Special issues
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Special issue information
International Journal of Lifelong Education
Guidelines for Special Issues
The Editors of the International Journal of Lifelong Education (IJLE) welcome proposals for Special Issues of the journal. Special Issues may address any topic or theme of scholarly significance within the remit of the Journal. Scholars are encouraged to discuss ideas for Special Issues informally with the Editors at an early stage.
Proposers of special issues should note the following:
1. Special Issues normally comprise between six and ten papers. Including notes and references, they should be between 45,000 and 80,000 words in length.
2. In general, the IJLE publishes not more than two special issues in any year.
3. In all cases, a formal proposal will be requested. This should include: a statement (1-2 pages) covering the purpose, rationale, contribution and significance of the Special Issue; the proposed contributors; abstracts of papers; author contact information; and a schedule of timings for the various stages of production (see below). The proposal will be considered by the Editors, who will reply to the proposer(s) with their observations and a decision.
4. When a proposal is approved, the Editors of the IJLE will endorse the appointment of an editor (or editors) of the Special Issue.
5. One of the Editors of the IJLE (the liaising Editor) will be appointed to liaise with the Special Issue editor(s).
6. Special Issue editor(s) should discuss with the IJLE Book Reviews Editor the nature of the Book Reviews section for the Special Issue.
7. The Special Issue editor(s) must keep the IJLE Editors fully informed (via the liaison Editor) of the developments in relation to the proposed contents, timing and progress of the special issue.
8. The IJLE is a peer-reviewed journal, and all papers under consideration for a Special Issue must be subject to peer review. This implies:- Contributors should be informed clearly that all papers will be subject to peer review by anonymous referees;
- For each paper, reports should be sought from at least three referees;
- Referees’ reports will be considered both by the Special Issue editor(s)
and by the liaising IJLE Editor;
- Anonymous feedback should be given to authors;
- Authors will be expected to review their papers in the light of referees’ reports;
- Papers which do not meet the required standards will not be published.
9. Special Issue Editor(s) are asked to nominate referees to the IJLE Editors. These nominees must be approved by the IJLE Editors.
10. IJLE manuscripts are submitted, reviewed and handled through the Routledge Manuscript Central system. The Special Issue editor(s) will be given editorial access to this site for this purpose, and will be responsible for distributing papers to the referees and communicating reports to the authors through Manuscript Central.
11. Where revisions are required, the Special Issue editor(s) are responsible for ensuring papers are revised in the light of referees’ reports, and of any comments from the IJLE Editors.
12. Final manuscripts must be prepared in line with the IJLE style guidelines, and must be accompanied by an abstract, keywords and a brief biography of the author(s) in the specified form. Final manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the Manuscript Central site with full contact addresses of all authors and editor(s).
13. To permit the IJLE Editors to review and give final approval to the contents of the Special Issue, the liaising Editor must be provided with the proposed final set of manuscripts for the Special Issue in good time.
14. Approximate schedules for the IJLE Editors to receive (through the liaising Editor) final manuscripts are as follows:
- For Issue No. 1 (published in January): 1 st September of the previous year.
- For Issue No. 2 (published in March): 1 st November of the previous year.
- For Issue No. 3 (published in May): 1 st January of the publication year.
- For Issue No. 4 (published in July): 1 st March of the publication year.
- For Issue No. 5 (published in September): 1 st May of the publication year.
- For Issue No. 6 (published in November): 1 st July of the publication year.
For the avoidance of doubt, proposers should note that in all circumstances, the Editors of the IJLE retain final authority on all matters of publication, including content, timing and approval of the final manuscript(s).
[July 2022]