Special Issue Policy

Purpose

The JSOMER may publish special issues or guest-edited collections that provide a focused forum for rigorous scholarship on a clearly defined, timely, and academically significant subject within the journal’s aims and scope.

Special issues must contribute to the scholarly development of social media research and must not be used primarily to increase publication volume, generate citations, promote particular individuals or institutions, or bypass the journal’s regular editorial and peer-review standards.

This policy governs:

special issue proposals;
selection and appointment of Guest Editors;
editorial oversight;
calls for papers and manuscript solicitation;
manuscript submission and peer review;
conflicts of interest;
manuscripts authored by Guest Editors;
editorial independence;
quality and integrity monitoring;
cancellation or discontinuation of a special issue; and
publication and labeling of special issue content.

The journal may also apply this policy to themed collections, invited collections, conference-related collections, and other content managed wholly or partly by Guest Editors.

Editorial Responsibility

The Editor-in-Chief has overall responsibility for all content published by JSOMER, including regular issues, special issues, themed collections, and other guest-edited content.

Appointment of a Guest Editor does not transfer the Editor-in-Chief’s responsibility for:

the scholarly quality of the journal;
compliance with the journal’s aims and scope;
integrity and independence of peer review;
management of conflicts of interest;
research and publication ethics;
final editorial decisions;
corrections, retractions, and Expressions of Concern; or
protection of the scholarly record.

The Editor-in-Chief may delegate oversight of a special issue to a suitably qualified Associate Editor or Editorial Board member. However, delegated oversight does not eliminate the Editor-in-Chief’s overall responsibility for the journal.

Guest Editors work under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief or a designated permanent editor throughout the special issue process.

Relationship with the Journal’s Aims and Scope

Every special issue must fall clearly within the stated aims and scope of JSOMER.

A special issue may focus on a particular:

theoretical development;
methodological innovation;
social or behavioral issue;
health or medical topic;
educational or communication problem;
scientific or environmental concern;
technological or computational development;
geographic or cultural context;
emerging platform or online practice; or
interdisciplinary area of social media research.

Regardless of the disciplinary origin of the proposed theme, social media must constitute a substantive component of the research questions, theoretical frameworks, methodologies, data, or interpretation of the manuscripts included in the special issue.

A proposed special issue will not be approved when its subject:

falls outside the journal’s aims and scope;
is excessively broad or insufficiently defined;
duplicates an existing or recently published special issue without adequate justification;
appears primarily promotional, commercial, commemorative, or institutionally driven;
lacks sufficient scholarly relevance or originality;
creates an unreasonable risk of biased commissioning or editorial endogeny; or
cannot be managed in accordance with the journal’s ethical and peer-review standards.

Special Issue Proposals

A special issue may be proposed by:

the Editor-in-Chief;
an Associate Editor;
an Editorial Board member;
an individual scholar or group of scholars;
a research network or academic organization; or
another qualified academic party.

Submission of a proposal does not guarantee approval.

A proposal should include:

the proposed title;
a clear description of the theme;
an explanation of its originality, timeliness, and scholarly significance;
an explanation of its relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
the types of manuscripts to be considered;
five to ten indicative topics or research questions;
relevant keywords;
the intended scholarly audience;
the names, institutional affiliations, countries, professional email addresses, and ORCID iDs of the proposed Guest Editors;
brief academic biographies of the proposed Guest Editors;
links to verifiable institutional or scholarly profiles;
relevant publication and editorial experience;
a declaration of actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest;
a proposed call for papers;
an indicative editorial timeline;
the proposed submission deadline;
an estimate of the anticipated number of submissions and publishable articles;
information about any associated conference, research project, organization, sponsor, or funder; and
an explanation of how editorial independence will be protected.

A list of potential contributors may be provided for planning purposes. However, inclusion on such a list does not guarantee invitation, external peer review, acceptance, or publication.

Completed manuscripts must not be presented as automatically accepted components of a special issue proposal.

