Special Issues (SI) of Business & Society play an important role in achieving the Journal’s aims. The co-editors of Business & Society actively encourage SI proposals that advance those aims. Given the expanding nature of the business and society field, the Journal will normally publish atleast two SIs each year. We will review proposals on March 1st and September 1st.
1. Content
Each SI should meet at least one of the following criteria:
□ Advance an underdeveloped or emerging area of research in the field (either theory-or phenomenon-driven) that has a high potential for theoretical, empirical, or practical contribution to the field of business and society.
□ Revisit an existing area of widely read research in the field, which needs redefinition, reevaluation, or redirection.
□ Bring high-quality research from disciplines outside of management, or from sub-disciplines of management beyond the business and society field, where it has a high potential to enrich conversations in our field and build the Journal’s scholarly community.
Preference will be given to SI proposals that, in the editors’ view, are likely to: attract high-quality submissions; make a significant impact on the field; expand the field of business and society; and be helmed by a high-quality editorial team.
2. Proposal
Potential guest editors with plans for a SI that meets at least one of these criteria should submit to the Business & Society co-editors a proposal of 1000-2000 words which includes:(i) a basic case for the SI, specifying how the relevant selection criteria will be addressed; (ii) some indication of the likely pool of submitters to the SI; (iii) a list of potential reviewers; (iv) an indicative timeline, including any conferences or developmental workshops associated withthe SI; (v) a brief summary of the relevant qualifications of the proposed guest editors.
Proposals should be sent to bas@businessandsociety.org
3. Guest editors
A SI should normally be edited by no less than two and no more than four or five guest editors. A team of guest editors should meet the following criteria:
□ Proven track record of publications in the top-tier journals of their respective fields
□ Proven and published expertise in the relevant area of the SI
□ A track record of editing academic publications
□ Business & Society also actively encourages editorial teams to reflect diversity in institutions, countries, viewpoints, and demographics, where possible.
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4. Process
The role and responsibilities of guest editors are the same as those of associate editors of Business & Society (see ‘Guidelines for Associate Editors’). Additionally, the following guidelines apply:
□ Prospective SI editors are strongly encouraged to consider including developmental stages in the SI process beyond the formal review. This may include, for example, workshops or feedback on proposals prior to the submission deadline, or workshops with authors who receive R&R decisions to the SI. Plans for such activities should be clearly stated in the SI proposal. Such activities are not ordinarily funded by Business & Society.
□ No more than one reviewer per manuscript may be chosen from the submitters to the SI. All potential conflicts of interest should be considered by the guest editors.
□ Guest editors of the special issue are not permitted to submit manuscripts to the SI.
□ Guest editors will write an introduction to the SI, which should be between 4000 and 8000 words. Normally, the introduction should go substantially beyond a mere summary of the papers published in the SI, map out the SI’s topic, and be written as an academic paper that advances the conversation on the SI theme and meets the scholarly standards of Business & Society. The introductory paper will be sent to the Business & Society co-editors no later than two months after the acceptance of the papers. The editors will provide developmental feedback to help the guest editors refine the paper.
5. Outcome
A special issue normally contains five or six papers, similar to a regular issue of Business & Society. However, the review process should not be influenced by this final number. If the number of accepted manuscripts exceeds five, a larger or double issue may be considered. If the number of quality manuscripts is fewer than five, the SI can also be published as a shorter special-topic forum in a regular issue of Business & Society. SI editors should inform the editors of the likely numbers of acceptances during the review process.
6. Role of Business & Society co-editors
All SI teams will be allocated one Business & Society co-editor as a principal liaison. The role of the co-editor is to provide guidance and advice throughout the review process and to ensure that the accepted manuscripts meet the Business & Society standards for publication.
7. Acknowledgement of reviewers
In the introduction to the SI, guest editors should acknowledge and list by name all reviewers who contributed to the SI’s review process.
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Punit Arora
Prof
City University of New York Graduate Center
New York NY
2122561307
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