Special Issues

General Information

JASTT invites proposals for special issues on topics that align with the journal's focus. Submissions for special issues undergo review by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated member of the Editorial Board. Preference is given to topics of emerging interest to the broader research community, especially those organized by guest editors with strong publication records and active involvement in relevant research networks. Articles published as part of special issues will be freely accessible, with no publication fees charged to authors.

Guidelines for Proposing and Managing a Special Issue

The following guidelines outline the essential procedures for proposing and managing a special issue for the journal:

  1. Proposals for special issues should be submitted to the JASTT Publishing Team (editor@jastt.org) with the email subject "Special Issue Proposal."
  2. Preference will be given to guest editors who have previous experience in organizing special issues.
  3. Guest editors should have expertise in the proposed topic and active participation in relevant scholarly communities to ensure the special issue's quality.
  4. Only one proposal may be submitted by a guest editor at any given time.
  5. The group of reviewers must comprehensively cover all related topics to ensure thorough evaluations and the selection of high-quality papers. A minimum of three experts should review each article.
  6. A well-structured plan for the distribution and promotion of the call for papers is crucial to attracting high-quality contributions and ensuring the special issue's success.
  7. If the special issue includes extended versions of papers initially presented at conferences or workshops, a public call for papers must also be issued. At least two papers in the issue should originate from this public call. Conference papers must be considered in the review process and made available alongside the special issue article reviews.
  8. Acceptance of papers is contingent upon a rigorous review process. Each submission must be reviewed by at least three reviewers. All reviews and final versions of accepted articles should be forwarded to the JASTT’s “Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member” for final approval. Summaries of reviews are not sufficient, and authors may be notified of acceptance by guest editor only after confirmation by the JASTT’s “Editor-in-Chief and/or designated Editorial Board Member.”
  9. All accepted articles will undergo a plagiarism check before the review process begins and again before publication.
  10. No more than 35% of the authors contributing to a special issue should be from the same country.
  11. Guest editors should ideally refrain from authoring articles in their own special issue. Exceptionally, involvement in one article is allowed, provided it undergoes review by at least one JASTT editorial board member.
  12. Each author is limited to publishing a maximum of two papers in one issue, whether as a sole author or co-author.
  13. A special issue may include up to five papers.
  14. Regular updates on the progress of the special issue, including the number of submissions, rejections, and accepted papers, should be provided to the JASTT office.
  15. Guest editors are responsible for overseeing the review process, ensuring that only final versions of papers, formatted in JASTT style, are submitted to the JASTT office.
  16. Authors must agree to the open access policy of the JASTT.
  17. The guest editor is required to provide an introduction to the special issue, with a minimum length of one page.
  18. Guest editors are expected to uphold the quality of the papers, with their names and academic reputations serving as a guarantee of excellence.

Special Issue Proposal

To submit a special issue proposal for consideration, please ensure that the submission adheres to the JASTT Special Issue Proposal template. The proposal should include the following key components:

  • Focus and Motivation: Clearly define the focus and motivation for the proposed special issue, highlighting its significance to the broader academic community, particularly within the JASTT community.
  • Related Topics: Provide a comprehensive list of the primary topics that the special issue will address.
  • Guest Editors: Include a brief biography of the guest editors, emphasizing their expertise in the proposed subject area and their involvement in relevant academic communities. Please also provide references to their profiles on Scopus, Clarivate (formerly Publons), and Google Scholar.
  • Deadlines: Outline a detailed schedule of key deadlines, including those for paper submissions, notification of acceptance, and other critical milestones.
  • Reviewers: The reviewers should be carefully selected to ensure that all topics related to the special issue are thoroughly covered.
  • Distribution and Promotion: Attach a strategic plan for the distribution and promotion of the special issue's call for papers, detailing how high-quality submissions will be attracted.
  • Publication Fee: Confirm that all accepted papers for the special issue will be published under JASTT’s full Open Access policy, with no article processing charges (APC) for authors.
  • Draft Call for Papers: Include a draft call for papers, which should be a modified version of the proposal, as part of the submission.

Please download the Special Issue Proposal Template and the Call for Papers Template. Follow the provided guidelines and complete the forms accordingly.

 

The current Special Issue is GIS for Collaborative Disaster Risk Reduction Management