Guest Editor Responsibilities

Guest Editors play a central role in the success of a Special Issue at the Journal of 21st Century Pathology. As a Guest Editor, your responsibilities include:

• Inviting Contributors: Identify and reach out to researchers who can contribute high-quality, relevant manuscripts.
• Setting Editorial Timelines: Collaborate with authors to manage submission schedules and ensure timely review and publication.
• Managing Peer Review: Coordinate the review process within the manuscript system, if assigned, and ensure consistency in scientific standards.
• Promotional Support: Assist in spreading awareness of the Call for Papers through direct outreach, conferences, email, and social media.

Lead Guest Editor Responsibilities

As the Lead Guest Editor, you serve as the primary liaison for your Special Issue and are responsible for:

• Editorial Ethics Oversight: Ensure compliance with the Journal of 21st Century Pathology Code of Conduct and publishing ethics, aligned with COPE.
• Proposal Development & Revision: Work with the journal’s editorial team to refine your Special Issue proposal during assessment.
• Team Coordination: Communicate with your Guest Editor team throughout the proposal and publication process.
• Review Management: Guide the Guest Editors in manuscript review protocols and maintain regular updates on submission status.
• Manuscript Curation: Oversee the scholarly accuracy, relevance, and thematic coherence of all submissions.
• Special Issue Editorial: Provide a summary Editorial or Introduction when all manuscripts are accepted and the Issue is ready for compilation.

Promoting Your Call for Papers

Successful Special Issues rely on robust outreach efforts from their Guest Editors. You can maximize visibility and engagement by:

• Sending personalized invitations to researchers working in relevant domains
• Including the Call for Papers in your email signature
• Presenting the Special Issue at conferences via one-page closing slides
• Promoting the Call via LinkedIn, X (Twitter), ResearchGate, and relevant platforms
• Maintaining communication with interested authors and offering support without compromising editorial neutrality

Editorial Integrity & Ethics

Peer Review Management

• All manuscripts must undergo peer review and meet the journal’s standards of rigor and originality.
• Guest Editors may be asked to recommend editorial decisions based on independent referee reports.

Conflict of Interest

• Authors with recent co-authorships or shared affiliations with Guest Editors must be handled by the Editor-in-Chief.
• Conflicts should be reported immediately for reallocation and resolution per COPE guidelines.

Guest Editor Submissions

• Guest Editors may publish up to three articles in their own Special Issue (plus one Editorial).
• These submissions will be managed by the Editor-in-Chief and not handled within the Guest Editorial team.

Citation Ethics

• Citation requests must never be made solely to increase metrics or visibility of specific authors or journals.
• Manuscripts submitted for citation manipulation may face rejection or sanctions.

For details, refer to our Publishing Ethics Guidelines.

Final Publication

Once manuscripts pass peer review and are accepted, they move to production:

• Articles are published online-first and later compiled into a designated volume.
• Guest Editors may suggest a running order or thematic grouping.
• An Editorial or Preface may be requested to accompany the final Special Issue.

Support from the Journal Team

The Journal of 21st Century Pathology editorial team provides active support, including:

• Identifying and inviting potential authors
• Coordinating communications and reminders
• Replacing unresponsive contributors
• Tracking metrics such as downloads, readership, and citation performance