Special Issue Policy

Purpose of Special Issues

International Scientific Journal Vision may publish Special Issues devoted to emerging, interdisciplinary, or highly relevant themes within the scope of the Journal. Special Issues aim to promote scholarly discussion on specific research topics while maintaining the same academic quality, editorial independence, and ethical standards applied to regular issues.

Proposal and Approval

Proposals for Special Issues may be submitted by members of the Editorial Board or by qualified external scholars.

Each proposal shall include:

  • the title and scope of the Special Issue;
  • the academic rationale and objectives;
  • a preliminary list of potential contributors;
  • the proposed publication schedule;
  • the names, affiliations, and qualifications of the proposed Guest Editor(s).

All proposals are evaluated exclusively by the Editor-in-Chief, who reserves the right to approve, modify, or reject any proposal.

Appointment of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are appointed solely by the Editor-in-Chief.

Guest Editors must possess recognized academic expertise in the relevant field and demonstrate previous experience in scholarly publishing.

Before appointment, the academic credentials, institutional affiliation, subject expertise, and relevant scholarly publishing experience of each proposed Guest Editor are reviewed and approved by the Editor-in-Chief.

The appointment of a Guest Editor does not create any ownership or editorial authority over the Journal.

Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are expected to:

  • define the academic scope of the Special Issue;
  • invite qualified authors;
  • recommend suitable peer reviewers;
  • supervise the editorial timetable;
  • ensure compliance with the Journal's ethical standards.

Guest Editors serve only in an advisory and coordinating capacity.

They shall not make final editorial decisions regarding any manuscript.

Special Issue Editorial Process

All manuscripts submitted to a Special Issue follow the same editorial and peer review standards as manuscripts submitted to regular issues. The editorial process consists of the following stages:

  1. Submission – Manuscripts are submitted through the Journal's online submission system in accordance with the Author Guidelines.
  2. Editorial Pre-Screening – Each manuscript undergoes an initial assessment for relevance to the Special Issue and the Journal's aims and scope, compliance with submission requirements, academic quality, originality, research integrity, ethical requirements, and potential conflicts of interest. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be rejected without external peer review.
  3. Double-Blind Peer Review – Manuscripts that successfully pass editorial pre-screening are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise. The identities of authors and reviewers remain concealed from each other throughout the review process.
  4. Revision and Re-evaluation – Where revisions are required, authors are requested to submit a revised manuscript together with a point-by-point response to the reviewers' comments. Revised manuscripts may be returned to the original reviewers or evaluated further by the editorial team, as appropriate.
  5. Final Editorial Decision – The final decision on acceptance or rejection is made by the Editor-in-Chief based on the reviewers' reports, the academic quality of the manuscript, and compliance with the Journal's editorial and ethical standards. Guest Editors may provide recommendations but do not make final publication decisions.
  6. Production and Publication – Accepted manuscripts proceed to editorial preparation, copyediting, formatting, DOI assignment, and open access publication in accordance with the Journal's standard production workflow.

Editorial Independence

The Editor-in-Chief retains full editorial authority over every manuscript submitted to a Special Issue.

The Editor-in-Chief may:

  • reject any submission;
  • request additional peer review;
  • require revisions;
  • replace reviewers;
  • replace or remove Guest Editors;
  • postpone or cancel a Special Issue whenever necessary.

No Guest Editor may guarantee publication of any manuscript.

Peer Review of Special Issue

All manuscripts that successfully pass editorial pre-screening are subject to the same double-blind peer review process as manuscripts submitted to regular issues and are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

No manuscript shall receive preferential treatment because it belongs to a Special Issue.

Guest Editors shall not act as reviewers of their own manuscripts and shall not participate in the selection of reviewers, editorial evaluation, or decision-making concerning their own submissions.

Conflict of Interest

Guest Editors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest.

A Guest Editor shall not participate in the editorial handling of:

  • their own manuscript;
  • manuscripts written by current collaborators;
  • manuscripts submitted by family members;
  • manuscripts involving financial or institutional conflicts.

Such manuscripts shall be managed exclusively by the Editor-in-Chief or another independent editor designated by the Editor-in-Chief.

Articles authored or co-authored by Guest Editors shall not exceed 25% of the total number of research articles published in the Special Issue. All such manuscripts shall be handled independently by an editor who has no conflict of interest with the authors and shall undergo the same double-blind peer review process as all other manuscripts.

Research Integrity

All manuscripts published in Special Issues are subject to the Journal's Publication Ethics Policy, COPE Core Practices, plagiarism screening, authorship requirements, and research integrity standards.

Suspected misconduct shall be investigated in accordance with COPE recommendations.

Final Editorial Decision

The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, rejection, postponement, or withdrawal of every manuscript belongs exclusively to the Editor-in-Chief.

Recommendations made by Guest Editors are advisory only.

Cancellation of Special Issue

The Journal reserves the right to postpone, modify, merge, or cancel a Special Issue if:

  • the number of accepted manuscripts is insufficient;
  • academic quality standards are not achieved;
  • ethical concerns arise;
  • Guest Editors fail to fulfill their responsibilities;
  • circumstances arise that may compromise the integrity or reputation of the Journal.

Publication Ethics and Transparency

Accepted manuscripts shall be published according to the Journal's publication schedule and production workflow.

Special Issues shall be clearly identified on the Journal website and in the published issue metadata.

The Journal maintains full transparency regarding editorial responsibility and decision-making throughout the Special Issue process.