Thematic Issue Guidelines
A Thematic Issue is a curated, peer-reviewed collection of scholarly articles focused on a specific topic or emerging research area that aligns with the aims and scope of the journal. It provides a dedicated platform for in-depth exploration of a theme, bringing together expert contributions, novel findings, and critical perspectives from researchers worldwide.
Overview and Scope
- Thematic Issues are subject to the same editorial standards, peer review rigour, and publication ethics as regular journal submissions.
- All Thematic Issue articles are freely accessible in open-access format under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license immediately upon acceptance.
- A standard thematic issue typically comprises 8-10 high-quality articles. However, publication may proceed with fewer or more articles where academic quality and editorial considerations justify such variation.
- A Mini thematic issue with 4-6 high-quality articles is also available where a full issue is not feasible.
- Thematic Issues are published in two places simultaneously:
- A: On the dedicated Thematic Issue page on the journal’s website.
- B: Within the current volume/issue to ensure immediate, visible and continuous publication.
- Proposals must demonstrate clear relevance to the journal scope. Proposals outside the journal’s aims and scope will not be accepted.
- The Editorial of the Thematic Issue is authored by the Guest Editor(s) and reviewed solely by the Editor-in-Chief. It is not subject to external peer review.
- This journal and all its Thematic Issues operate in full compliance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for Guest-Edited Collections. Guest Editors are strongly encouraged to read and follow COPE guidance: COPE Guidelines — Best Practices for Guest-Edited Collections
Guest Editor – Eligibility & Appointment
Eligibility Criteria
- To qualify as a Guest Editor, candidates must hold a relevant doctoral degree, maintain an active, peer-reviewed publication record, commit the necessary time to manage the issue through to final publication, and remain free from conflicts of interest with potential contributors.
- Editorial Board Member may serve as a Guest Editor for a Thematic Issue provided they formally declare their dual role, recuse themselves from regular journal duties and defer all final peer-review assignments and editorial decisions exclusively to the Editor-in-Chief.
Maximum Number of Guest Editors
- A Thematic Issue may have up to four (4) Guest Editors, including the Lead Guest Editor.
- All Guest Editors must be individually approved by the Editor-in-Chief prior to the appointment.
- Approval is based on verification of credentials, publication history, and field expertise.
Appointment Process
- Submit a completed Thematic Issue Proposal, Download Sample Template Here, or by completing the thematic issue proposal form, Become a Guest Editor.
- The Editorial Office reviews the proposal for scope fit, scientific merit, and feasibility.
- The Editor-in-Chief approves or declines the proposal, with feedback provided within 15 working days.
- Upon approval, the Guest Editor receives an official appointment letter and begins coordinating the issue.
- The approved Thematic Issue is listed as “Open Thematic Issue” on the journal website with submission details.
Guest Editor – Responsibilities
Pre-Launch
- Prepare and submit the Thematic Issue Proposal including the title, scope, aims, suggested research areas, and proposed timeline.
- Identify and invite a sufficient pool of potential contributors. Authors with recognized expertise in the thematic area should only be contacted.
- Recruit more manuscripts than the target number (8-10), as some will inevitably be rejected during peer review.
- Ensure author diversity: Contributors must represent multiple countries and institutions. Submissions dominated by a single country or institution are not recommended.
During Review & Processing
- Conduct an initial screening of submitted manuscripts for scope relevance, basic quality, and compliance with author guidelines before forwarding to the Editorial Office.
- Recommend qualified peer reviewers for manuscripts within their domain, subject to conflict of interest checks by the Editorial Office.
- Review completed review reports and provide an academic recommendation (accept, revise, reject) to the Editor-in-Chief, if required. Final decisions remain with the Editor-in-Chief exclusively.
- Maintain timely communication with authors to facilitate efficient manuscript processing and revision within agreed deadlines.
- Ensure all manuscripts comply with international publishing standards and the journal’s Author Guidelines.
Editorial Contribution
- Write and submit a Thematic Issue Call for Paper, introducing the theme, contextualising contributions, and highlighting key findings or research gaps.
- Call for paper will be published on the journal website and social media platforms for active solicitation and promotion.
- Upon the successful publication of all accepted thematic Issue articles, the Guest Editors are required to submit a concluding Editorial that synthesizes the collective findings of the collection, subject to final approval by the Editor-in-Chief.
Promotion & Visibility
- Actively promote the Thematic Issue through academic conferences, seminars, professional networks, and social media platforms.
- Share the Call for Papers via mailing lists, academic associations, and institutional channels.
