Submitting to a Special Issue
Special Issues offer a focused and specialized exploration of topics with high current interest within the scope of the journal in which they are published. IEREK Press actively promotes the work of researchers across multiple channels and platforms to ensure its discoverability.

ESSD welcomes Special Issue proposal submissions for consideration and publishing. The below sections provide an overview of the preparation and submission of Special Issue Proposals:

Guidelines for Guest Editors
Preparing and Submitting a Proposal:
Guest Editors should contact the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected] with their proposal idea and/or interest in submitting it to ensure there is space in the Publication schedule. To fill and submit a proposal, the Special Issue proposal form should be filled out and submitted by E-mail along with the CVs of all Guest Editors.

Upon notice of availability, your proposal will be evaluated. If accepted, you will be contacted by the Journal’s editorial office to set up the special issue form and Guest Editor user accounts for the purpose of managing all papers submitted. A tutorial/guidance will be provided by the editorial office for smooth operation and management of the SI alongside continuous support.

Peer Review of Special Issue Submissions
Submission:
Submissions are expected to be of the highest quality in terms of science, rigor, and presentation. They should adhere to the journal’s editorial and publication policies. Submissions to Special Issue must be done through the IEREK Press Online Reviewing System for which available Author Instructions available here will be useful.

Guidelines for Guest Editors:
Guest Editors of a Special issue will receive an individual login in the journal’s online system. The Lead Guest Editor will be responsible for assigning manuscripts to other Guest Editors for handling and assignment distribution among reviewers who will be selected by the Guest Editors.

Following ESSD’s Peer Review process, the Guest Editors for a Special Issue serve the same function as Academic Editors. As required in the Special Issue Form, the Guest Editors will identify and invite authors to submit papers for the Special Issue. All articles must be reviewed and approved by highly qualified researchers with expertise in a field appropriate to the topic of the article.

Each submitted manuscript should be unique and not previously published elsewhere. It needs to undergo a peer review process by at least two experts in the field. Guest Editors are responsible for efficiently and promptly managing all aspects of the review and editorial decisions for the papers.

Submissions by Guest Editors:
Guest Editors are welcome to contribute to the Special Issues in which they are involved upon disclosure and agreement with the Editor(s)-in-Chief of the journal.

Publication of Special Issues
Articles published in Special Issues are indexed in the same way as articles published in regular issues of the journal, thus appearing in the relevant databases in which the journal is indexed.
The Journal issues two special issues annually, published on the 30^th of March or the 30^th of September of every year. We allow 6 months from the initial Call for Papers (if any) to the final submission deadline. After the deadline, new submissions will no longer be accepted for the Special Issue but may be considered for the upcoming regular issue.
All completed Special Issues can be found under “Special Issues” on the journal homepage. Should a Special Issue be canceled, all under consideration and published will be transferred to the next-in-line scheduled regular issue.

Article Processing Charges
● The article-processing charges (APCs) for special issue publications will be (100%) covered by International Experts for Research Enrichment & Knowledge Exchange (IEREK) (sponsor) until December 2023.

● The article-processing charges (APCs) for special issue publications submitted in 2023 and scheduled for 2024 will be (50%) covered by International Experts for Research Enrichment & Knowledge Exchange (IEREK) (sponsor) until December 2023.

● All papers submitted to Special Issues in 2024 for publishing in 2024 or 2025 will be subject to an article-processing charge (APC) if the manuscript is accepted for publication after peer review.

For more information on the journal’s APCs, please click here.

Key contact(s)
Editorial Manager – Journal Editorial Office: [email protected]
Production Manager: [email protected]