I. Special Issues

A special issue represents a curated collection of articles centred around a specific topic or theme aligned with the journal's scope. Guest editors serve as the primary points of contact, responsible for organizing and facilitating interactions with potential authors for manuscript submissions related to the thematic issue. To become the guest editor, please send us email.

Scifiniti imposes no specific limit on the number of manuscripts that may be featured in a special issue, provided they meet rigorous quality standards. Typically, a special issue comprises 10-12 manuscripts. However, even if there are 3-5 high-quality manuscripts available, Scifiniti will consider publishing them as a mini-thematic issue. 

II. Advantages of Contributing to a Special Issue

• More Visibility:

Articles published in special issues are more likely to receive citations due to the convenience they offer researchers, authors, and scientists in discovering and engaging with the focused collection of articles. The thematic nature of special issues enhances visibility and recognition therefore increasing an article's potential for citation within the relevant scientific community.

• Easily Navigated:

A consolidated collection of papers on a specific topic in one issue simplifies navigation and accessibility for researchers and scientists

• Promotion:

Thematic issue topics and the articles they include are actively promoted by publishers on their primary social media pages, significantly enhancing their visibility among the entire list of followers. This increased exposure ultimately leads to higher citation rates for the included articles.

• Fostering Collaboration:

By becoming a part of a special issue collection, authors can increase their opportunities to establish new connections with experts who are working in a similar area.

• Research Updates:

Special issues provide a platform for publishing the latest research in emerging or trending areas, making them a valuable source for keeping researchers updated.

• Rigorous peer review:

Scifiniti is dedicated to upholding a transparent and independent peer review process. For thematic issues, all submitted articles undergo the same rigorous review as regular articles. The peer review process is typically overseen by the guest editor, with proposed reviewers carefully vetted by the Editorial Office to ensure their qualifications, and expertise, and to identify any potential conflicts of interest.

• Fast Track Publication:

Thematic issues/special issues are usually published in a shorter time compared to regular articles publication.

III. Proposal Making Guidelines

Your proposal for thematic/special issue must contain: 

• A tentative title that aligns with the aims and scope of the journal.
• Submission deadline for the thematic issue.
• Comprehensive details of the Guest Editor(s), including information outlined in the thematic issue submission form. If there are multiple guest editors, provide information for each.
• A summary of the special issue, including its main aims and scope, areas to be covered, and tentative titles of planned articles.
• Consider providing a list of potential authors who could contribute manuscripts to this thematic issue, including their affiliations, email addresses, etc.
• Guest editors are strongly encouraged to ensure authors’ diversity by including articles from authors representing different regions. 

IV. Special Issue Policy

• Total Manuscripts published in special issues do not constitute 25% of the total articles published in the journal in one calendar year.
• The guest editor must not contribute a single manuscript in the thematic issue either as the main author or co-author. He / She can however publish one manuscript and an editorial.
• The entire process of guest-edited or special thematic issues, including the verification of the guest editors’ and authors' credentials and the peer review process, is overseen by the Editor-in-Chief or by any other member of the Editorial Board assigned to this role.
• The guest editor may recommend reviewers for manuscripts but the final decision regarding their assignment is taken by the Editor-in-Chief.
• The guest editors’ own paper is handled independently by the Editorial office with the consultation of the Editor-in-Chief.
• The Guest Editor must ensure that authors are not listed in more than one manuscript, which is important as diverse authors bring more impactful articles
• The final decision on the manuscripts regarding acceptance or rejection is taken by the Editor-in-Chief.
• The special issue should not have more than five guest editors, and all guest editors must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief before becoming a part of the thematic issue.

V. Ethical Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest editors are strongly recommened to follow COPE guidelines. 

Artificial Citations Increase

Guest editors are strongly advised not to employ artificial means to increase the citation count of special issues. Instead, they are encouraged to promote their special issue within relevant communities, on social media networks, and among their colleagues using legitimate methods that could increase articles’ visibility and, ultimately, citations. In addition to this, references cited in the manuscripts must be relevant and not merely included to boost citations of guest editors or authors' own or an associate’s work. In short, irrelevant self-citations must be avoided.

