As a Guest Editor of a Special Issue, you could be at the forefront of scientific communication, encouraging continued research in important areas while gaining editorial experience and improving your academic profile.
You play a vital role in ensuring the quality and relevance of the contributions to the Special Issue:
Soliciting Contributions: Guest editors are responsible for inviting authors to submit high-quality papers that are thematically appropriate for the special issue
Managing Peer Review: They oversee the peer review process, ensuring qualified reviewers evaluate submitted papers and that the paper meets the journal's standards
Editorial Decisions: Guest editors make recommendations on whether to accept, request revisions, or reject manuscripts based on the reviewers' feedback
Collaboration: They work closely with the journal's editorial team to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of the peer review process and ensure timely publication.
A single Lead Guest Editor manages all Special Issues, supported by a team of 2-4 editors. As a Lead Guest Editor, you are the primary contact throughout the Special Issue course. You are responsible for:
Consistently adhere to the Wiley Editor Code of Conduct. Our Special Issues maintain the same rigorous peer review and publishing ethics standards as all other journal articles
Collaborating with our editorial and publishing teams during the evaluation of your Special Issue proposal and making revisions if necessary
Coordinating with your Guest Editor team during the proposal assessment and throughout the manuscript review process once the Special Issue is underway
Guiding your Guest Editors through manuscript review within the submission system and providing regular progress updates
Monitoring submitted manuscripts to ensure quality, accuracy, and alignment with the Special Issue's topics
Once peer reviews are complete, we may invite you and your team to provide an Editorial summarizing the Special Issue's findings.
Your Special Issue's Call for Papers is highlighted on the journal's Wiley Online Library page and promoted to relevant researchers and visitors.
To boost the success of your Special Issue and attract high-quality research, we recommend that you:
Directly share the Call for Papers with researchers. Personal invitations from peers or colleagues have more impact than those from a publisher. Reach out to contacts involved in relevant fields
Include a brief description and link to the Call for Papers in your email signature
Feature a slide about the Call for Papers at the end of conference presentations, inviting colleagues to participate
Use social media to share the Call for Papers
Maintain communication with authors interested in contributing to your Special Issue, supporting them where possible or reaching out to us for support. Be cautious of potential conflicts of interest
Articles in Special Issues undergo the same peer review process as other journal articles. All submissions must be peer reviewed prior to publication.
As a Guest Editor, you might manage the peer review process within the editorial system and make editorial recommendations based on at least two independent referee reports.
Adherence to publishing ethics guidelines is crucial during peer review management.
Investigate any potential conflicts of interest thoroughly. If a submission is from a Guest Editor, the Editor-in-Chief will oversee the review process.
Special Issues should not have more than 25% of their overall content authored by the Editor in Chief, Editorial Board members, or Guest Editors. To prevent conflicts of interest, papers authored by Guest Editors cannot be handled by the Guest Editorial team. The Editor-in-Chief will independently handle the review process.
For comprehensive details, refer to Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics.
Adherence to publishing ethics guidelines is crucial during peer review management.
Investigate any potential conflicts of interest thoroughly. If a submission is from a Guest Editor, the Editor-in-Chief will oversee the review process.
Upon acceptance, manuscripts proceed to production, appearing online before being included in a journal issue. Depending on the issue type, the Editor in Chief or Guest Editor may need to determine the article order for inclusion and any necessary editorial content.
Special Issues demand significant time and management. Wiley’s Strategic Content Acquisition Team assists with commissioning tasks, including:
Identifying and inviting authors for contributions
Sending follow-ups and reminders to contributors
Addressing unresponsive authors and finding replacements if necessary
Assessing the usage, downloads, and citation impact of the Special Issue
Begin leading a Special Issue in your field of research with Wiley today.