A Special Issue is a collection of articles that advances novel debates, ideas, or fields. The ideas for new Special Issues may come from various sources, such as the editorial board or suggestions from scientists in the field. If you’re interested in developing a Special Issue in your research area, Annali Italiani di Chirurgia welcomes scholars interested in publishing Special Issues to follow the guidelines below:

The Editor-in-Chief of Annali Italiani di Chirurgia will be responsible for the entire content of the journal, including all Special Issues; therefore, Special Issues published in Annali Italiani di Chirurgia must fall within the scope of the journal.

All articles published in Special Issues in Annali Italiani di Chirurgia will be subject to the same editorial oversight as regular papers, including external peer review, and will be clearly identified.

The qualifications of all guest editors for Annali Italiani di Chirurgia will be checked and approved.

Please note that generally, submissions by guest editors to Special Issues should not exceed 25%. Additionally, guest editors must declare any competing interests and abstain from handling or offering advice on any submissions where there may be a conflict of interest. Any submissions with conflicts of interest involving guest editors will be forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief or other members of the editorial board for decision-making.

 

Special Issue Proposal 

All special issues must obtain preliminary approval from the editor-in-chief. Guest editors should provide a special issue proposal for the consideration of the editor-in-chief. The proposal format must include:

• CV of the guest editor;
• Special issue title, abstract (approximately 200-350 words), and 3-8 keywords;
• Statement of the importance of the special issue to the field and its appeal to authors;
• Outline of the timetable;

Duties of Guest Editor:

Guest editors must review and familiarize themselves with COPE's guidelines on best practices for guest editorials;

Provide brief introductions, images, and other necessary information for the special issue;

If possible, provide a table of contents for the special issue;

Draft invitation letters for submissions;

Recommend and/or invite contributors, ideally in make decisions on article revisions and acceptance to ensure the quality of the special issue publication;

Guest editors also have the option to write an editorial to summarize the content and fundamental principles of the special issue.

 

Peer Review and Editorial Procedure 

Special issue articles will undergo the same supervision by the Editor-in-Chief as other submissions to Annali Italiani di Chirurgia, and will be evaluated according to the journal's standard editorial criteria, adhering to all standard editorial policies, including conflict of interest policies. For special issue papers, initial screening will be conducted by Guest Editors (in conjunction with the Editorial Board) to ensure their fit within the scope of the special issue and the journal. Manuscripts deemed suitable after evaluation will be assigned to journal editors to select appropriate high-quality reviewers for peer review. Following peer review, manuscripts will be reviewed by Guest Editors, along with other members of the Editorial Board, to make final decisions based on all reviewer comments and notify the authors. Please note that during this process, any manuscripts with conflicts of interest involving Guest Editors will be referred to the Editor-in-Chief or other editorial board members for decision-making.

For more information on editorial handling, please refer to the Peer Review Policy.

Authors intending to publish articles in the special issue must adhere to the Annali Italiani di Chirurgia's Peer Review Policy and Author Guidelines, submit their manuscripts before the deadline through the online system, indicate in the cover letter that the submission is for Special Issue XXX, and understand that invitation to submit does not guarantee publication, as special issue articles undergo the same rigorous editing process as other submissions.