Evaluation and Approval of Proposals

The Editor-in-Chief evaluates every special issue proposal, with advice from Associate Editors, Editorial Board members, or independent specialists where appropriate.

Evaluation may consider:

relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
scholarly importance and originality of the proposed theme;
potential contribution to social media research;
clarity and feasibility of the proposal;
qualifications and academic integrity of the proposed Guest Editors;
adequacy of the proposed timeline;
availability of appropriate independent reviewers;
potential conflicts of interest;
risk of excessive institutional, geographic, or authorship concentration;
risk of biased commissioning;
risk of citation manipulation or peer-review manipulation;
overlap with existing or planned journal content; and
the journal’s editorial and production capacity.

The journal may:

approve the proposal;
request revision;
approve the proposal subject to conditions;
appoint an additional Guest Editor or supervising editor;
modify the proposed scope or timeline;
postpone the proposal; or
decline the proposal.

Approval must be provided in writing before a call for papers is announced or manuscripts are solicited in the name of JSOMER.

The journal may withdraw approval at any stage if the proposal, Guest Editors, submissions, or editorial process no longer satisfy the journal’s standards.

Selection and Verification of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are appointed on the basis of relevant scholarly expertise, professional integrity, an active and verifiable publication record, and the ability to manage a fair and rigorous editorial process.

Before appointment, JSOMER may verify:

identity;
current institutional affiliation;
professional email address;
ORCID iD;
institutional or other reliable academic profile;
research and publication record;
expertise relevant to the special issue;
editorial and peer-review experience;
previous involvement in special issues or guest-edited collections;
corrections, retractions, or substantiated research-integrity concerns;
relevant conflicts of interest; and
willingness and ability to comply with JSOMER policies.

A person will not be appointed solely because of academic title, institutional prestige, personal relationship, publication volume, social media visibility, or ability to recruit manuscripts.

JSOMER may decline or withdraw an appointment when:

identity or credentials cannot be verified;
relevant expertise is insufficient;
a material conflict of interest cannot be managed;
the individual provides inaccurate or misleading information;
there are credible concerns about research or publication integrity;
the individual seeks to guarantee acceptance or influence reviewer selection improperly;
the individual proposes inappropriate citation, authorship, commissioning, or promotional practices; or
the appointment could reasonably undermine confidence in the journal’s editorial independence.

Guest Editor appointments become effective only after formal approval by the Editor-in-Chief and written acceptance of the role and its responsibilities.

Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are expected to:

comply with the journal’s aims and scope;
follow all applicable JSOMER policies;
maintain editorial independence and confidentiality;
disclose and update conflicts of interest;
assist in developing an accurate and nonmisleading call for papers;
conduct or support initial assessments when formally authorized;
recommend qualified and independent reviewers;
avoid inappropriate reviewer or author relationships;
evaluate reviewer reports critically;
provide evidence-based editorial recommendations;
monitor the quality, relevance, and progress of submissions;
identify potential ethical, methodological, or research-integrity concerns;
avoid citation manipulation and coercive citation requests;
avoid guaranteeing acceptance or accelerated publication;
protect unpublished manuscript information;
respond to Editorial Office communications within a reasonable period; and
cooperate with audits, investigations, or post-publication inquiries.

Guest Editors must not:

treat the special issue as an independent publication or co-publishing platform;
make commitments on behalf of the journal without authorization;
guarantee acceptance, publication, or a particular decision;
bypass administrative screening or external peer review;
use Guest Editor status to benefit personal, institutional, financial, or professional interests;
pressure authors to cite the Guest Editor’s work, the journal, or a particular group of researchers;
create or participate in a citation cartel;
assign manuscripts to reviewers with relevant conflicts of interest;
disclose reviewer identities or confidential editorial information;
use unauthorized external artificial intelligence tools with confidential manuscripts;
add individuals as Guest Editors without prior approval; or
transfer editorial duties to an unapproved person.

Guest Editor recommendations are advisory. Guest Editors do not possess final decision-making authority unless a specific, independent authority has been formally delegated in writing by the Editor-in-Chief. Even where limited authority is delegated, the Editor-in-Chief retains oversight of the special issue.

