Special Topics are collections of articles advancing a novel debate, idea, or field. Ideas for new Special Topics may come from a variety of sources, like suggestions of the Editorial Board or scientists working in the field. Scholars who are interested in publishing a Special Topic with us are advised to consider the following guidelines.

Proposal of a Special Topic

Guest Editor is required to prepare a proposal for the Special Topic which should involve the following information:

• Special Topic title;

• An introduction (about 200-300 words) and 3-6 keywords of the Special Topic;

• An outlined time frame;

• Potential author list for the Special Topic.

Editorial Office will assess the proposal and officially release the Special Topic online if it is approved by the Editorial Office and the Editor-in-Chief.

Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are expected to:

• provide a short introduction, an image, and other necessary information for the Special Topic;

• provide a table of contents for the Special Topic if possible;

• draft a Call for Papers invitation;

• recommend and/or invite contributors;

• make recommendations to the Editor-in-Chief on Special Topic articles and ensure the quality of the Special Topic publication;

• write an Editorial to summarize the content and rationale of the Special Topic.

Notices for Authors

Authors who are invited or intend to publish in a Special Topic should pay attention to the following items:

• Read Editorial Policies and Author Instructions carefully, ensuring the manuscript meets all requirements before submission;

• Submit the manuscript by the deadline. Overdue submissions may be excluded from the Special Topic and processed as regular submissions;

• Submit the manuscript via the Online Submission System;

• Indicate "This article is for the Special Topic XXXX" in cover letter when submitting;

• Note that being invited to contribute a paper to a Special Topic is not a guarantee of publication.

Special Topic articles undergo the same high-standard editorial procedure as other submissions.
Regarding Special Topic paper, after passing the initial check of the Managing Editor, the manuscript will be successively assigned to the Assistant Editor, Guest Editor, and then to the Editor-in-Chief, or a Section Editor in the case of a conflict of interest for the Editor-in-Chief to review. The Editor-in-Chief or the Section Editor may reject manuscripts that they deem highly unlikely to pass peer review without further consultation. Once the manuscript has passed the editorial assessment, the Assistant Editor will start to organize peer-review.

Peer-Review and Editorial Procedure

All Special Topic articles are subject to rigorous and impartial peer-review like other regular submissions. Guest Editors supervise the editorial process of all Special Topic articles and make recommendations on them comprehensively based on all review comments. Guest Editors are welcome to recommend reviewers for submission before peer review. Guest Editors are required to have no conflicts of interest with authors whose work they are assessing. For more information on OAE editorial handling, please refer to Peer Review Guidelines and Editorial Process.