Guest Editors

Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL)

The Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL) welcomes qualified academics, researchers, professionals, and subject-matter experts to serve as Guest Editors for approved Special Issues.

Guest Editors play an important role in developing focused scholarly collections, encouraging high-quality submissions, coordinating the academic review process, and contributing to the scholarly visibility of a Special Issue.

All Guest Editor activities must be conducted in accordance with JEDL's editorial standards, peer-review principles, research-integrity requirements, and publication-ethics policies.

1. Role of a Guest Editor

A Guest Editor is an academic or professional expert appointed to coordinate an approved Special Issue of JEDL.

The Guest Editor works collaboratively with the JEDL Editorial Team to:

  • Develop the Special Issue theme;

  • Define its academic scope;

  • Prepare the Call for Papers;

  • Encourage relevant scholarly submissions;

  • Assist with reviewer identification;

  • Support the peer-review process;

  • Help maintain academic quality;

  • Promote ethical and transparent editorial practices; and

  • Contribute to the successful completion of the Special Issue.

The Guest Editor does not have independent authority to override JEDL editorial policies or guarantee publication.

2. Who Can Become a Guest Editor?

JEDL welcomes applications or expressions of interest from qualified individuals with relevant expertise.

Potential Guest Editors may include:

  • University professors;

  • Associate professors;

  • Assistant professors;

  • Lecturers and researchers;

  • Research scientists;

  • Senior academics;

  • Education professionals;

  • Industry or professional experts with appropriate scholarly expertise;

  • Research-group leaders; and

  • Other recognized specialists in relevant fields.

Candidates should have demonstrated knowledge and experience relevant to the proposed Special Issue theme.

3. Recommended Qualifications

A Guest Editor should normally demonstrate:

  • Relevant academic or professional expertise;

  • Research experience in the proposed subject area;

  • Scholarly publications or other appropriate research contributions;

  • Familiarity with academic peer review;

  • Understanding of research and publication ethics;

  • Ability to communicate effectively with authors and reviewers;

  • Commitment to impartial editorial decision-making; and

  • Ability to work cooperatively with the JEDL Editorial Team.

Possession of a particular academic title or degree does not by itself guarantee appointment.

JEDL evaluates candidates based on the overall suitability of their expertise and experience.

4. Special Issue Proposal

Prospective Guest Editors may propose a Special Issue to JEDL.

A proposal should normally include:

  • Proposed Special Issue title;

  • Theme;

  • Background and rationale;

  • Academic significance;

  • Aims and objectives;

  • Scope;

  • Key topics;

  • Proposed Guest Editor(s);

  • Institutional affiliation;

  • Short academic profile;

  • Expected number of submissions;

  • Proposed article types;

  • Target research community;

  • Proposed Call for Papers;

  • Submission deadline;

  • Proposed review timeline; and

  • Expected publication timeline.

Conference-related proposals should also provide relevant information about the conference or academic event.

5. Appointment Process

The general process may include:

Proposal → Editorial Evaluation → Guest Editor Assessment → Approval → Appointment → Call for Papers → Submission → Peer Review → Final Decisions → Production → Publication

JEDL may request additional information before making an appointment.

Appointment becomes effective only after confirmation by the JEDL Editorial Team.

6. Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are expected to:

Academic Responsibilities

  • Maintain the scholarly quality of the Special Issue;

  • Ensure that submissions are relevant to the approved theme;

  • Encourage high-quality scholarly contributions;

  • Support appropriate reviewer selection; and

  • Help maintain consistency across the collection.

Editorial Responsibilities

  • Coordinate with the JEDL Editorial Team;

  • Assist with manuscript tracking;

  • Monitor review progress;

  • Communicate appropriately with authors and reviewers;

  • Provide recommendations on manuscripts; and

  • Help meet agreed timelines.

Ethical Responsibilities

Guest Editors must:

  • Maintain confidentiality;

  • Declare conflicts of interest;

  • Avoid favoritism;

  • Avoid discriminatory practices;

  • Protect unpublished research;

  • Avoid coercive citation;

  • Respect editorial independence; and

  • Follow JEDL's publication-ethics policies.

7. Editorial Independence

Guest Editors must maintain editorial independence and impartiality.

