Submitting to a Special Issue
Benefits of submitting to a Special Issue
Special Issues bring together articles into topical collections that make the articles published within them more discoverable. Publishing your article in a Special Issue can
increase the readership and citation of your research.
Many journals offer a 25% discount on the APC for articles published within a Special Issue – please consult the call for papers to see if any discounts are available for a particular Special Issue.
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- Discoverability: Articles that are published in a Special Issue will be collected together on a dedicated page of the journal website, maximising the discoverability of your research.
- Visibility: Promotion of Special Issues by BMJ and Guest Editors to relevant researchers through various marketing channels increases your visibility.
- More Impact: Contributing to current discussions increases your exposure in the research community and the impact of your research.
- Grow your network: Collaborate and publish with your peers to establish new contacts and discover new perspectives in your field.
- Support: BMJ has a team dedicated to coordinating Special Issues to ensure manuscripts move smoothly through the peer review process.
Submitting your manuscript
Manuscripts should be submitted through the associated journals’ regular submission portal. You can select the Special Issue from a drop down menu upon submission.
Manuscripts that are deemed out of scope for the Special Issue may be offered a transfer to the regular issue of the journal.
Editors will not use any recommended reviewers provided by authors. As such, we advise authors submitting to a Special Issue to refrain from providing recommended reviewers.
Where possible, please provide an institutional email address and ORCID iD for all authors.
Peer review of Special Issue submissions
Special Issue manuscripts are subject to the normal peer review processes of the journal. Lead Editors of a Special Issue will manage the peer review process, inviting reviewers and making a recommendation. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision, ensuring the highest standards for authors, readers and the global research community.
Article Processing Charges
Articles submitted to Special Issues in open access journals are subject to an Article Processing Charge (APC) if accepted for publication following peer review. Many journals offer a 25% discount on the APC for articles published within a Special Issue – please consult the call for papers to see if any discounts are available for a particular Special Issue. If your article is accepted for publication in a Special Issue offering a discount, you will be provided with a discount code at the point of acceptance to use at invoice.
Journal APC prices can be found in the “Article Processing Charges” section of the associated journal for the Special Issue.
BMJ journals offer waivers for the full APC (100% discount of the APC) where all authors are based in low-income countries. In addition, a number of institutions have open access agreements with BMJ which can either cover the whole cost of open access publishing for authors at participating institutions or can allow authors to receive a discount of the APC. For more information, please visit the waivers and discounts section.
Publication of Special Issues
Manuscripts published in a Special Issue will be made available online on the relevant Special Issue page and the table of contents on the journal website.