Oversight of Guest Editors

The Editor-in-Chief or a designated permanent editor oversees Guest Editors throughout the special issue process.

Oversight may include:

reviewing the call for papers;
monitoring the scope and quality of submissions;
approving or reviewing reviewer selections;
monitoring conflicts of interest;
examining editorial recommendations;
reviewing unusual acceptance or rejection patterns;
monitoring review duration and report quality;
reviewing citation patterns;
checking for excessive submissions from Guest Editors, their collaborators, or their institutions;
auditing peer-review records;
reviewing research-integrity concerns; and
confirming compliance before publication.

The Editor-in-Chief or designated permanent editor may:

reassign a manuscript;
reject an inappropriate reviewer;
request additional independent review;
replace or supplement a Guest Editor;
override an inadequately supported recommendation;
make the final editorial decision;
suspend submissions;
suspend peer review;
remove a manuscript from the special issue;
close the special issue; or
initiate an ethical or research-integrity assessment.

The journal may conduct audits before, during, and after peer review.

Call for Papers and Promotion

A call for papers must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief before publication or distribution.

The call should clearly state:

the title and scope of the special issue;
the scholarly rationale;
the names and affiliations of the Guest Editors;
the submission deadline;
the types of manuscripts considered;
the journal’s peer-review model;
that submission does not guarantee external review, acceptance, or publication;
that regular ethical, methodological, and reporting requirements apply;
the journal’s open-access and fee model;
the official submission route; and
a link to this Special Issue Policy.

Calls for papers and promotional messages must be accurate, professional, targeted, and unobtrusive.

Promotional communications must not:

guarantee acceptance;
imply that invited manuscripts will receive favorable treatment;
promise unrealistically rapid review or publication;
misrepresent indexing status;
use aggressive repeated solicitation;
imitate communications from another journal or publisher;
imply institutional sponsorship that does not exist;
emphasize citation advantages as an inducement;
conceal the identity of the journal or Guest Editors; or
request payment or personal financial information outside the journal’s official procedures.

Only approved journal channels and authorized communications may be used to solicit submissions in the name of JSOMER.

Invited and Commissioned Manuscripts

Guest Editors may recommend potential authors or manuscripts when this activity is part of an approved special issue plan.

An invitation to submit:

is not an invitation to publish;
does not guarantee external peer review;
does not guarantee acceptance;
does not reduce the journal’s ethical or methodological requirements; and
does not provide publication priority.

Invited and unsolicited manuscripts are evaluated according to the same scholarly, ethical, and peer-review standards.

Potential contributors should be selected with attention to academic relevance and appropriate diversity. Guest Editors should avoid relying primarily on close collaborators, institutional colleagues, personal networks, or a narrow geographic group.

Submission and Administrative Screening

Special issue manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s official online submission system.

Submissions sent directly to Guest Editors are not treated as formal submissions until they have been entered into the journal’s manuscript management system.

Each submission undergoes the journal’s regular administrative and technical screening, which may include checks concerning:

completeness of files;
manuscript anonymization;
authorship and contributorship;
conflicts of interest;
funding;
ethics approval and informed consent;
data availability;
use of artificial intelligence;
reporting guidelines;
originality and similarity;
copyright and permissions; and
compliance with author guidelines.

Special issue manuscripts are not exempt from any standard journal requirement.

Initial Editorial Assessment

Every special issue manuscript undergoes an initial editorial assessment by the Editor-in-Chief, a designated permanent editor, the Guest Editor under formal supervision, or another appropriately authorized editor.

The assessment considers:

relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
relevance to the special issue theme;
originality and scholarly contribution;
methodological appropriateness;
ethical compliance;
reporting quality;
clarity and completeness; and
suitability for external peer review.

A manuscript may be declined without external peer review if it is outside the journal’s scope, unsuitable for the special issue, methodologically or ethically inadequate, insufficiently original, or otherwise unable to satisfy the journal’s editorial requirements.

