Special Issue

A Special Issue is an important part of a journal life, drawing together contributions on topics with high contemporary interests and explore them in depth or provide 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 Journal of Biological Research – Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 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 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

  • Fill in our Special Issue proposal form and send to Editor-in-Chief and Journal Manager;
  • The proposal will be evaluated by the Editors and Publisher – you will be notified about accepting or asking more details within two weeks:
  • It may be beneficial for you to prepare a Call for Papers and promote the special issue.

Editorial Board Approval

The proposal is forwarded to the Editorial Board of the journal 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 ‘Open Special Issues’ section. Guest Editors can begin promoting their Special Issue as soon as 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.
For the Special Issues proposed by members of the Italian Society of Experimental Biology (SIBS), the Article Processing Charges (APCs) for publication of each accepted paper will be EUR 200.00 (plus 4% VAT, if applicable). For Special Issues proposed by scientists non-members of SIBS the APCs will be EUR 300.00.

Publication and Promotion

The Special Issue is published on the Journal of Biological Research – Bollettino della Società Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale home page. The Publisher notifies the contributing authors and sends newsletter 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.