Special Issue

A Special Issue is an important part of a journal life, drawing together contributions on topics with high contemporary interests and exploring them in depth or providing different perspectives. A Special Issue should be organized by well-known experts in the field and attract high-quality articles, it can also gather selected papers presented at a conference or a congress. If you have identified a topic relevant for the readers of Healthcare in Low-resources Settings the following steps are intended to help you through the process.

An Overview

The proposing Guest Editor(s) manage the entire Special Issue process, which includes preparing a Special Issue proposal and handling the peer review of submissions. The publisher’s editorial team will consider draft proposals and forward high-quality submissions to the journal's Editorial Board for consideration.

Special Issue proposals can be submitted at any time by the proposing Guest Editor(s), and should include the following

  • The scope of the Special Issue, giving an outline of the intended focus.
  • A suggested title for the Special Issue.
  • A list of Guest Editors who will manage the Special Issue, including their names, emails, affiliations, and a short biography.

Submitting your proposal

Editorial Board Approval

The proposal is forwarded to the journal's Editorial Board for their consideration. The Editorial Board is responsible for making the final decision on the suitability of a Special Issue. The Editorial Board may have comments or concerns about the proposal and ask for some amendments. Once the Editorial Board member is satisfied, the proposal is approved.

Distribution of the Call for Papers

The Call for Papers provided by the Guest Editor(s) is published on the journal page appearing in the ‘Forthcoming Special Issue’ section. Guest Editors can begin promoting their Special Issue when the Call for Papers is available online. Guest Editors should distribute this as broadly as possible within their own networks. The most successful Special Issue is the one supported and promoted by its editors.

Article Processing Charges

Usually, Article Processing Charges (APCs) are paid by the authors of each published paper.
If the Guest Editors wish to provide financial support for contributing authors to cover the APCs, either themselves or through a third party, this must be communicated when proposing the Special Issue, or as soon as the possibility arises.
Be conscious that this may necessitate mention in the articles Conflict of Interest statements and must be declared in the editorial that accompanies the Special Issue.
There is no Article Processing Charge for the Editorial accompanying the Special Issue.

Publication and Promotion

The Special Issue is published on the Healthcare in Low-resources Settings home page. The Publisher notifies the contributing authors and sends newsletters and alerts to registered readers. Guest Editors are also encouraged to share and promote the Special Issue.

The Special Issue’s impact - number of readers, downloads and citations - will be available on each article page.