- Avoid any artificial methods of increasing citation counts. All citations must be relevant and justified.
Thematic Issue Policies
Editorial Oversight and Approvals
- Editor-in-Chief (EiC) maintains final authority over all Thematic Issues to guarantee full compliance with the journal’s editorial standards, ethical guidelines, and peer review protocols.
- Thematic Issues may be led by a team of up to four Guest Editors. All prospective Guest Editors must undergo verification and approval by the EiC, who will review their professional credentials, publication records, and subject-matter expertise prior to appointment.
- Before a Thematic Issue can be formally launched, prospective Guest Editors must submit a comprehensive proposal using our standardized template.
- The journal reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or merge a thematic issue if insufficient high-quality submissions are received.
Diversity and Contribution Limits
- Guest Editors are expected to foster international representation by soliciting manuscripts from geographically diverse regions and minimizing overlapping authorship across papers.
- While Guest Editors are not required to submit original research to their own Thematic Issue, they are permitted to author or co-author a maximum of one manuscript.
- The Guest Editor team must provide an introductory Call for Paper summarizing the scope and significance of the thematic collection. This Editorial will undergo formal review by the EiC or an assigned handling editor.
Workflow and Submission Management
- To maintain rigorous tracking and institutional records, the entire editorial process must be conducted through our online Open Journal System (OJS). Guest Editors must instruct authors to submit their papers directly through the OJS portal of the journal, Click Here to Submit.
- All submissions to a Thematic Issue must include a formal cover letter including name of the theme and guest editors.
- Guest Editors should ensure that authors do not appear across multiple manuscripts within the same issue, maximizing the breadth and academic impact of the collection.
Peer Review and Final Decisions
- Guest Editors are encouraged to recommend qualified peer reviewers; however, the Editorial Office evaluates all nominees to verify expertise and ensure absolute absence of conflicts of interest. The Editorial Office retains final authority over reviewer assignment.
- All articles submitted to a Thematic Issue undergo the same rigorous double-blind peer review process as regular journal submissions. The identity of authors is not disclosed to reviewers, and the identity of reviewers is not disclosed to authors, at any stage of the review process.
- Each manuscript will normally be evaluated by at least two independent reviewers. In cases of conflicting recommendations, additional review may be sought.
- Any manuscript authored by a Guest Editor will be handled independently by the Editorial Office in consultation with the EiC to ensure a strict evaluation process.
- The final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of all submitted manuscripts rests exclusively with the Editor-in-Chief.
Ethical Standards & Cope Compliance
This journal and all its Thematic Issues operate in full compliance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines for Guest-Edited Collections. Guest Editors are strongly encouraged to read and follow COPE guidance: COPE Guidelines — Best Practices for Guest-Edited Collections
Authorship & Contribution
- All authors listed on any Thematic Issue manuscript must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria. Guest authorship, ghost authorship, and honorary authorship are strictly prohibited.
- Each author must have made a genuine, substantive contribution to the research.
Conflict of Interest
- Guest Editors and authors must disclose all actual and potential conflicts of interest. Any financial, professional, or personal conflict must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office.
- Guest Editors must not handle manuscripts where a conflict of interest exists. The Editorial Office must be notified immediately.
Confidentiality
- All submitted manuscripts and review reports are strictly confidential. Manuscripts may not be shared with individuals outside the review process.
- Reviewers, Guest Editors, and Editorial Board members must not use, reproduce, distribute, disclose, or exploit any unpublished data, ideas, methodologies, results, figures, tables, or intellectual content contained in submitted manuscripts for their own research, publications, grant applications, commercial activities, or personal advantage without the explicit written permission of the authors.
- Reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors or Guest Editors at any stage.
Artificial Citation Inflation
- Guest Editors must not instruct or pressure authors to add irrelevant citations. All references must be relevant and necessary to the manuscript’s content.
- Self-citations and citations to Guest Editor or associate publications must be academically justified and not included merely to inflate impact metrics.
AI Tools & Disclosure
- Use of AI writing, data analysis tools, or image generation must be disclosed in the manuscript in accordance with the journal’s AI policy and COPE guidance.
- AI tools may not be listed as authors. Authors are fully responsible for all AI-assisted content.
Research Ethics
- Research involving human participants must have Ethics committee approval with reference number and comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent statement should also be clearly mentioned in the manuscript.
- Research involving animals must comply with relevant national and institutional guidelines.
- Clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a WHO-approved registry.
Contact Information
If you have any questions regarding the thematic issue, please contact the Journal Editorial Office:
Email: info@cmpublisher.com