Manuscripts should be evaluated based on factors such as:

  • Relevance;

  • Originality;

  • Academic quality;

  • Methodological rigor;

  • Research integrity;

  • Significance; and

  • Quality of presentation.

Guest Editors must not accept or reject manuscripts because of:

  • Personal relationships;

  • Institutional affiliation;

  • Nationality;

  • Gender;

  • Religion;

  • Political views;

  • Personal preferences;

  • Commercial interests; or

  • Other irrelevant characteristics.

8. Peer Review Responsibilities

Guest Editors may assist in identifying suitable reviewers for Special Issue submissions.

Reviewers should possess appropriate expertise and should be reasonably independent of the authors.

Guest Editors should consider:

  • Subject expertise;

  • Research methodology;

  • Potential conflicts of interest;

  • Reviewer availability;

  • Previous relationships with authors; and

  • Reviewer suitability.

Reviewer confidentiality must be maintained throughout the process.

9. Final Editorial Decisions

Guest Editors may provide editorial recommendations, but the JEDL Editorial Team retains final editorial authority.

Depending on the established workflow, the final decision may be made by the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Academic Editor, or another designated JEDL editor.

Possible decisions may include:

  • Accept;

  • Minor Revision;

  • Major Revision;

  • Revise and Resubmit; or

  • Reject.

Guest Editors must not promise acceptance to authors before the formal editorial process is completed.

10. Guest Editor's Own Manuscripts

Guest Editors may submit manuscripts to JEDL, including to a Special Issue they coordinate, where appropriate.

However, a Guest Editor must not manage the review or make the final decision on their own manuscript.

Such submissions must be handled independently by an appropriate editor and undergo the required peer-review process.

Guest Editor status does not provide preferential treatment.

11. Conflicts of Interest

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

Potential conflicts may include:

  • Recent co-authorship;

  • Current or recent institutional affiliation;

  • Close personal relationships;

  • Professional collaboration;

  • Financial interests;

  • Competitive interests;

  • Supervisory relationships;

  • Commercial relationships; or

  • Other circumstances that could affect impartiality.

Where a significant conflict exists, JEDL may assign another editor to manage the relevant manuscript.

12. Reviewer Conflicts of Interest

Guest Editors should take reasonable steps to avoid assigning manuscripts to reviewers with significant conflicts of interest.

Reviewers should not be selected solely because they are:

  • Friends or close collaborators of the authors;

  • Direct competitors;

  • Members of the same immediate research group; or

  • Otherwise unable to provide an independent assessment.

13. Avoidance of Coercive Citation

Guest Editors must not require authors to cite:

  • The Guest Editor's publications;

  • JEDL publications;

  • Particular journals;

  • Particular researchers; or

  • Other sources

unless there is a legitimate scholarly reason for the citation.

Citation recommendations should be academically justified and relevant to the manuscript.

14. Research Integrity

Guest Editors share responsibility for protecting the integrity of the Special Issue.

Potential concerns may include:

  • Plagiarism;

  • Duplicate publication;

  • Fabricated data;

  • Falsified data;

  • Manipulated images;

  • Citation manipulation;

  • Authorship disputes;

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest;

  • Misleading claims; and

  • Other research misconduct.

Concerns should be reported to the JEDL Editorial Team and handled according to the applicable JEDL policies.

Guest Editors should not independently conceal or resolve serious research-misconduct allegations without appropriate editorial oversight.

15. Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Guest Editors may use appropriate technological or AI-assisted tools where permitted, but they remain responsible for protecting:

  • Manuscript confidentiality;

  • Reviewer confidentiality;

  • Author data;

  • Unpublished research;

  • Intellectual property; and

  • Editorial integrity.

Confidential manuscript material should not be entered into external AI systems where doing so would compromise confidentiality or violate applicable requirements.

AI systems cannot serve as Guest Editors or make independent editorial decisions.

16. Confidentiality

Guest Editors must treat all unpublished manuscripts and related editorial information as confidential.

They must not:

  • Share manuscripts without authorization;

  • Disclose reviewer identities;

  • Use unpublished information for personal research;

  • Discuss manuscripts with unauthorized individuals; or

  • Distribute editorial correspondence improperly.

Confidentiality obligations continue after completion of the Special Issue.

17. Call for Papers

Guest Editors may assist JEDL in preparing the Special Issue Call for Papers.

