- Special issues
- Proposals welcome
Propose a Special Issue
The In-vitro In-vivo In-silico Journal welcomes proposals for focused collections that address important questions in drug discovery, development and delivery. Researchers with relevant expertise are invited to review the proposal requirements and contact the editorial office.
Who can propose
Proposals are welcome from researchers, clinicians and groups with recognized expertise in the proposed topic, including members of the journal’s Editorial Board. A guest-editor team usually brings together complementary disciplines or institutions, and names one lead guest editor as the contact for the editorial office.
A special issue should address a defined question within the journal’s Aims and Scope, which covers the discovery, development and delivery of new drugs through in-vitro, in-vivo and in-silico approaches.
Proposal contents
A concise proposal covering the items below allows the editors to assess the topic, the team and the plan for the collection.
A working title and a short description of the collection.
Why the topic merits a focused collection now, and its relevance to drug discovery, development or delivery.
The questions the collection will address, with illustrative topics.
Names, affiliations, ORCID iDs and a brief statement of each guest editor’s expertise.
A declaration of any financial or non-financial interests relevant to the topic.
How contributions will be invited, the article types expected, and a proposed schedule for the call.
Safeguards for guest-edited collections
Special-issue manuscripts follow the same editorial screening and peer review as regular submissions. Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Manuscripts authored by a guest editor, or by authors with whom a guest editor has a conflict of interest, are handled by an independent editor of the journal. The guest editor takes no part in their review or decision.
Guest-edited content is clearly labeled as part of the special issue, with the guest editors named.
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. Special-issue articles follow the journal’s standard article processing charge terms.
From proposal to publication
- 1ProposalThe lead guest editor sends the proposal to the editorial office.
- 2AssessmentThe editors assess scope, rationale, team and plan, and may suggest changes.
- 3Call publishedAn approved special issue is announced on the journal website with its call for papers.
- 4Peer reviewEach submission is screened and reviewed under the journal’s standard process.
- 5PublicationAccepted articles are published open access under CC BY 4.0 and labeled as part of the collection.
Send a special-issue proposal
Send the proposal, or a short outline for initial discussion, to the editorial office at info@openaccesspub.org.