Special Issues
Peer-Reviewed · Open Access · Multidisciplinary
Special Issues
Submitting a Special Issue Proposal
The International Journal of Social World (IJSW) welcomes proposals for Special Issues built around focused, timely, and academically relevant themes within the journal's scope of social sciences and related fields. A Special Issue might center on sociology, social structures, community studies, social inequality, cultural practices, social policy, human behaviour, demographic trends, or an interdisciplinary topic addressing an important social research question.
Proposals may also explore emerging social issues, changing community dynamics, public attitudes, social development, or methodological approaches to understanding society, provided that the proposed theme aligns with the journal's academic scope.
All Special Issues, and every manuscript submitted to them, are held to the same standards that govern the rest of the journal: editorial review, peer review, publication ethics, confidentiality, and conflict-of-interest management.
What to Include in Your Proposal
A strong Special Issue proposal should cover:
Proposed Title
A working title for the issue that clearly communicates its social-science theme or research focus.
Theme and Scope
A short description of the theme, its relevance to social sciences, and the social issues, research questions, or academic debates it intends to address.
Objectives
What the issue aims to achieve and the scholarly contribution it is expected to make to sociology, social research, or related fields. This may include advancing theoretical understanding, presenting new empirical findings, examining social challenges, or encouraging interdisciplinary discussion.
Guest Editor(s)
Name, affiliation, academic or professional background, relevant subject expertise, and contact details.
Proposed Article Types
Original research articles, review articles, case studies, empirical studies, or other relevant scholarly formats appropriate to the proposed theme.
Where applicable, proposals may include research based on surveys, interviews, focus groups, community studies, or other social research methods. Submissions involving human participants must address relevant ethical considerations in accordance with the journal's applicable policies.
Expected Number of Contributions
A rough estimate of how many manuscripts you anticipate for the Special Issue.
Proposed Timeline
An expected submission window and proposed schedule for manuscript review and publication, if known.
Above all, the proposal should make a clear case for why the theme is academically relevant, how it contributes to the understanding of society, and why it is a good fit for IJSW.
What We Expect from Guest Editors
Guest Editors taking on a Special Issue are expected to:
Promote the issue through relevant academic and professional networks
Reach out to and invite strong scholarly contributions in the proposed subject area
Support the editorial and peer-review process from start to finish
Maintain confidentiality and editorial independence throughout
Disclose any conflicts of interest and manage them appropriately
Ensure submitted manuscripts meet IJSW's academic and ethical standards
Consider relevant research-ethics issues, including participant consent, privacy, and confidentiality, where applicable
Follow the Guest Editor Guidelines and other applicable IJSW policies
Editorial decisions should never be improperly shaped by personal, professional, institutional, commercial, or financial interests. Guest Editors must ensure that manuscripts are assessed on their scholarly merit and that invitations to contribute do not imply guaranteed acceptance or publication.
How Proposals Are Evaluated
Every Special Issue proposal goes through editorial evaluation before approval. In reviewing it, IJSW considers the theme's academic relevance, its alignment with the journal's scope, the qualifications and subject expertise of the proposed Guest Editor(s), and the practical feasibility of the proposed issue.
The evaluation may also consider the originality of the proposed theme, its potential contribution to social-science scholarship, the anticipated range of contributions, and relevant ethical considerations.
Submitting a proposal does not guarantee that it will be approved.
Even once a Special Issue is approved, that approval applies to the issue as a whole — not to any individual manuscript. Every submission still goes through the journal's standard editorial screening and peer-review process on its own merits. All applicable publication ethics, research integrity, confidentiality, and conflict-of-interest requirements continue to apply.
Submitting Your Proposal
Send your Special Issue proposal to the IJSW Editorial Office using the contact details listed on the journal website. Please use “Special Issue Proposal” as your email subject line so it reaches the appropriate team.
The proposal should include the information outlined above to help the editorial team evaluate its academic relevance, suitability, and feasibility.