Special Issue Policy

1. Purpose

The Journal of Education and Development Lab (JEDL) may publish Special Issues to provide focused scholarly collections on significant, emerging, interdisciplinary, or timely topics within the journal's scope.

Special Issues may bring together high-quality original research, review articles, conceptual studies, methodological contributions, case studies, and other appropriate scholarly works addressing a clearly defined theme.

The purpose of a Special Issue is to:

  • Promote scholarly discussion on a focused research theme;

  • Bring together researchers working in related areas;

  • Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration;

  • Highlight emerging research and developments;

  • Support scholarly communities and academic events;

  • Provide a coherent collection of high-quality research; and

  • Contribute to the advancement of knowledge within the relevant field.

All Special Issues remain subject to JEDL's editorial standards, peer-review requirements, publication-ethics policies, and quality-control procedures.

2. Scope of Special Issues

A proposed Special Issue should have a clear academic theme that is relevant to the scope of JEDL.

Possible themes may include, but are not limited to:

  • Education and educational development;

  • Artificial intelligence and education;

  • Educational technology;

  • Digital learning and transformation;

  • Teaching and learning;

  • Educational leadership and policy;

  • History and cultural studies;

  • Literature and language;

  • Social sciences;

  • Development studies;

  • Information and library studies;

  • Interdisciplinary research;

  • Emerging technologies and society; and

  • Other academically relevant themes approved by the JEDL Editorial Team.

A Special Issue should have sufficient scholarly relevance and potential to attract quality submissions.

3. Types of Special Issues

JEDL may consider several types of Special Issues, including:

3.1 Thematic Special Issues

A collection of scholarly articles focused on a specific research topic or emerging area.

3.2 Interdisciplinary Special Issues

A collection bringing together research from multiple academic disciplines around a common theme.

3.3 Conference-Related Special Issues

Selected scholarly contributions arising from academic conferences, seminars, symposia, workshops, or similar events may be considered for publication as a Special Issue.

Conference participation or presentation does not automatically guarantee publication.

All manuscripts must satisfy JEDL's editorial and peer-review requirements.

3.4 Invited Special Issues

JEDL may invite qualified scholars or academic organizations to develop a Special Issue around an approved theme.

3.5 Emerging Research Special Issues

JEDL may establish Special Issues addressing emerging technologies, new research directions, significant educational developments, or other rapidly evolving areas.

4. Special Issue Proposal

Individuals or organizations interested in proposing a Special Issue should provide sufficient information for editorial evaluation.

A proposal should normally include:

  • Proposed Special Issue title;

  • Theme and rationale;

  • Background and academic significance;

  • Aims and objectives;

  • Scope and key topics;

  • Proposed Guest Editor(s);

  • Institutional affiliation of Guest Editor(s);

  • Short academic profile of Guest Editor(s);

  • Expected number of manuscripts;

  • Proposed article types;

  • Proposed Call for Papers;

  • Target research community;

  • Proposed submission deadline;

  • Proposed review period;

  • Expected publication timeline; and

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

Additional information may be requested by the JEDL Editorial Team.

5. Evaluation and Approval

All Special Issue proposals are subject to editorial evaluation.

The JEDL Editorial Team may consider:

  • Relevance to the journal's scope;

  • Academic significance of the proposed theme;

  • Originality and timeliness;

  • Potential scholarly contribution;

  • Qualifications of the proposed Guest Editor(s);

  • Feasibility of the proposed timeline;

  • Potential conflicts of interest;

  • Ethical considerations;

  • Expected quality of submissions; and

  • Alignment with JEDL's publication policies.

Approval of a proposal does not constitute acceptance of any individual manuscript.

JEDL reserves the right to decline, modify, postpone, merge, or discontinue a proposed Special Issue where appropriate.

6. Guest Editors

Special Issues may be coordinated by one or more Guest Editors.

Guest Editors should have appropriate academic or professional expertise relevant to the proposed theme.

Guest Editors are expected to:

  • Help develop the Special Issue theme;

  • Assist in preparing the Call for Papers;

  • Promote the Special Issue within appropriate academic communities;

  • Recommend suitable reviewers;

  • Assist with editorial coordination;

  • Maintain confidentiality;

  • Declare conflicts of interest;

  • Apply consistent scholarly standards;

  • Support ethical and transparent peer review; and

  • Work in cooperation with the JEDL Editorial Team.

Guest Editors do not have unilateral authority to accept manuscripts.

Final publication decisions remain under the authority of the JEDL Editorial Team or designated Editor.

