Special Issues

A Special Issue is a refereed collection of articles on a predetermined theme. The theme typically focuses on an area of inquiry that has not been sufficiently explored in management literature, and that is sufficiently broad to be of interest to JMS readers. The editors are particularly keen to support Special Issues that address a previously neglected theme, or develop new or distinctive lines of research, as opposed to ‘generic’ presentations that provide an undifferentiated outlet for an already existing set of themes, or established lines of research. Should your proposal be accepted you will be asked to sign an agreement with JMS regarding the behaviours expected of Guest Editors.

There are specific guidelines for the development of a Special Issue proposal, which you can read below. The team of Guest Editors for the Special Issue handle all manuscripts from their initial submission; they assign reviewers, and they make decisions (reject, revise, conditionally accept) and communicate those decisions to the lead authors. Once the Guest Editors have papers that are nearing acceptance they will forward the papers to the General Editors of JMS for approval before the papers can be accepted.

Proposing a Special Issue

JMS considers proposals for Special Issues once a year; the closing date is 31 March every year. The JMS Editors will return a decision on your proposal within one month of receipt.

Your proposal should be no more than five pages (excluding points 5 and 6, and references) and contain:

1. Executive Summary.
2. Justification for why the Special Issue is needed.
3. Explanation of why the issue is particularly suitable for JMS.
4. A proposed timeline.
5. Backgrounds of the proposed Guest Editors, including visibility on the topic in question, and editorial experience.
6. A list of scholars who may be interested in submitting or acting as potential reviewers for your special issue.

Should your proposal be accepted you will be asked to sign an agreement with JMS regarding the behaviours expected of Guest Editors.

Editing Your Special Issue

If your proposal is approved, you will receive a decision letter providing feedback on your proposal and you will be assigned a JMS Editor. After the approval decision, the JMS Editor will join your editorial team to work with you on your Call for Papers and, eventually, on your Introductory piece. The JMS Editor will also provide advice on any issues that arise. JMS has a policy of involving a second editor when papers have gone through one or two rounds of revision to ensure consistent quality. The JMS Editor for the Special Issue will act as the second editor for all papers. Before any papers can be formally accepted, they must be signed off by the JMS Editor.

Once the Call has been released and prior to the submission deadline, a meeting will be arranged between the Guest Editors, the assigned JMS Editor and/or members of the Editorial Office. This is intended to allow the opportunity to discuss any potential ideas related to the Special Issue, answer any queries, and to facilitate future communications between all those working on the Special Issue.

It is important to note that Guest Editors are not permitted to publish papers in the Special Issue apart from the introduction, nor may they commission content. In some cases, one paper may be commissioned, but only with the prior agreement of the JMS Editor; anything commissioned without prior discussion and approval from JMS will not be published.

Guest Editors are expected to ensure that the work done on the Special Issue reflects JMS standards. Regular updates may be requested, regarding the status of papers under review, in order to assist with this.

The submission process will be the same as for regular papers via JMS’ ScholarOne submission portal. All decision letters must provide high quality feedback, although we recognize that some papers may be so wide of the mark that very little is possible.

It is understood that some papers may require longer to develop than the timing of a Special Issue allows, or that, while showing potential, do not fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Please discuss these cases with your JMS Editor, who may invite the author(s) to submit to JMS directly.

A Special Issue should aim to be ready for publication within three years of the submission deadline. In order to be published, Special Issues should contain no fewer than five papers including the Introduction; Special Issues that do not reach that minimum level may become a Themed Section or be incorporated into a regular issue.

Promoting Your Special Issue

JMS will work with Guest Editors to increase the visibility of the Special Issue in the months leading up to the submission deadline and once it has been published.

What JMS will do:

1. JMS will circulate your Call for Papers to the JMS Editorial Board, targeted mailing lists, and relevant AoM mailing lists. It will also advertise your Call on the JMS and SAMS websites and other social media platforms. It will re-issue the Call at appropriate intervals.

2. Once the Special Issue is published, announcements will be made to the JMS Editorial Board, targeted mailing lists, and relevant AoM mailing lists as well as on the JMS and SAMS social media platforms.

3. Gratis PDF copies of/access to the Special Issue will be made available to up to 50 people nominated by the Guest Editors.

What is expected of Guest Editors:

1. We expect that Guest Editors will circulate the Call for Papers within their own personal networks, social media groups, and at any relevant conferences or workshops they may attend.

2. If it has not already been suggested as part of the proposal, consideration should be given to organizing a conference or workshop either to generate submissions or to aid in the development of submitted papers. A symposium or PDW at a well-known conference may also be considered. Up to £5,000 is available from JMS for this purpose, on provision of a detailed plan for the use of the funds. If it is being held at a Guest Editor’s institution, it would be expected that the host institution would provide funding/facilities in kind.

3. We expect Guest Editors to identify up to 50 scholars for whom the Special Issue will be particularly relevant, who may serve as potential reviewers, and to whom JMS can offer complimentary access to the Special Issue once published.