Data & Policy welcomes proposals for special collections of papers on a topic relevant to the Data & Policy scope, whether these originate from a conference, a workshop, or are not linked to any particular event.

We ask anyone interested in proposing a special collection for Data & Policy to identify the Guest Editor(s) who will provide the initial proposal, coordinate the submission of the papers and be the first point of contact for the Data & Policy editorial team. The Guest Editor(s) will also be asked to write an editorial to introduce the collection, if accepted.

The Guest Editor(s) should submit the proposal through the Data & Policy ScholarOne site (https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/dataandpolicy).

After selecting ‘Special Collection proposal’, you will be prompted to provide a single document that contains the outline, the timetable and the paper titles.

The outline section should cover:

• The title of the proposed special collection;
• How the collection fits within the scope of the Data & Policy;
• How the papers provide novel insights and advance on existing knowledge;
• The common theme(s) that may the collection a coherent set of papers;
• A statement summarising the significance of the collection for policymakers

The timetable section should cover:

• Whether we can expect the papers to be submitted at the same time, or over a period of time;
• The final deadline for the submission of all the papers in the connection



You should also include details of the papers to be included, by:

• Listing the titles, with authors and abstracts (as a guide, a special collection should have a minimum of six papers and a maximum of twenty);
• Indicate the names of the Guest Editors of the proposed collection, i.e. those coordinating the submission of the papers;



Review process

All special collection proposals are reviewed by the Editors-in-Chief. If suitable for the journal, the Guest Editor(s) will receive an initial approval.

The Guest Editor(s) will coordinate the submission of the papers, which should follow the standard instructions for preparing an article.

A member of the Data & Policy editorial team – either an Editor-in-Chief, or a member of the Editorial Board – will act as the main contact for the collection throughout the process. She or he will liaise with the Guest Editor(s) about the submission of papers and their progress as they pass through peer review.

All papers will be subject to the same peer-review process as articles ordinarily submitted to the journal: single-blind review by a minimum of two reviewers for each article. The papers will not be treated as a block: they will be accepted or rejected on their own merits. Authors will be provided with feedback about their papers on an individual basis, but the Data & Policy editor will keep in contact with the Guest Editor(s) about the status of the collection as a whole. The Guest Editor(s) will be asked to write an editorial if the collection is accepted.

The final decision to accept or reject articles rests with the Data & Policy Editors-in-Chief.

If published, the special collection will receive its own dedicated page on the Data & Policy website. This will acknowledge the efforts of the Guest Editor(s) responsible for the collection and any sponsoring institutions involved.