Special Issue Policy

1. Introduction

The Academic International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (AIJSSH) periodically publishes Special Issues dedicated to emerging, interdisciplinary, and rapidly developing topics within the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities. These Special Issues provide an opportunity to disseminate high-quality scholarly research focused on themes of significant academic interest.

The journal also welcomes collaborations with universities, academic institutions, professional societies, and conference organizers to publish selected high-quality papers from scientific conferences as Special Issues, provided that they comply with the journal's editorial standards and publication policies.

All Special Issues and conference-based publications are managed under the same editorial standards, peer review procedures, and publication ethics policies applied to regular issues of the journal.

2. Objectives

The objectives of publishing Special Issues are to:

  • Promote research in emerging and interdisciplinary fields.
  • Encourage scholarly discussion on contemporary topics.
  • Strengthen international research collaboration.
  • Disseminate innovative theoretical and empirical research.
  • Provide comprehensive collections of high-quality articles addressing specific research themes.

3. Conference-Based Special Issues

The journal welcomes proposals to publish selected papers presented at national and international conferences, symposia, workshops, and scientific meetings as a Special Issue, provided that the conference topic falls within the journal's scope.

Conference organizers should submit a formal proposal to the Editor-in-Chief containing sufficient information about the conference, including its objectives, scientific committee, organizing institution, expected number of submissions, and proposed publication schedule.

Acceptance of a manuscript for presentation at a conference does not guarantee its publication in the journal. Every manuscript submitted from a conference is treated as an independent journal submission and is evaluated according to the journal's editorial and ethical standards.

4. Submission of Special Issue Proposals

Researchers, universities, research institutions, academic societies, and conference organizers wishing to organize a Special Issue are invited to submit a proposal to the Editor-in-Chief.

The proposal should include:

  • Proposed Special Issue title.
  • Scope and objectives.
  • Scientific significance.
  • Names of the proposed Guest Editors.
  • Brief biographies of each Guest Editor.
  • Proposed publication timeline.
  • Estimated number of manuscripts.
  • Target audience.

5. Evaluation of Proposals

All proposals are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and, where appropriate, members of the Editorial Board.

Evaluation is based on:

  • Relevance to the journal's scope.
  • Scientific significance.
  • Originality and innovation.
  • Feasibility of the proposed timeline.
  • Academic qualifications of the proposed Guest Editors.
  • Potential scholarly impact.

Approval is granted only when the proposal satisfies the journal's editorial and academic standards.

6. Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are responsible for:

  • Promoting the Special Issue.
  • Inviting manuscript submissions.
  • Recommending qualified reviewers.
  • Monitoring the peer review process.
  • Providing editorial recommendations.

Guest Editors must perform their responsibilities impartially and disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

7. Editorial Independence

The Editor-in-Chief retains full responsibility for all editorial decisions related to Special Issues and conference-based publications.

Guest Editors and conference organizers are not authorized to make the final acceptance or rejection decisions.

Manuscripts submitted by Guest Editors, conference organizers, or their collaborators are handled independently by members of the Editorial Board to ensure fairness, transparency, and impartiality.

8. Peer Review

Every manuscript submitted to a Special Issue or conference-based publication undergoes the journal's standard Double-Blind Peer Review process.

Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers according to the same scientific, editorial, and ethical criteria applied to regular submissions.

Submission to a Special Issue or presentation at a conference does not guarantee publication.

9. Publication Ethics

All Special Issues and conference publications comply with:

  • COPE Core Practices.
  • The journal's Publication Ethics Policy.
  • Conflict of Interest Policy.
  • Research Integrity Standards.

Cases involving plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, authorship disputes, or any other form of research misconduct are handled in accordance with the journal's ethical policies and COPE recommendations.

10. Publication Timeline

A typical publication workflow includes:

  • Proposal Approval
  • Call for Papers
  • Manuscript Submission
  • Initial Editorial Screening
  • Double-Blind Peer Review
  • Revision
  • Final Editorial Decision
  • Copyediting and Proofreading
  • Publication

11. Publication Charges

Article Processing Charges (APCs), publication fees, waivers, and discounts for Special Issues and conference publications follow the same policies applicable to regular submissions unless otherwise announced by the journal.

12. Contact

For inquiries regarding Special Issues, conference collaborations, proposal submission, or Guest Editorship, please contact the Editorial Office.

Email:
aijssh@aipublishers.org