GUIDELINES FOR SPECIAL ISSUES

A JIBS Special Issue is a solicited and refereed collection of Articles and Research Notes on a predetermined theme that is published in the Journal of International Business Studies. JIBS Special Issues are designed to draw attention to under-researched or controversial topics or to new emerging themes in international business. Special Issues should attract high-quality submissions from influential scholars who are experts in the predetermined theme. Since Special Issues, by definition, privilege one group of authors (those who work in the area of the theme) over another (those who do not), the theme should be broad enough to attract a large number of submissions across a range of specialized areas in international business research. The ultimate goal of a JIBS Special Issue should be the encouragement of insightful and influential research, in line with the JIBS Statement of Editorial Policy.

This guide outlines the step-by-step process by which a Special Issue is created for, and eventually published in, the Journal of International Business Studies. Top

How Special Issues Start

The ultimate decision to solicit manuscripts for a Special Issue resides with the JIBS Editor in Chief. The impetus for a Special Issue may come from the Journal's editorial team or any member of the Academy of International Business. Special Issues may be solicited or unsolicited. Unsolicited proposals often begin as informal, written proposals (1-3 pages) to the Editor in Chief. On receiving an informal proposal, the Editor in Chief normally considers it in consultation with the JIBS editorial team. If the Editor in Chief decides to proceed, the submitter of the informal proposal is asked to develop a formal proposal. The Editor in Chief may also solicit proposals for a Special Issue, for example, by announcing a Call for Proposals with a specific due date or on a specific theme.

Top

Formal Proposal

The formal proposal names the Special Issue and thoroughly describes its domain, including examples of topics and ideas for articles that would fit the theme of the Special Issue.

The formal proposal identifies the team of individuals who will serve as Guest Editors. The team members must be recognized widely for their scholarly accomplishments and editorial experiences. Curriculum vitae must be submitted for the proposed Guest Editors. The roles of the various Guest Editors must be spelled out in the formal proposal.

One member of the team of Guest Editors must be selected from the JIBS Editors. This individual acts as an administrative liaison between the JIBS Editorial Office and the Guest Editors. The JIBS Editor is responsible for ensuring that the Guest Editors follow JIBS norms, standards and practices throughout the reviewing process. The JIBS Editor is also responsible for ensuring that publications in the Special Issue meet JIBS norms for quality, timeliness and acceptance rates.

The formal proposal must also include the names, affiliations and email addresses of at least 50 individuals who would be appropriate reviewers for the Special Issue and who have agreed to do so.

Lastly, the formal proposal must include a timetable for the reviewing process, starting with the Call for Papers and ending with final submission to the JIBS Editorial Office of all materials appearing in the Special Issue. Normally, the time period between the due date for submission of manuscripts to final submission of all materials to the JIBS Editorial Office should take no longer than one year to 18 months. Individuals should not accept Guest Editor positions if they are unable to finish the Special Issue within this time period.

Based on the formal proposal and associated materials, the Editor in Chief decides whether or not to move ahead with the Special Issue, after receiving advice from the JIBS Editors.

Criteria for evaluating a JIBS Special Issue proposal include:

  • Fit with the JIBS Statement of Editorial Policy
  • Quality and thoroughness of the formal proposal
  • Importance of the proposed theme
  • Appeal to a broad segment of JIBS's authors and readers
  • Scholarly credentials of the proposed Guest Editors

If the decision is to proceed, the Guest Editors next prepare a Call for Papers that is published in JIBS and other Academy of International Business publications, and on the JIBS and AIB websites. The Guest Editors are responsible for circulating the Call for Papers on related organizations' list serves and websites.

Top

The Editorial Process

Normally, the due date for all submissions for the Special Issue is set somewhere between six and 18 months after the Call for Papers is first announced. Manuscripts may be submitted for review no earlier than one month before the submission due date. Selection of the due date is important because the bunching of manuscript submissions immediately before the due date implies large, one-time start-up costs on both the JIBS Editorial Office and the Guest Editors. The due date should therefore be discussed beforehand with the JIBS Editorial Office.

The Guest Editors are expected to actively encourage submissions based on the Call for Papers. This will normally include sending letters to prominent scholars inviting them to submit to the Special Issue; however, such letters should make it clear to those invited to submit papers that their manuscripts will be reviewed and that acceptance is not guaranteed.

The process by which Special Issue manuscripts are handled is nearly identical to that of regular submissions to JIBS. All manuscripts are submitted through the JIBS Manuscript Central web-based submission system. All manuscripts, except the Introductory Article by the Guest Editors, go through the normal JIBS double-blind review process. A possible exception to the normal double-blind review could occur if the Guest Editors, with the prior agreement of the Editor in Chief, invite a paper by an eminent scholar for the Special Issue, where the invited paper goes through single-blind rather than double-blind review.

A slight change in the process occurs at the first stage of review. In the normal JIBS review process, manuscripts are first assessed on minimal fit and quality by the JIBS Reviewing Editor, followed by the Editor in Chief. With a Special Issue, the JIBS Editor working as part of the team of Guest Editors replaces the Reviewing Editor, who is again followed by the Editor in Chief. Manuscripts that pass initial scrutiny and are not desk rejected are then assigned to the Guest Editors. The Editor in Chief is expected to normally follow the recommendations of the Guest Editor team in making these assignments.

After a Guest Editor is assigned to a manuscript, that Editor selects three reviewers. Normally, at least one reviewer is selected from the regular JIBS Editorial Review Board (ERB) and at least one reviewer is selected from the Special Editorial Review Board (SERB). Guest Editors make decisions at all stages of the reviewing process, up to the final acceptance decision, which is made by the JIBS Editor in Chief.

