Journal of Sport Management

Special Issue Policy

The Journal of Sport Management may publish Special Issues for which all or a subset of articles focus on a common theme.  Any suitably qualified scholar may submit a proposal for a Special Issue.  It will normally be expected that the person(s) proposing the Special Issue will be nominating themselves as Editor(s) of the Special Issue.  The Editor(s) of the Special Issue shall be called “Guest Editor(s)”.

A proposal for a Special Issue must include (but need not be limited to):

• a description of the theme to be addressed by the Special Issue,
• specification of the importance of the theme,
• an indication of authors that might be expected to contribute manuscripts for publication consideration for the Special Issue,
• recommendations on how the Call for Papers should be circulated,
• full contact details (name, address, phone, fax, and e-mail) for the Guest Editor(s),
• a brief vitae of the Guest Editor(s) that describes, in particular, experience related to the editorial role to be assumed (e.g. previous service on Editorial Boards and as guest reviewers).  Normally the Guest Editor will have at least one publication in JSM.

The proposal may be submitted to the Journal of Sport Management Editor or Associate Editor.  Once the proposal has been received, the Editor and the Associate Editor will confer to determine its status.  The proposal may be: (1) received favourably, (2) returned for clarification, after which it will be reviewed again, or (3) rejected.

Once a Special Issue has been approved, the Guest Editor(s) will undertake all the normal responsibilities of Editor with reference to the Special Issue, with the exception that any manuscripts accepted for the Special Issue will be submitted to the publisher through the Editor.  The Guest Editor(s) will also provide the Editor with a file for each article submitted for the Special Issue, whether accepted, rejected, or still in revision.  The file will include: a copy of the manuscript, copies of reviews and recommendations from reviewers, and copies of all correspondence between the Guest Editor(s) and the author(s).

There will be an open Call for Papers for any Special Issue of the Journal of Sport Management.  The opportunity to submit a manuscript to be considered for a Special Issue will never be restricted only to invited authors.  The Call for Papers will allow sufficient lead time such that any author wishing to submit a manuscript can reasonably be expected to meet submission deadlines.  In order to allow adequate time for review and revisions of manuscripts, the submission deadline will be at least one year in advance of the projected publication date.

Each manuscript submitted for a Special Issue will be reviewed by three reviewers, at least two of whom are members of the Journal of Sport Management Editorial Board.  The Guest Editor will consult with the Editor regarding the selection of reviewers.  Review standards and protocols normally applied by the Journal of Sport Management will be used.  In the event that one of the authors is also a Guest Editor for the Special Issue, the review process will be coordinated by the Editor, rather than by the Guest Editor.  In the event that the Editor is also one of the authors, the manuscript will be handled by the Associate Editor.  If the Associate Editor is also an author of the manuscript, the Editor will assign the task of coordinating the review process to a member of the Editorial Board who is not employed by the same institution as any of the manuscript’s authors.  An author’s name may not appear on more than two articles in a Special Issue (including the introductory article).

The Guest Editor(s) will prepare a short (typically no more than 10 pages) introductory article for the Special Issue.  The introductory article will normally give an overview of the theme, and will provide some insight into the ways that the following articles form a cohesive whole.  The Editor and Associate Editor will serve as reviewers for the introductory article in order to provide advice on content and presentation.  The introductory article will not be subject to the normal review process.

If more manuscripts are accepted for publication than can be accommodated in a single issue of the journal, the Guest Editor(s) will select the manuscripts to be included.  The remaining manuscripts that have been accepted for publication will be provided to the Editor (in hard copy and in electronic form) for inclusion in subsequent issue(s) of the journal.  If there are a sufficient number of such manuscripts, the Editor may, at his or her discretion and with the concurrence of the Associate Editor, designate the subsequent issue also as a thematic issue.  In that instance, the second issue will acknowledge the role played by the Guest Editor.

In the event that reviews are pending on a manuscript at the time that the Special Issue goes to press, the Guest Editor(s) will contact the author(s) instructing that all further correspondence regarding the manuscript (including the next revision) should be sent to the Editor.  The Guest Editor(s) will provide the Editor with a file containing a copy of the most recent draft of the manuscript, copies of reviews, and copies of correspondence concerning the manuscript.  The Editor will then assume responsibility for coordinating the remainder of the revision and review process.