General Information for Special Issues

Culture, Medicine, and Psychology publishes original articles as collections or “Special Sections” of larger issues.  

A guest editor (up to three editors permitted) may submit a proposal for a special issue/section to the Associate Editor (Julia Brown). Note that no issues are printed with less than 12-14 total pieces so most “special issues” will appear as a special section online and in print.  Even so, a special issue/section should plan to bring together 4 or more original research articles of suitable length, an Introduction (written by the guest editors, 3,00 words plus references), and 1-2 commentaries (6 pieces of writing minimum). 

It can take up 2 years to publish special sections in print (or more if there are several in line), but individual articles can appear online as soon as they are ready to help with promotion processes and to help get your work out faster (with the exception, of course, of the Introduction and Commentaries).  

All original research articles will be sent out for double blind peer review. 

Acceptance of a Special Issue/Section topic does not guarantee publication of any individual piece proposed. 

Please note that papers are not all reviewed by the same reviewer and they are not edited as a collection but as individual papers. Each needs to stand on its own individual merit while also speaking to the whole.

Once all final drafts of papers have been accepted and before the Special Section/Issue can be published, we will need 6 weeks to review the Introduction and Commentaries. 

Expectations of Guest Editors

Guest editors should carefully vet each submission and provide feedback to writers prior to each round of submission. We expect to see highly polished initial submissions and will return any papers prior to review that are not in the correct format/style. In addition, Guest Editors can help authors respond adequately to reviewers to avoid another request for revisions, which helps speed things along for everyone. Guest Editors will also liaise between the author and the journal to make sure authors’ needs are being met and that their concerns are addressed. CMP does not have a way to inform guest editors of the status of authors’ papers and should plan to keep in touch with the authors, who can individually view the status of their papers, throughout the process to make sure they know what stages papers are in and what is needed next.

Please note that Under Review means invitations have been sent, but may not have been accepted. The review process can take a long time, especially since COVID has reduced reviewer interest.

The Introduction and Commentaries will be reviewed by the Editorial staff prior to copyediting. The more polished they are, the better and we ask that Guest Editors read and edit them first in time for submission 6 weeks in advance of the anticipated publication date.

Proposing a Special Issue/Section (SS/SI):

Competition for the acceptance of special sections/issues is high. We ask that you send an initial inquiry to the Associate Editor, Julia Brown, with the following information: 

Proposal (5-6 pages total)

1. Overview of the proposed SS/SI that includes a paragraph or 2 on why it is a good fit for the journal based on our Aims and Scope and that describes the theoretical orientation of the SI
2. Clarification on contents of SS/SI—Add a paragraph to the Overview that addresses the following: 
   • Does the SS/SI include 4 or more original research using methods from the social sciences and the humanities? 
   • All original research articles proposed are not solely quantitative? 
   • All original research articles have IRB approval or exemption from their home institutions and can include a statement in their article (a Springer policy)? They will have to check a box on submission so this helps us avoid any surprises.
3. A list of proposed authors, affiliations, titles and 250-word abstracts that include a description of the key argument, methods and theory.
4. A bibliography citing key theoretical works in the social sciences relevant to the SS/SI.

Preparing for Initial Submission

Guest editors will vet all articles thoroughly for fit with the journal, quality of manuscript, and to ensure that the methods and theory being utilized are clear in the manuscript. Manuscripts that are not ready will be rejected without review.

Prior to the first submission by an author, Guest Editors will suggest 3 reviewers per article in the SS/SI and provide email addresses and reasons you chose the reviewers. Please send this to the Associate Editor. Suggested reviewers should have no involvement with the SS/SI (not authors or guest editors).