The journal may transfer a manuscript from the special issue to the regular submission track when:

the manuscript falls within JSOMER’s general scope but not the special issue theme;
the special issue is delayed, closed, or canceled;
the authors agree to the transfer; and
the transfer does not affect the independence or integrity of peer review.

Transfer does not guarantee acceptance.

Peer Review

Every special issue research manuscript must undergo the same double-blind external peer-review process as a regular JSOMER submission.

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment are normally evaluated by at least two qualified and independent reviewers with relevant subject or methodological expertise.

Reviewer selection must comply with the journal’s Peer Review Policy and Conflicts of Interest Policy.

Reviewers must be independent of:

the authors;
the Guest Editors;
the research;
relevant institutions; and
financial, professional, or personal interests that could affect impartiality.

Guest Editors may recommend reviewers, but all reviewer appointments remain subject to review and approval by the responsible journal editor.

Guest Editors must not use reviewers:

with whom they have an unmanaged conflict of interest;
suggested through unverifiable or suspicious accounts;
provided primarily by authors without independent verification;
whose contact information cannot be authenticated;
who have a close relationship with the authors;
who are likely to participate in coordinated favorable reviewing;
who are involved in citation manipulation; or
who are otherwise unable to provide an independent evaluation.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. Editorial decisions must not be made by merely counting reviewer recommendations.

Editorial Decisions

Final editorial responsibility for every special issue manuscript remains with the Editor-in-Chief or an independent permanent editor formally authorized by the Editor-in-Chief.

Guest Editors may recommend:

accept;
minor revision;
major revision;
resubmit for review; or
decline.

The responsible editor evaluates:

the manuscript;
reviewer expertise;
quality and reasoning of the reviewer reports;
author responses;
methodological and ethical issues;
conflicts of interest;
compliance with journal policies; and
the Guest Editor’s recommendation.

The responsible editor may accept, modify, reject, or request further support for a Guest Editor’s recommendation.

No manuscript may be accepted solely on the recommendation of a Guest Editor without the required independent peer review and journal oversight.

The publisher does not direct the acceptance or rejection of special issue manuscripts.

Conflicts of Interest

Guest Editors must disclose all actual, potential, or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest:

before appointment;
when a special issue proposal is evaluated;
when a manuscript is assigned;
when circumstances change; and
whenever requested by the journal.

A Guest Editor must not handle a manuscript when the Guest Editor:

is an author or co-author;
contributed to the research or manuscript;
has a close personal or professional relationship with an author;
is a recent or current collaborator of an author;
supervises or is supervised by an author;
has a direct institutional, academic, competitive, financial, or intellectual interest;
is involved in a related dispute; or
cannot provide an impartial assessment for another reason.

A conflicted manuscript must be reassigned to an independent editor.

The same conflict-of-interest requirements apply to the Editor-in-Chief, permanent editors, Editorial Board members, reviewers, the publisher, and journal staff.

Manuscripts Authored by Guest Editors

Guest Editors may submit manuscripts to a special issue, but Guest Editor status does not provide preferential treatment, guaranteed external review, favorable consideration, or publication priority.

When a Guest Editor is an author or co-author:

the Guest Editor must have no role in administrative screening;
the Guest Editor must not participate in initial editorial assessment;
the Guest Editor must not select, recommend, approve, or contact the handling editor;
the Guest Editor must not select, recommend, approve, or contact reviewers;
the Guest Editor must not access reviewer identities;
the Guest Editor must not access confidential editorial correspondence outside the normal author interface;
the Guest Editor must not assess revisions;
the Guest Editor must not participate in the editorial decision;
the Guest Editor must not influence publication scheduling; and
the manuscript must be handled entirely by an independent editor with no relevant conflict of interest.

The manuscript must undergo the journal’s standard double-blind peer review by at least two qualified and independent reviewers.

The independent editor has complete authority to request revision, seek additional review, accept the manuscript, or decline it.

Guest Editor Authorship Limit

Articles submitted to a special issue by the Guest Editor or Guest Editors must not account for more than 25% of the total content of the special issue.