Scope-oriented Articles

The guest editor must ensure that all manuscripts submitted under the thematic issue are within the journal’s scope and authors must be experts in the field.

Confidentiality

The guest editor must ensure that the confidentiality of content remains protected. Manuscripts submitted by authors should only be made visible to editors or reviewers. Reviewers' names and identities must also be kept confidential and disclosed only if authors choose an open peer review model, and reviewers also agree to disclose their names.

Conflict of Interest

Both guest editors and authors are obligated to diligently adhere to the journal's conflict of interest policy. They must promptly disclose any potential conflicts of interest within the manuscript, and this disclosure must be made to the Editorial Office for thorough consideration

Authors of thematic issue articles and guest editors must understand their ethical responsibilities in publication and adhere to the same rigorous ethical principles as regular articles. In cases of unethical practices, articles will be handled in a similar manner to regular articles, which may also lead to the cancellation of the entire thematic issue.

VI. Responsibilities of Guest Editors

We expect our guest editors to maintain close communication with the Editorial team to promptly address any queries. They are also expected to ensure that manuscripts are submitted within the specified timeframe and adhere to the established timelines. In this regard, it is essential for them to initiate early correspondence with authors and maintain continuous communication until the manuscript submission process is complete. The Guest editors are responsible to: 

• Prepare a special issue proposal with the title, description, relevant keywords, and tentative deadline, etc.
• Arrange a list of potential authors who are key experts in the theme to contribute manuscripts to the special issue.
• Prescreen manuscripts before submitting them to the Editorial Office for the Editor-in-Chief’s consideration.
• Ensure that authors have prepared manuscripts in accordance with international standards and recommended guidelines.
• Oversee the review process and arrange at least 2 independent review reports for each manuscript. Please note that reviewers, before being assigned to the manuscripts, will be first provided to the editorial office for credential verification, and once they are confirmed, manuscripts can be assigned.
• Coordinate with the authors promptly to expedite the manuscript processing.
• Promote the special issue at conferences and on social media platforms.
• The guest editor is advised to arrange more articles than planned to be included in the thematic issue, as a few articles might get rejected during the peer review process.
• An editorial relevant to the thematic issue must be submitted by the guest editor, which will be reviewed only by the Editor-in-Chief, and no external peer review process will be conducted.

Submission

Guest editors are encouraged to visit the Editorial Process page to gain a comprehensive understanding of how manuscripts are processed from submission to publication. All manuscripts, whether for a regular issue or a thematic issue, should be submitted online and not via email.

An Initial Decision on the Manuscript

A manuscript initially submitted will be reviewed by the guest editor for its suitability in terms of scope. The guest editor can decide to either proceed with the peer review process, reject the manuscript, or request revisions before forwarding it to the Editorial Office. When accepting a manuscript for review, guest editors are strongly recommended to consider the following criteria:

• Relevance of the article to the scope.
• Compliance of the manuscript with ethical standards and international guidelines.
• The quality of the manuscript.
• The absence of plagiarized material and unethical reference citations.

Peer Review

Before proceeding with the manuscript's peer review, reviewer details must be submitted to the Editorial Office for verification and acceptance by the Editor-in-Chief. Guest editors are advised to conduct the review process in accordance with the journal's policy. For complete guidelines, please visit [INSERT LINK HERE] or consult with the Editor-in-Chief regarding the review process. While conducting reviews, guest editors must ensure that reviewers do not have any conflicts of interest with the listed authors. They must also ensure that authors nominated individuals with conflicts of interest are not assigned as reviewers.

Revision and Final Decision

The manuscript can be further processed by the guest editor for revision based on the review reports, but the final decision on the manuscripts will be made by the Editor-in-Chief. Guest editors are required to forward the manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief along with the review reports for the final decision.

Publication

As soon as an article is finalized, it is uploaded to the relevant special issues section of the website without holding it till the finalization of other articles. The special issue page of the website contains guest editors' details, a table of contents, the submission deadline, author details, etc.