IUBMB Guidelines for Focused Meeting Guest Editors

General Information

Organizers of IUBMB Special Meetings are requested to submit a proposal for a Special Issue based on their meeting.  Proposals should be submitted to the IUBMB Publications Portfolio 6 months before your event.  The content can be modified based on outstanding presentations at our event.

Your Special Issue proposal should include:

• A tentative title
• A brief explanation (half page) of the importance and relevance of the topic and how it would fit with the IUBMB journals (IUBMB Life, BioFactors or BAB), as well as a discussion of the proposed organization. Please note that the topic and scope should reflect the overall orientation and thematic focus of the journal and its worldwide readership (e.g., a topic that has limited geographic or topical relevance might not be appropriate for the relatively broad scope of the journals.)
• A draft table of contents, including a list of all confirmed authors, the tentative titles of their manuscripts (research or review articles), 5 possible reviewers/manuscript (who should not be contributors themselves to the Special Issue) as well as the names, addresses etc. of all Guest Editors (GE; max 3). The Special Issue should consist of 5-20 research and/or review articles. When crafting the table of contents, please take care to reflect IUBMB’s mission diversity in terms of geography, gender, and expertise.

Fit for the journal

• You may propose a Special Issue for any of the 3 IUBMB journals (IUBMB Life, BioFactors & BAB). The final decision will be made by the Special Issues Associate Editor with consultation with the Editors in Chief, based on quality, fit, existing editorial pipeline, and timeline.

 

Core Responsibilities

The core responsibility of the Special Issue Guest Editor is to shape conceptually the Special Issue, and specifically

1. to commission and manage submissions;
2. to manage the peer review, along with the Special Issue Associate Editor;
3. to write a mini-review of the topic, in lieu of an editorial, that would contextualize the topic (maximum 2 pages having less than 10 references), and
4. upon publication, participate actively in the marketing of the special issue.

 

Commissioning and Managing Submissions

• Creating a call for papers (~ ½-1 page), defining the scope of the Special Issue and outlining the parameters (e.g., length, type, deadlines, etc.). This call should be shared with authors as part of the invitation, along with standard author guidelines.
• Inviting authors: Recruiting authors works best if the Guest Editor invites potential approved authors personally. (Publication is still contingent on peer review.)
• Logistical support can be provided by the Managing Editor at Wiley, including with providing a timeline, assisting with inviting authors and sending reminders, and support throughout the peer review and post-acceptance processes.

 

Peer Review

• The Guest Editor will be responsible for inviting the pre-approved reviewers, aiming to secure at least 2 external reviews, to be delivered within 14 days from receipt of manuscript, and serving as the 3^rd
• Thus, upon reviewing the peer reviewed and revised manuscripts, the Guest Editor will then forward her or his recommendation to the Special Issue Guest Editor.
• The Guest Editor must ensure that
  • peer review is performed at the highest possible scientific level;
  • Is fair and not biased, and free of personal prejudice;
  • Is done in a timely fashion, i.e., sent to the Special Issues Associate Editor with the reviews and recommendation in less than 4 weeks after the receipt of the manuscript.

 

• To ensure the integrity and highest possible quality of the peer review process, the Special Issue Guest Editor will oversee the peer review process.

 

* We recommend inviting several reviewers (~5) to ensure the efficiency and timeliness of the process. If all pre-approved reviewers decline, please consult with the Special Issues Associate Editor.
** If major revisions required, the Guest Editor can send back the manuscript for revisions before forwarding to Special Issues Associate Editor.

 

Timeline

Submission	Within 3 months after the Focused Meeting
Peer review	2-4 weeks
Final Decision	4-5 weeks

 

*** Articles will be published online immediately after approval, allowing authors to disseminate their work more quickly; the whole issue will be compiled after all submissions have been accepted.

 

Special Issue Promotion

We ask you to actively promote your Special Issue. Some ways in which you can help include

• placing the call for papers on your faculty website or publicizing it through your personal network;
• promote the call and the journals in your presentations; we can provide you with a promotional slide;
• after publication, promote the issue online and at conferences and presentations.