The 25% figure is an absolute maximum, not a target, entitlement, or reserved publication quota. JSOMER seeks to keep Guest Editor-authored content below this maximum whenever reasonably possible.

An article is counted as Guest Editor-authored when at least one Guest Editor is included in the author list, regardless of author position.

An article with more than one Guest Editor as an author is counted once when calculating the proportion.

The proportion is calculated as follows:

Number of special issue articles with at least one Guest Editor as an author ÷ total number of articles in the special issue × 100

If publication of a Guest Editor-authored manuscript would cause the special issue to exceed the 25% maximum, the article must not be included in that special issue.

If the manuscript has completed an independent review process successfully, it may be considered for publication outside the special issue only when:

the manuscript is suitable for regular publication;
the transfer is approved independently;
the manuscript remains within the journal’s aims and scope;
the transfer does not create preferential publication treatment; and
any applicable editorial endogeny limits remain satisfied.

Articles must not be reclassified, transferred, delayed, or scheduled in a misleading manner to create an artificial appearance of compliance.

Other Internally Affiliated Manuscripts

Manuscripts authored by the Editor-in-Chief, permanent editors, Editorial Board members, reviewers, or the publisher are governed by the independent-handling provisions of the Publication Process, Peer Review Policy, Conflicts of Interest Policy, and Editorial Board Governance Policy.

Guest Editor authorship must be considered both:

under the special issue-specific 25% limit; and
under any applicable journal-wide policy concerning editorial endogeny.

Being an editor, Editorial Board member, reviewer, Guest Editor, or publisher does not create a right or expectation of publication.

Editorial Independence Statement

When a Guest Editor-authored manuscript is published, the article must include an editorial independence statement.

The following wording may be used:

Editorial independence statement: One or more Guest Editors of this special issue are authors of this article. The authors had no involvement in the administrative screening, editorial assessment, appointment of the handling editor, reviewer selection, peer-review process, evaluation of revisions, publication scheduling, or final decision. The manuscript was handled independently by an editor with no relevant conflict of interest and was evaluated by independent reviewers in accordance with the journal’s standard peer-review procedures.

Where an editor, Editorial Board member, reviewer, or publisher is also an author, the disclosure should identify the relevant relationship and the safeguards used.

Editorial Endogeny and Diversity

JSOMER seeks to avoid excessive concentration of authorship within:

the Guest Editors;
the Editorial Board;
the journal’s reviewers;
a single institution;
a single country;
a closely connected research network;
a single conference;
a single project or funder; or
a group of frequent collaborators.

Special issues should provide meaningful scholarly breadth and should not function primarily as publication venues for Guest Editors, their colleagues, institutional networks, or invited associates.

The Editorial Office may monitor:

author affiliations;
coauthorship patterns;
reviewer-author relationships;
citation patterns;
acceptance rates;
invited versus unsolicited submissions;
the proportion of Guest Editor-authored articles; and
other indicators of inappropriate concentration or bias.

A concentration does not automatically indicate misconduct, but it may require additional independent oversight.

Citation Practices

Special issue participants must not engage in citation manipulation.

Guest Editors and reviewers must not pressure authors to cite:

the Guest Editors’ publications;
the journal;
other articles in the special issue;
a particular author group;
a particular institution; or
references unrelated to the manuscript’s scholarly needs.

Citation recommendations must be directly relevant and academically justified.

Unusual citation concentration, reciprocal citation arrangements, or coordinated citation behavior may result in additional review, reassignment, rejection, suspension of the special issue, or a research-integrity investigation.

Research Integrity and Peer-Review Manipulation

JSOMER monitors special issues for risks including:

false or misrepresented Guest Editor identities;
fabricated reviewer identities;
fraudulent email accounts;
paper mill submissions;
coordinated peer-review manipulation;
inappropriate authorship;
duplicate or redundant publication;
plagiarism;
fabricated or falsified data;
suspiciously uniform or superficial reviewer reports;
unusual acceptance patterns;
undisclosed conflicts of interest;
citation cartels;
inappropriate artificial intelligence use; and
unauthorized third-party involvement.

