special Issue Proposals

Submitting a Special Issue Proposal

The Journal Editorial Office usually invite scholars to guest edit Special Issues on topics of interest to the scientific community. We welcome proposals from our readers and authors submitted directly to us on a topic within their field of expertise. If you have an idea for a Special Issue, please contact us.

Detailed Guide on Special Issue Proposals

The information below will help guide you through important points that will support the success of the Special Issue.

To ensure each Special Issue addresses a unique subject of interest, please check that your proposed Special Issue subject is not already covered by a similar, open Special Issue.

The Special Issue proposal must include:

• The journal title you are submitting your proposal to: Please ensure that the topic of your proposal is within the scope of the journal. The Special Issue’s tentative title: The title should clearly reflect the subject of interest.
• Submission deadline: A Special Issue can be open for submission for 6–60 months.
• List of Guest Editor(s): Names, affiliations, email addresses, websites, research interests, and social media accounts (optional), ORCID (optional). Guest editing requires time and may become demanding; therefore, most Special Issues are led by a team of Guest Editors. Please feel free to invite 1–3 colleagues or scholars in this field to co-edit the Special Issue with you if needed and decide on each person’s responsibilities and work distribution as a group.
• A summary of the Special Issue (about 150–200 words) and relevant keywords (about 6–10 words): Briefly describe the motivation behind the Special Issue, the main topic and areas covered, and the types of submissions that would fit the scope of the Special Issue.
• The customized Call for Papers letter prepared by the Guest Editor(s) (optional): The call for papers letter will be used to invite scholars to submit their research to your Special Issue. It should contain a brief description of the Special Issue and motivate the potential contributors to submit their research. The editorial office can help you contact scholars by either providing you with a list of potential contributors or sending out invitations on your behalf.
• The plan to promote the Special Issue (optional): Promoting the Special Issue is crucial to ensuring its success. Please let us know how do you intend to advertise your Special Issue and attract potential contributors. Please also let us know how we can assist you.