Governed thematic collections
Special Issues
JBBS welcomes proposals for focused collections addressing important developments across biotechnology and biomedical science. Researchers with suitable expertise are invited to submit a proposal for editorial review.
Editorial and peer-review safeguards
- A verified scope, timetable and Guest Editor appointment.
- The same ethics and reporting standards as regular articles.
- Independent reviewers and documented conflict controls.
- Editorial decisions remain independent of invitation, payment and proposal approval.
On this page
Propose a Special Issue
Proposals should define a timely scholarly theme, explain its relevance to JBBS, identify qualified Guest Editor candidates and provide a workable publication schedule. The editorial office reviews each proposal for scope, expertise, feasibility, conflicts of interest and research-integrity requirements.
What a Special Issue is
A Special Issue is a time-limited collection focused on a defined question within the journal’s scope. It applies the same editorial, peer-review, ethics and reporting standards as regular submissions. Editorial decisions remain independent of proposal approval, Guest Editor service and payment.
What a proposal must contain
- A title, concise scholarly rationale and a clear boundary against the regular journal scope.
- Proposed article types and the researcher or reader communities served.
- Names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, CVs and relevant publication records for every proposed Guest Editor, with evidence of consent.
- Proposed opening, submission-closing and completion dates.
- Likely contributor communities without promised acceptances or invited-paper guarantees.
- All conflicts, funding and sponsorship, plus any research-integrity or data risks specific to the topic.
Guest Editor eligibility and checks
Guest Editors must have current, on-scope expertise and a verifiable institutional identity and publication record. The editorial office verifies identity, affiliation, ORCID where available, conflicts, consent and capacity before appointment. A proposal may be revised or declined if the topic, leadership or timetable cannot support an independently reviewed collection.
Editorial safeguards
- Regular scope, ethics, data and reporting checks apply to every manuscript.
- Qualified reviewers are selected independently for subject and methodological expertise.
- A Guest Editor recuses from their own work and from manuscripts involving close collaborators, their institution or another material conflict.
- Confidential files remain limited to authorized editorial and review participants.
- Suspected misconduct is escalated under the Editorial Policies.
- The editorial office retains oversight and the responsible unconflicted editor makes the final decision.
- The standard APC is the same as for a regular article and is considered only after acceptance.
Amendment, cancellation and closure
The journal may narrow, postpone, cancel or close a collection if leadership changes, conflicts cannot be managed, submission quality or volume is insufficient, deadlines become unreliable, or integrity concerns arise. Accepted articles remain identified as peer-reviewed journal articles; the collection label does not imply endorsement of every conclusion.
Send a Special Issue proposal
Include the proposed theme, rationale, Guest Editor details, schedule and conflict disclosures for editorial review.
Before preparing a proposal, review the Aims & Scope. Approved collections identify their scholarly theme, Guest Editor leadership, schedule and editorial safeguards.