If credible evidence of unethical activity arises, the Editor-in-Chief may immediately:

suspend new submissions;
pause peer review;
pause editorial decisions;
withhold accepted manuscripts from publication;
reassign manuscripts;
replace Guest Editors;
audit editorial and reviewer records;
request supporting information;
contact institutions or other competent bodies;
issue an Expression of Concern for already published content; or
terminate the special issue.

Where an active investigation concerns a Guest Editor or systematic manipulation of the special issue process, peer review and publication may be suspended until the matter is assessed adequately.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Guest Editors, reviewers, and other editors must comply with the journal’s Artificial Intelligence Policy.

Confidential manuscripts, supplementary files, reviewer reports, author responses, and editorial correspondence must not be uploaded to unauthorized external artificial intelligence systems.

Artificial intelligence must not be used to:

replace editorial judgment;
generate an unverified reviewer report;
fabricate reviewer identities;
create misleading summaries;
make automated acceptance or rejection decisions;
manipulate citations; or
compromise confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property, or data protection.

Any permitted use remains subject to human verification, accountability, transparency, and the requirements of the Artificial Intelligence Policy.

Special Issues Connected to Conferences, Projects, or Organizations

A special issue related to a conference, research project, professional organization, or funded initiative must disclose that relationship in the proposal and public call.

Such an association does not guarantee publication of conference papers, project outputs, invited contributions, or manuscripts from members of the organization.

All manuscripts must:

be submitted through the journal’s official system;
satisfy the journal’s aims and scope;
comply with applicable ethical and reporting requirements;
undergo independent external peer review; and
receive an independent editorial decision.

Conference acceptance, presentation, award, invitation, membership, grant participation, or institutional sponsorship does not constitute journal acceptance.

Published manuscripts based on conference material must disclose relevant prior dissemination and must contain sufficient original scholarly development to avoid redundant publication.

Sponsors, organizations, and funders must not influence reviewer selection, editorial recommendations, acceptance decisions, or publication timing.

Fees, Funding, and Commercial Independence

JSOMER does not charge submission fees, article processing charges, publication fees, page charges, special issue fees, Guest Editor fees, or other mandatory author fees.

Guest Editors must not:

request payments from authors;
collect fees on behalf of JSOMER;
promise publication in exchange for payment, participation, membership, sponsorship, or another benefit;
accept personal payment linked to manuscript acceptance;
create paid services that imply favorable editorial treatment; or
use the special issue for commercial solicitation.

Any funding or in-kind support associated with the special issue must be disclosed to the journal before approval and publicly disclosed where relevant.

Financial or institutional support must not influence editorial decisions.

Scheduling and Publication

Approval of a special issue does not guarantee publication on a particular date or with a particular number of articles.

Publication depends on:

receipt of sufficient suitable submissions;
completion of independent peer review;
resolution of ethical or integrity concerns;
author revisions;
editorial approval;
production readiness; and
the journal’s publication schedule.

A special issue must not be filled with unsuitable manuscripts merely to satisfy a planned issue size or deadline.

The journal may:

extend a submission deadline;
close submissions early;
publish fewer articles than anticipated;
divide content across more than one collection;
publish accepted articles within regular issues while labeling the thematic collection;
postpone publication; or
cancel the special issue.

Authors must be informed appropriately when a material change affects their submission.

Labeling and Discoverability

Special issue articles must be clearly identifiable as part of the relevant special issue or thematic collection.

The special issue landing page should display:

the special issue title;
a description of the theme;
the names and affiliations of the Guest Editors;
the dates of submission and publication;
the published articles;
the relationship to the journal’s aims and scope; and
any relevant disclosures concerning sponsorship or associated organizations.

Each article should indicate its special issue status on the article landing page and, where technically possible, in the PDF and metadata.

Special issue labeling must not obscure the journal title, ISSN, DOI, publication date, article type, or normal citation information.