7. Guest Editor Qualifications

A Guest Editor should normally demonstrate:

  • Relevant academic or professional expertise;

  • Scholarly or research experience in the proposed field;

  • Familiarity with peer review and publication ethics;

  • Ability to manage an academic collection responsibly; and

  • Commitment to JEDL's editorial standards.

JEDL may appoint multiple Guest Editors where a theme is interdisciplinary or requires expertise across several areas.

8. Call for Papers

An approved Special Issue may be promoted through an official Call for Papers.

The Call for Papers should clearly state:

  • Special Issue title;

  • Theme;

  • Scope;

  • Topics of interest;

  • Eligible article types;

  • Submission procedure;

  • Submission deadline;

  • Expected publication timeline;

  • Peer-review requirements;

  • Relevant author guidelines;

  • Ethical requirements; and

  • Contact information.

The Call for Papers must not imply guaranteed acceptance or publication.

9. Submission of Manuscripts

Manuscripts for Special Issues should normally be submitted through the JEDL online submission system.

Authors must comply with:

  • Author Guidelines;

  • Submission Guidelines;

  • Submission Checklist;

  • Research Data Policy;

  • Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy;

  • Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy;

  • Authorship & Contributorship Policy;

  • Conflict of Interest Policy;

  • AI & Generative AI Policy; and

  • Copyright & Licensing Policy.

Special Issue submissions are treated as scholarly manuscripts and must meet the same fundamental standards of research integrity and academic quality expected by JEDL.

10. Peer Review

All Special Issue manuscripts are subject to appropriate editorial assessment and peer review.

The review process may include:

  1. Initial editorial screening;

  2. Scope and relevance assessment;

  3. Originality and research-integrity checks;

  4. Reviewer selection;

  5. Peer review;

  6. Author revision;

  7. Additional review where necessary; and

  8. Final editorial decision.

Guest Editors may participate in the editorial process, but peer-review standards must remain independent and consistent.

11. Reviewer Selection

Reviewers should have appropriate expertise relevant to the manuscript.

Where possible, reviewers should be independent of:

  • The authors;

  • The authors' immediate research group;

  • Institutions with direct conflicts;

  • Funding interests that could affect impartiality; and

  • Other relationships that could compromise objective evaluation.

Reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

12. Editorial Independence

Special Issues must maintain the same editorial integrity as regular JEDL publications.

Guest Editors, authors, reviewers, conference organizers, institutions, sponsors, or other parties must not improperly influence editorial decisions.

Acceptance must be based on scholarly merit and compliance with JEDL's policies.

Conference organizers or Special Issue sponsors cannot guarantee publication of submitted manuscripts.

13. Conflict of Interest

All Guest Editors, authors, and reviewers must disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

A conflict may arise from:

  • Personal relationships;

  • Professional relationships;

  • Institutional affiliations;

  • Financial interests;

  • Collaborative relationships;

  • Competitive relationships; or

  • Other circumstances that could reasonably affect impartiality.

Where a Guest Editor has a conflict involving a submitted manuscript, the manuscript should be handled independently by another qualified editor.

14. Guest Editor Submissions

Guest Editors may submit their own manuscripts to a Special Issue they coordinate, provided that appropriate safeguards are established.

Such manuscripts must undergo an independent editorial and peer-review process.

A Guest Editor must not make the final editorial decision on their own manuscript.

Guest Editor status does not provide preferential treatment.

15. Conference Proceedings and Special Issues

JEDL may collaborate with conferences and academic events to publish selected scholarly contributions as Special Issues or conference-related collections.

Conference-related manuscripts must meet JEDL's publication standards.

The following principles apply:

  • Conference presentation does not guarantee publication;

  • Manuscripts may require substantial development beyond a conference abstract or presentation;

  • Duplicate publication must be avoided;

  • Previous conference publication must be disclosed;

  • Copyright and permissions must be respected;

  • Appropriate peer review must be conducted; and

  • The final publication must clearly identify its relationship to the conference where appropriate.

16. Previously Published Conference Papers

A conference paper that has already been formally published cannot simply be republished as a JEDL article.

An expanded version may be considered where:

  • The original publication is properly disclosed;

  • Copyright permits further publication;

  • The manuscript contains substantial new scholarly contribution;

  • The relationship to the earlier work is clearly explained; and

  • The submission satisfies JEDL's originality and publication-ethics requirements.

Authors are responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions.

17. Originality and Duplicate Publication

Special Issue manuscripts must be original contributions.

Authors must not submit substantially identical manuscripts to JEDL and another journal simultaneously.

Duplicate publication, redundant publication, text recycling, or undisclosed reuse of previously published material may result in editorial action under JEDL's research-integrity policies.

18. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

Special Issue manuscripts may be screened for plagiarism, inappropriate text overlap, fabricated data, falsified information, manipulated results, citation manipulation, and other forms of research misconduct.

Suspected misconduct may result in:

  • Editorial inquiry;

  • Request for clarification;

  • Rejection;

  • Withdrawal;

  • Correction;

  • Retraction; or

  • Other appropriate action.

JEDL follows its Plagiarism & Research Misconduct Policy and Publication Ethics & Malpractice Policy when handling such concerns.

19. Authorship

Authorship must reflect genuine scholarly contribution.

Guest Editors, conference organizers, supervisors, institutional representatives, sponsors, or other individuals must not be added as authors merely because of their organizational or administrative role.

All authors must satisfy applicable authorship criteria and approve the final manuscript.

Changes to authorship after submission must be properly justified and documented.

20. Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Authors may use AI or generative AI tools responsibly where appropriate, subject to JEDL's AI & Generative AI Policy.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors.

Authors remain responsible for:

  • Accuracy;

  • Originality;

  • Research integrity;

  • Citations;

  • Confidentiality;

  • Copyright compliance; and

  • The final submitted work.

Material use of AI should be disclosed where required.

Guest Editors and reviewers must also protect confidential manuscript information when using AI-assisted tools.

21. Research Ethics

Special Issue manuscripts involving human participants, personal data, sensitive information, animals, or other ethically regulated research must comply with applicable ethical requirements.

Where required, authors should provide information concerning:

  • Ethical approval;

  • Institutional review;

  • Informed consent;

  • Participant confidentiality; and

  • Other relevant ethical safeguards.

Ethical requirements are not waived because a manuscript originates from a conference or Special Issue.

22. Research Data

Authors are encouraged to provide a Data Availability Statement where applicable.

Research data should be shared responsibly when ethically, legally, and practically possible.

Confidential, sensitive, proprietary, or otherwise restricted data do not need to be publicly disclosed where doing so would violate legitimate ethical, legal, privacy, or institutional requirements.

Authors should explain significant restrictions on data availability.

23. Copyright and Permissions

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all submitted material complies with applicable copyright and licensing requirements.

Permission should be obtained where necessary for:

  • Figures;

  • Tables;

  • Photographs;

  • Images;

  • Maps;

  • Extended quotations;

  • Third-party datasets; and

  • Other copyrighted materials.

Conference organizers or Guest Editors do not automatically own the copyright to submitted manuscripts.

24. Publication Fees

JEDL currently does not charge:

  • Article Processing Charges (APC);

  • Submission fees;

  • Acceptance fees;

  • Mandatory Special Issue fees; or

  • Mandatory publication fees.

Special Issue publication does not create a separate mandatory publication charge for authors.

Any exceptional administrative arrangement, if ever proposed, must be transparently communicated and approved through appropriate JEDL procedures.

25. No Guaranteed Publication

Participation in a Special Issue, invitation to submit, conference presentation, Guest Editor recommendation, or institutional affiliation does not guarantee publication.

Every manuscript remains subject to appropriate editorial assessment and peer review.

26. Timeline

A Special Issue may establish a proposed timeline covering:

  • Call for Papers;

  • Manuscript submission;

  • Initial screening;

  • Peer review;

  • Revision;

  • Final decisions;

  • Copyediting;

  • Proofreading; and

  • Publication.

Timelines are indicative and may change due to reviewer availability, manuscript quality, editorial workload, or other circumstances.

27. Number of Articles

There is no fixed minimum or maximum number of articles required for every Special Issue.

The final size may depend on:

  • Quality of submissions;

  • Relevance to the theme;

  • Successful peer review;

  • Editorial capacity; and

  • The overall coherence of the collection.

JEDL may decide not to publish a Special Issue if an insufficient number of suitable manuscripts are available.

28. Organization of the Special Issue

A published Special Issue may contain:

  • Editorial or introductory article;

  • Original research articles;

  • Review articles;

  • Conceptual papers;

  • Case studies;

  • Methodological papers; and

  • Other approved scholarly contributions.

The final structure is determined by the JEDL Editorial Team.

29. Special Issue Editorial

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

The editorial should:

  • Introduce the theme;

  • Explain the scholarly significance;

  • Provide context for the collection;

  • Highlight major research directions; and

  • Introduce the contributions without improperly influencing their interpretation.

Guest Editors should not use the editorial to promote undisclosed commercial, political, institutional, or personal interests.

