Special issues

Special issue information

Guidance on Special Issues and Focus Sections

Housing Studies is keen to publish special issues that make a significant and original contribution to key topics and debates in the field. We are particularly strong to support special issues that foster interdisciplinary and international contributions and combine strong theoretical, empirical, methodological and policy significance.

Submitting a proposal

A full proposal is required for a potential special issue. The proposal should include:

1. The title of the proposed special issue and details of the context, rationale, proposed focus and content and its contribution to enhancing knowledge and understanding of the subject
2. CVs of the proposed guest editor(s)
3. An indicative list of potential papers (titles and abstracts)
4. Details of how the call for papers would be managed (see below)
5. Details of the proposed arrangements for editing (see below)
6. A timetable for each stage of the process

All proposals are considered by all members of the Housing Studies Management Board, with a decision communicated to applicants, which may include required revisions and further actions. Proposals may be submitted at any time.

Requirements

The following are required for all special issues:

1. An introduction, authored by the guest editors setting out the context and aims of the special issue, summarising the key content and argument of each paper and the contribution that the collection of papers makes to the field.

2. An Open Call for potential papers for the special issue, based on titles and abstracts to be submitted by a deadline. The call can be publicised by the journal and through guest editors’ networks. While we recognise that special issue proposals may arise from symposiums, conferences and seminars and that some potential papers may have been identified, any proposal should include scope for further papers arising from the Open Call to be included and for some original proposed papers to be replaced, if required, following the Open Call.

3. Guest editors draft and manage the Open Call and invite a list of up to 10 papers to be submitted for the special issue.

4. Guest editors receive the first drafts of papers for the special issue and provide an initial set of comments on these prior to authors revising these papers based on these comments and formally submitting their papers to the journal.

5. Following submission of the papers to the journals, guest editors support the refereeing process by refereeing some papers. Other contributors to the special issue may also be requested to review papers but we will also ensure that other reviewers are involved and final decisions about the acceptance of papers rests with the Managing Editors of the journal.
In some cases, where the number of accepted papers exceeds the capacity of a single issue of the journal, we reserve the right to publish a paper in another issue of the journal.

Focus Sections

We will also consider publishing focus sections which contain a smaller number of papers on a topic (usually 3-5) than a full special issue and are published alongside general papers in an issue of the journal. The proposal, editing process and requirements for a Focus Section is the same as for a Special Issue. Focus Sections may also be used in cases where only a small number of submitted papers for a Special Issue are eventually accepted for publication.

Timescales

We aim to provide a decision on a full proposal within a month of receipt.

We recommend a 2-month period for an Open Call to be live before decisions on the final selection of invited papers are confirmed.

We recommend that guest editors allow at least 3 months for the submission of draft papers, comments on these and for revised papers to be formally submitted to the journal for review.

Example

For a recent example of a Special Issue, please see Volume 33, Number 2, February 2018: https://tandfonline.com/toc/chos20/33/2?nav=tocList.

To submit a full proposal or to discuss an idea for a special issue or focus section, please contact Ed Ferrari, Marietta Haffner or Hal Pawson.