Monitoring and Recordkeeping

The Editorial Office must maintain adequate records concerning:

the original proposal;
approval and revisions to the proposal;
Guest Editor verification;
declarations of conflicts of interest;
written acceptance of Guest Editor responsibilities;
the approved call for papers;
submission and decision records;
reviewer identities and verification;
reviewer reports;
editorial recommendations;
independent handling of conflicted manuscripts;
Guest Editor-authored manuscripts;
the calculated Guest Editor authorship percentage;
integrity concerns and investigations;
changes to the timeline or scope;
final publication approval; and
post-publication actions.

Before publication, the Editor-in-Chief or designated permanent editor should verify that:

all articles fall within the journal’s aims and scope;
the articles are relevant to the special issue;
each eligible manuscript underwent independent external peer review;
conflicts of interest were managed;
Guest Editor-authored articles did not exceed 25%;
required editorial independence statements are present;
special issue content is labeled clearly; and
no unresolved concern makes publication inappropriate.

Modification, Suspension, or Cancellation

JSOMER may revise, suspend, or cancel a special issue when:

the proposal no longer aligns with the journal’s aims and scope;
too few suitable manuscripts are received;
Guest Editors do not fulfill their responsibilities;
required editorial standards are not maintained;
conflicts of interest cannot be managed;
peer-review integrity is at risk;
unreliable reviewer or author identities are detected;
inappropriate solicitation or citation practices occur;
credible research-integrity concerns arise;
deadlines cannot be met responsibly;
legal, ethical, financial, or reputational risks emerge; or
continuing the special issue would undermine trust in the journal.

Cancellation does not automatically determine the outcome of manuscripts already under review.

Subject to author agreement and independent editorial assessment, affected manuscripts may:

continue through the journal’s regular submission track;
be reassigned to another qualified editor;
be withdrawn by the authors; or
be declined when independent and appropriate handling cannot be maintained.

Authors and Guest Editors will be informed of material decisions where appropriate.

Complaints and Appeals

Authors, reviewers, Guest Editors, and other affected parties may raise concerns about:

proposal evaluation;
editorial conduct;
conflicts of interest;
peer-review integrity;
procedural fairness;
special issue cancellation; or
other matters governed by this policy.

Complaints and appeals are handled under the journal’s Complaints and Appeals Policy.

An appeal does not create a right to appointment as Guest Editor, approval of a special issue, external review, acceptance, or publication.

Where a complaint concerns the Editor-in-Chief, the matter must be referred to an independent senior editor or appropriately constituted independent panel.

Post-Publication Responsibilities

Special issue articles are subject to the same post-publication oversight as regular articles.

Credible concerns may result in:

requests for clarification or supporting evidence;
correction;
Expression of Concern;
retraction;
exceptional article removal;
institutional referral;
special issue audit; or
another proportionate action.

If a systematic problem affects several articles, the journal may assess the complete special issue and issue individual or coordinated notices as appropriate.

Guest Editors must cooperate with legitimate post-publication inquiries even after their formal appointment has ended.

Related Policies

This policy should be read together with:

Aims and Scope
Ethical Principles and Publication Policy
Editorial Board Governance Policy
Peer Review Policy
Reviewer Guidelines
Publication Process
Research Ethics and Informed Consent Policy
Research Integrity Policy
Conflicts of Interest Policy
Authorship and Contributorship Policy
Research Data and Reproducibility Policy
Artificial Intelligence Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Complaints and Appeals Policy
Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy
Open Access and Archiving Policy
Price Policy

When a matter is governed by more than one policy, the policies are applied together. The more specific policy governs the relevant procedure without weakening the general ethical requirements of the other applicable policies.

Contact

Special issue proposals, questions, disclosures, and concerns should be directed to:

JSOMER Editorial Office
Email: editor@jsomer.org
Website: https://jsomer.org

No call for papers or Guest Editor appointment should be announced as an official JSOMER special issue before written approval has been provided by the Editor-in-Chief.

Last updated: July 20, 2026