30. Withdrawal or Cancellation of a Special Issue

JEDL may withdraw, postpone, merge, or cancel a Special Issue when necessary, including where:

  • The number of suitable manuscripts is insufficient;

  • Manuscript quality does not meet required standards;

  • Serious ethical concerns arise;

  • Editorial resources become unavailable;

  • Conflicts of interest cannot be adequately managed;

  • The proposed theme is no longer appropriate; or

  • Other legitimate editorial circumstances arise.

Authors should be informed where a decision materially affects their submissions.

31. Post-Publication Responsibilities

After publication, articles in a Special Issue remain subject to JEDL's normal post-publication policies.

These may include procedures for:

  • Corrections;

  • Retractions;

  • Expressions of concern;

  • Author corrections;

  • Editorial notices;

  • Research-integrity investigations; and

  • Updates to metadata or publication records.

Special Issue status does not provide exemption from post-publication editorial oversight.

32. Special Issue Archiving and Preservation

Published Special Issues should be maintained within JEDL's normal digital publishing and preservation framework, subject to the journal's available infrastructure and preservation arrangements.

Article-level metadata and publication records should be maintained consistently with JEDL's normal publishing practices.

33. Responsibilities of the JEDL Editorial Team

The JEDL Editorial Team is responsible for maintaining:

  • Editorial independence;

  • Peer-review integrity;

  • Research integrity;

  • Appropriate conflict-of-interest management;

  • Publication-ethics standards;

  • Consistent application of journal policies; and

  • Final editorial oversight.

The Editorial Team may intervene in the management of a Special Issue where necessary to protect the quality and integrity of the journal.

34. Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are expected to:

  • Act impartially;

  • Maintain confidentiality;

  • Avoid conflicts of interest;

  • Recommend qualified reviewers;

  • Avoid coercive citation practices;

  • Avoid preferential treatment;

  • Follow JEDL policies;

  • Protect unpublished manuscript information;

  • Respect editorial independence; and

  • Cooperate with the JEDL Editorial Team.

Guest Editors should not pressure authors to cite their own publications, the Guest Editor's publications, or JEDL publications without legitimate scholarly justification.

35. Responsibilities of Authors

Authors participating in a Special Issue must:

  • Submit original work;

  • Provide accurate information;

  • Follow JEDL's submission requirements;

  • Disclose relevant conflicts of interest;

  • Report funding accurately;

  • Provide appropriate ethical information;

  • Follow data-sharing requirements where applicable;

  • Disclose relevant prior publication;

  • Obtain necessary permissions;

  • Respond appropriately to reviewers; and

  • Take responsibility for the integrity of their work.

36. Responsibilities of Reviewers

Reviewers must:

  • Maintain confidentiality;

  • Evaluate manuscripts objectively;

  • Identify potential ethical concerns;

  • Declare conflicts of interest;

  • Avoid using unpublished information for personal advantage;

  • Provide constructive comments; and

  • Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe where possible.

37. Academic and Institutional Partnerships

JEDL may collaborate with universities, research institutions, professional organizations, conferences, academic networks, and other scholarly bodies in developing Special Issues.

Such collaboration does not alter JEDL's editorial independence or peer-review requirements.

Institutional partnership does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

38. Special Issue Branding and Promotion

Approved Special Issues may be promoted through appropriate JEDL communication channels.

Promotional materials should accurately represent:

  • The Special Issue theme;

  • Submission requirements;

  • Important dates;

  • Editorial arrangements;

  • Publication conditions; and

  • JEDL's peer-review process.

Promotional content must not make misleading claims about acceptance, indexing, citation performance, or publication guarantees.

39. Policy Compliance

All Special Issue participants—including authors, Guest Editors, reviewers, and collaborating organizations—are expected to comply with applicable JEDL policies.

Where a Special Issue involves additional requirements, those requirements must be communicated clearly to participants.

Failure to comply with JEDL policies may result in appropriate editorial action.

40. Final Authority

The JEDL Editorial Team retains final authority over:

  • Special Issue approval;

  • Appointment or replacement of Guest Editors;

  • Manuscript eligibility;

  • Peer-review arrangements;

  • Editorial decisions;

  • Publication scheduling;

  • Special Issue structure; and

  • Post-publication actions.

No Guest Editor, conference organizer, institution, sponsor, or external party may override the journal's editorial and research-integrity requirements.

41. Final Statement

JEDL welcomes well-designed Special Issues that make a meaningful scholarly contribution and encourage collaboration among researchers, educators, practitioners, and academic communities.

Special Issues are intended to maintain the same standards of quality, originality, transparency, peer review, research integrity, and publication ethics expected of all JEDL publications.

Approval of a Special Issue or invitation to contribute does not guarantee publication. All manuscripts must independently satisfy the applicable editorial, peer-review, ethical, and publication requirements of JEDL.

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