Guest editing journal special issues: triumphs, tribulations and tips to maximise the former and minimise the latter

Matthew W. Rofe and Michael Ripmeester

Chapter 5 in How to Edit and Manage a Successful Scholarly Journal, 2024, pp 47-58 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter discusses the role of guest editors in academic journal special issues and provides insights into the process, challenges, and opportunities involved. It emphasises that publishing is a core responsibility for academics and that, instead of a mere requirement, publishing should be viewed as an internally motivated engagement, part of a constructive and positive dialogue within scholarly communities. Divided into four sections, and drawing from the experiences of Matthew Rofe and Michael Ripmeester, the chapter begins by first addressing the importance of topic development and journal identification. It advises academics to prioritise topic development over targeting prestigious journals and encourages budding editors to choose journals aligned with their topic's relevance and intended audience. The second section focuses on developing and pitching a proposal and effectively targeting potential contributors. Next, the chapter outlines the benefits of making an open call for contributors and discusses the responsibilities of guest editors during the publication process. It emphasises the importance of clear communication and efficient management. The chapter concludes by encouraging academics to embrace the challenge of guest editing as a way to engage with their academic community and flourish through publishing. It highlights that serving as a guest editor is more about service and dialogue leadership than individual achievement.

Keywords: Business and Management; Education; Geography; Politics and Public Policy General Academic Interest (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035300174.00013 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:21899_5

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Darrel McCalla ().