SPECIAL ISSUES

06/09/2024

Special Issues – Guidelines for Guest Editors

Langkit: Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities welcomes proposals for its Special Issue. Special issues delve into specific topics of interest within the Journal's scope. Proposals for special issues are encouraged throughout the year and should be submitted to langkit@g.msuiit.edu.ph.

Proposals

  1. Proposals for Special Issues should be submitted by a Lead Guest Editor or a proponent. The proponent may submit a proposal for a Special Issue provided that they will provide the details of the Guest Editorial Team;

  2. Proposal should contain the following:

  • A suggested title/theme for the Special Issue (should not exceed 10 words)

  • Proposed aims and scope, giving an overview of the Special Issue’s intended focus and a list of the topics to be covered. The topic of the Special Issue should be timely, broad enough to draw many submissions, yet focused enough to contribute to the relevance and development of the theme.

  • Proposed timeline for the Special Issue (maximum of 1 year)

  • For the Special Issue, a list of the Editorial Board, composed of a Lead Guest Editor and 2-3 Guest Editors, with their names, institutional email addresses, affiliations, and a short biography, shall also be submitted.

  • Members of this Editorial Board should have at least one (1) Scopus-indexed publication and should represent diverse geographic locations to maximize dissemination and recognition across the scientific community.

3. Proposals should fulfil all requirements listed above and should be written in English or Filipino language. Proposals which do not meet these criteria will not be considered.

4. All proposals are subject to approval following a discussion of the proposed Special Issue among the journal’s Editorial Board. If approved, a Call-for-Papers for the Special Issue will be issued and posted online. The Lead Guest Editor’s name may be used in promotional activities for the issue.

5. Guest Editors should not have more than 1 active special issue proposal at a time. Guest Editors are permitted to contribute a maximum of 1 paper to their Special Issue. Any paper submitted by a Guest Editor will be handled by an Editorial Board member.

 

Peer Review

1. The Guest Editors’ main editorial task is to manage the peer review of submitted manuscripts. Guest Editors should recommend papers for publication only on the basis of academic merit and subject appropriateness. Guest editors should assess whether the research methodology is sound, if the results are robust and well-supported, and if the conclusions drawn are logical and contribute meaningfully to the field.

2. Once manuscripts are submitted for the Special Issue, they will be checked by the Langkit’s Editorial Office for similarity index and plagiarism. The manuscripts will then be sent to the Lead Guest Editor. Should there be potential conflict of interests, the manuscripts will be assigned to the Editorial Board Member of the Special Issue.

3. If the Guest Editor is of the opinion that the manuscript is not of sufficient quality to go through the peer review process, or that the subject of the manuscript is not appropriate for the journal’s scope, the manuscript shall be rejected with no further processing.

4. If the Guest Editor is of the opinion that the submitted manuscript is of sufficient quality and falls within the scope of the journal, they should assign the manuscript to at least 2 external, verified reviewers for peer-review who make recommendations on the suitability of the articles for publication. Reviewers should have at least 1 Scopus-indexed publication.

5. When inviting reviewers, Guest Editors should first ensure that no conflict of interest exists (e.g. the reviewer should not be based at the same institution as the author(s)) and should verify the identity of any reviewer using a non-institutional email address by conducting an independent internet search.

6. When all reviewers have submitted their reports, the Guest Editor can make one of the following editorial recommendations: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision and Reject.

7. The peer-review process is double blinded; that is, the reviewers do not know who the authors of the manuscript are, and the authors do not have access to the information of who the peer reviewers are.

8. The Guest Editors cannot act as reviewers for the Special Issue’s manuscripts. This is to ensure an unbiased peer-review process of every manuscript submitted to the journal, since any manuscript must be recommended by 2 or more external reviewers and the Guest Editor before acceptance for publication.

For inquiries, you may send an email at langkit@g.msuiit.edu.ph.