The Call should clearly communicate:

  • Special Issue title;

  • Theme;

  • Scope;

  • Topics of interest;

  • Article types;

  • Submission process;

  • Important dates;

  • Peer-review arrangements;

  • Relevant JEDL policies; and

  • Contact information.

Promotional material must not guarantee acceptance or publication.

18. Promoting the Special Issue

Guest Editors are encouraged to promote an approved Special Issue through appropriate academic channels.

Promotion may include:

  • Academic networks;

  • University networks;

  • Research communities;

  • Professional associations;

  • Conferences;

  • Scholarly mailing lists;

  • Academic social-media channels; and

  • Other appropriate scholarly communication channels.

Promotional activities must accurately represent JEDL and the Special Issue.

19. Recruitment of Authors

Guest Editors may invite researchers to contribute to a Special Issue.

Invitations should be based on legitimate academic relevance.

Guest Editors must not pressure researchers to submit manuscripts.

An invitation to contribute does not guarantee acceptance.

All invited manuscripts remain subject to the same applicable editorial and peer-review standards.

20. Conference-Related Special Issues

Guest Editors may coordinate Special Issues associated with conferences, seminars, workshops, or academic events.

For conference-related Special Issues:

  • Conference presentation does not guarantee publication;

  • Manuscripts must meet JEDL requirements;

  • Originality must be verified;

  • Previous publication must be disclosed;

  • Copyright must be respected;

  • Peer review must be conducted; and

  • Final editorial decisions remain under JEDL's authority.

Guest Editors should clearly distinguish conference participation from publication acceptance.

21. Special Issue Size and Quality

Guest Editors should prioritize quality over quantity.

There is no requirement to publish a predetermined number of manuscripts merely to complete a Special Issue.

JEDL may decide to publish a smaller collection if only a limited number of submissions meet the required standards.

Similarly, JEDL may decline manuscripts that do not meet the journal's quality or ethical requirements even when additional papers are needed to complete the collection.

22. Special Issue Editorial

Where appropriate, Guest Editors may prepare an introductory editorial for the Special Issue.

The editorial may:

  • Introduce the theme;

  • Explain its significance;

  • Identify important research directions;

  • Provide context for the collection; and

  • Briefly introduce the published contributions.

The editorial should remain scholarly and objective.

23. Timelines

Guest Editors should work with JEDL to establish realistic timelines for:

  • Special Issue approval;

  • Call for Papers;

  • Submission;

  • Initial screening;

  • Peer review;

  • Revision;

  • Final decisions;

  • Copyediting;

  • Proofreading; and

  • Publication.

Guest Editors should promptly communicate foreseeable delays to the JEDL Editorial Team.

24. Communication with Authors

Guest Editors should communicate with authors professionally and respectfully.

Editorial correspondence should be:

  • Clear;

  • Constructive;

  • Evidence-based;

  • Professional;

  • Non-discriminatory; and

  • Consistent with JEDL policies.

Guest Editors should not make personal or inappropriate comments about authors.

25. Communication with Reviewers

Guest Editors should provide reviewers with:

  • Appropriate manuscript information;

  • Relevant review instructions;

  • Reasonable deadlines;

  • Confidentiality requirements; and

  • Conflict-of-interest guidance.

Reviewer reports should be handled confidentially.

26. No Financial Obligation

Serving as a Guest Editor for JEDL is an academic and scholarly responsibility.

JEDL currently operates without mandatory:

  • APCs;

  • Submission fees;

  • Acceptance fees;

  • Publication fees; or

  • Special Issue publication fees.

Guest Editors should not request publication payments from authors on behalf of JEDL unless formally authorized through an official JEDL policy.

27. Recognition of Guest Editors

JEDL may publicly identify Guest Editors on the Special Issue webpage and in the published Special Issue where appropriate.

The Guest Editor's:

  • Name;

  • Academic affiliation;

  • Professional title;

  • Short biography; and

  • ORCID iD

may be displayed where appropriate and with the individual's consent.

28. Guest Editor Profile

A Guest Editor profile may include:

Name:
Academic/Professional Title:
Institution:
Department:
Country:
Research Interests:
Selected Research Contributions:
ORCID iD:
Short Biography:

Guest Editors should provide accurate and current information.