All correspondence, including reviews and decision letters, must be channeled through the JIBS Manuscript Central web-based submission system. The Guest Editors are expected to adhere to all JIBS guidelines, including the Statement of Editorial Policy, Code of Ethics, Instructions for Contributors, Guidelines for Reviewers and Style Guide. This process is reiterated for every manuscript until all submissions receive either an "accept" or "reject" decision.

Authors are notified by the Guest Editors of these decisions as they are made, with the exception of acceptance letters, which are always done by the Editor in Chief. Authors are responsible for submission of their final manuscripts to the JIBS Editorial Office. These manuscripts must meet all JIBS guidelines including the Style Guide.

The remaining pool of accepted papers is considered eligible for the Special Issue. The Guest Editors recommend to the Editor in Chief which manuscripts should be published in the Special Issue and the sequence in which these manuscripts should appear. The final decision as to which manuscripts appear in the Special Issue belongs to the JIBS Editor in Chief, and she/he notifies the authors as to how and when their manuscripts will be published in JIBS.

The maximum length of a Special Issue is one issue of the Journal; however, a Special Issue may be smaller depending on the number of final, accepted manuscripts. In the latter situation, the remainder of the issue would then consist of regular JIBS manuscripts.

Normally, all accepted manuscripts are included in the Special Issue; however, there may be circumstances where certain papers are excluded. For example, an accepted manuscript may deviate from the central theme sufficiently that the Guest Editors recommend the paper be published in a regular issue of JIBS instead of the Special Issue. Another example occurs where, due to unusual circumstances, a manuscript may be much longer in the review process than the other manuscripts, causing the Guest Editors to recommend proceeding to publication of the Special Issue with this manuscript appearing in a later, regular JIBS issue. Lastly, the total number of accepted articles may be too numerous for a single issue of the Journal, causing the Editor in Chief to move one or more of the manuscripts to a regular issue of JIBS.

There may also be circumstances where additional manuscripts are included in the Special Issue if the Guest Editors or the Editor in Chief judge this necessary for the viability of a stand-alone issue. For example, a manuscript that fits the Special Issue theme may have been accepted through the regular JIBS editorial process and the manuscript is included to fill out the Special Issue.

The penultimate stage of the process is the Publication Packet submitted by the Guest Editors to the JIBS Editorial Office. The Packet includes (1) the agreed-upon list of manuscripts to be included in the Special Issue, (2) the order in which the manuscripts are to appear in the Special Issue, (3) the Introductory Article for the Special Issue, and (4) a list of all reviewers for the Special Issue and their affiliations. Any manuscript in the Special Issue that did not go through the double-blind review process must be identified in the Acknowledgements. The Guest Editors must also prepare statistics on the Special Issue, including (1) number of total submissions, (2) number accepted for publication, and the (3) geographic and (4) gender breakdown of all authors for both submissions and accepted manuscripts.

The JIBS Editorial Office sends final versions of all accepted Articles, Research Notes, and the Introductory Article to the publisher for copy editing. Copy edited manuscripts are sent from the publisher to the authors of each manuscript for final correction and review. The Guest Editors are responsible for ensuring successful completion of the Special Issue.

Top

Conference Linkages

JIBS Special Issues are not designed to publish manuscripts that have been or will be presented at a conference or workshop on a specialized theme since such manuscripts cannot go, by definition, through the required double-blind review process. It is possible, however, to hold a workshop on a specialized theme and then follow with a Call for Papers, where manuscripts presented at the workshop, along with other submissions, would go through the normal double-blind review process. For example, a JIBS Frontiers Conference on a specialized theme could be followed by a Special Issue on the same or a similar topic.

Nor is it required that an authors' workshop or conference be included as part of the Special Issue publication process. If the team of Guest Editors wishes to hold a Focused Workshop whereby authors of manuscripts that have successfully passed one or more stages of the double-blind review process are brought together to encourage further integration of the manuscripts into a more coherent whole, this is a doable and useful addition to the publication process. However, this stage is not necessary. Moreover, since one cost of the workshop is that it eliminates the double-blind review, it is important that any such workshop not occur too early in the process.

If the Guest Editors choose to include an authors' workshop as part of their formal proposal, they must also include in their proposal a budget for the workshop showing sources and uses of funds. Any costs incurred with respect to such a conference or workshop cannot be paid for by the Journal and must be fully paid for through outside funding.

Top

Guest Editors' Introductory Article

Normally, all submissions to a Special Issue go through the normal JIBS double-blind refereeing process. One exception is the Introductory Article written by the Guest Editors. Typically, the Guest Editors prepare an introduction that reviews the state of the art on the domain of the Special Issue, suggests new directions for research, and provides a synopsis and integrative analysis of the collective contributions of the Articles and Research Notes in the Special Issue. The Introductory Article then goes through a single-blind review process managed by the Editor in Chief. The Editor in Chief selects three reviewers from the JIBS Consulting Editors Board to review the manuscript. The manuscript is submitted to up to two stages of review, with a final decision made by the EIC to publish or not publish the Introductory Article. The Guest Editors are responsible for timely revisions of their own manuscript based on the JIBS Style Guide and Information for Contributors.

It is JIBS policy that none of the Guest Editors, including the JIBS Editor on the project, can submit a manuscript either as an author or co-author for review for publication in the Special Issue, other than the Introductory Article, in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.

Top

Summary

Special Issues are a way for JIBS to solicit and package contributions to international business research on a specified theme. The use of Guest Editors and a Special Editorial Review Board (SERB) is designed to encourage highly-focused feedback and substantial development of the submitted manuscripts. At the same time, manuscripts proceed on a parallel track with regular JIBS submissions and adhere to JIBS fit and quality norms.