29. Replacement or Removal of a Guest Editor

JEDL may replace or remove a Guest Editor when necessary, including where:

  • The Guest Editor becomes unavailable;

  • The agreed responsibilities are not fulfilled;

  • A significant conflict of interest arises;

  • Ethical concerns emerge;

  • Confidentiality is breached;

  • Editorial independence is compromised; or

  • The Special Issue requires a change in editorial leadership.

Where practical, JEDL will communicate such changes to the affected Guest Editor.

30. Cancellation or Postponement

JEDL may postpone, merge, or cancel a Special Issue when necessary.

Possible reasons include:

  • Insufficient suitable submissions;

  • Insufficient manuscript quality;

  • Serious ethical concerns;

  • Lack of reviewer availability;

  • Unresolved conflicts of interest;

  • Guest Editor unavailability;

  • Changes in editorial priorities; or

  • Other legitimate circumstances.

31. Guest Editor Agreement

Before beginning formal editorial work, JEDL may require the Guest Editor to confirm agreement with:

  • The Special Issue scope;

  • Editorial responsibilities;

  • Peer-review requirements;

  • Confidentiality obligations;

  • Conflict-of-interest requirements;

  • Publication-ethics standards;

  • Research-integrity requirements; and

  • JEDL's applicable policies.

32. Guest Editor Code of Conduct

Guest Editors are expected to:

  • Act honestly and impartially;

  • Protect confidentiality;

  • Respect authors and reviewers;

  • Avoid discrimination;

  • Avoid conflicts of interest;

  • Avoid preferential treatment;

  • Avoid coercive citation;

  • Maintain research integrity;

  • Respect editorial independence;

  • Follow JEDL policies; and

  • Communicate professionally.

33. Application to Become a Guest Editor

Researchers interested in becoming a Guest Editor may contact the JEDL Editorial Office with a Special Issue proposal.

The proposal should normally include:

  1. Proposed Special Issue title;

  2. Theme and rationale;

  3. Scope and objectives;

  4. Key topics;

  5. Proposed Guest Editor information;

  6. Academic affiliation;

  7. Short biography;

  8. Research interests;

  9. ORCID iD, where available;

  10. Expected number of manuscripts;

  11. Proposed timeline; and

  12. Relevant conference or academic-event information, where applicable.

Proposals are evaluated by the JEDL Editorial Team.

34. Guest Editor Checklist

Before accepting a Guest Editor role, prospective Guest Editors should confirm:

  • I have relevant expertise in the proposed theme.

  • I understand JEDL's Special Issue Policy.

  • I agree to maintain editorial independence.

  • I will protect manuscript confidentiality.

  • I will disclose conflicts of interest.

  • I will recommend qualified reviewers.

  • I will not guarantee publication.

  • I will not pressure authors to cite particular publications.

  • I will follow JEDL's research-integrity requirements.

  • I will follow JEDL's AI and confidentiality requirements.

  • I will communicate professionally with authors and reviewers.

  • I will work collaboratively with the JEDL Editorial Team.

  • I understand that final editorial authority remains with JEDL.

35. Related JEDL Policies

Guest Editors should carefully review:

  • Special Issue Policy;

  • Call for Papers;

  • Author Guidelines;

  • Submission Guidelines;

  • Submission Checklist;

  • Peer Review Policy;

  • Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy;

  • Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy;

  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy;

  • Conflict of Interest Policy;

  • AI & Generative AI Policy;

  • Research Data Policy;

  • Copyright & Licensing Policy;

  • Open Access Policy; and

  • Retraction & Correction Policy.

36. Contact

Researchers interested in proposing a Special Issue or serving as a Guest Editor may contact:

Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL)
Publisher: Education and Development Lab
Editorial Office: editor@jedl.us

Please include “Guest Editor / Special Issue Proposal” in the subject line of your communication.

Final Statement

JEDL values the contribution of Guest Editors to the development of focused and high-quality scholarly collections.

Guest Editors are expected to uphold the principles of academic quality, editorial independence, transparency, confidentiality, fairness, research integrity, and publication ethics.

Serving as a Guest Editor is a position of scholarly responsibility and does not provide authority to bypass JEDL's editorial, peer-review, ethical, or publication requirements.

Guest Editor appointment does not guarantee publication of any manuscript, including invited submissions.