Guidelines for Prospective Guest Editor(s) of Special Issues Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies

This document outlines the guidelines for potential guest editor(s) who wish to oversee the publication of a special issue in Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies.

A “guest editor” is an academic or expert who takes responsibility for curating a cohesive collection of scholarly articles and book reviews on a specific theme within the fields of defence, security, or military studies. The “editorial team”, by contrast, consists of the journal’s permanent staff—typically including the editor and book reviews editor—who manage the regular publication cycle and maintain overall editorial oversight.

These guidelines detail the journal’s requirements and expectations, serving as a reference to ensure that prospective guest editor(s) fully understand their responsibilities before engaging with the editorial team. Adherence to these guidelines is crucial for producing a special issue that meets the journal’s high scholarly and professional standards.

Special Issue Requirements

1. Articles:

• A total of 5–10 academic articles may be included.
• All articles must directly and explicitly relate to the special issue’s theme.
• Typically, only one article may be authored by a Stellenbosch University (SU) academic (see point 3 below).

2. Book Reviews:

• Five book reviews on books explicitly connected to the special issue’s theme are required.
• Preferably, only one reviewer should be affiliated with SU.

3. Affiliation Limitations:

• As per the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) requirements, no more than 30% of contributors across all journal issues per year may be affiliated with SU.
• For special issues, this translates to a maximum of one article contributor and one book reviewer from SU.

4. Guest Editorial:

• Guest editor (s) should submit an editorial that must:
• Justify the need for the special issue, provide an analytical and, if necessary, theoretical framework, and highlight the research gap it addresses.
• Integrate all articles and book reviews under the special issue’s theme.
• Length: 2 000-5 000 words.

The Journal's Guidelines and Referencing Style

Providing guidelines and being prescriptive about using a particular style of reference in a multidisciplinary journal such as Scientia Militaria is difficult but necessary. The general guidelines and referencing styles prescribed by the journal are for uniformity and appearance, to simplify the editorial process, and to avoid unintentionally influencing the peer-review process. Thus, all submissions, including those made to special issues, should conform to the journal’s requirements. Please note that the editorial team will not consider submissions for publication if they do not contain any references, have similarities to other texts, or are irresponsibly or injudiciously using AI tools or an alternative referencing style or method. Refer to the website for details.

Finances

Anyone interested in publishing a special issue with the journal should first enquire from the editorial team as to the availability of funding since the journal only budgets for the production and publication costs of one special issue per year. However, in exceptional circumstances, and if funding allows, or if sufficient external funding is secured, a second special issue can be produced.

Timeline

• Special issues typically follow a two-year timeline, from initial proposal to publication.
• A minimum of three months’ notice to the journal’s editorial team is required for language editing, copyediting, layout, and publication. Guest editors must ensure contributors adhere to deadlines, as delays have financial and scheduling implications.
• The editorial team, language editors, publishers, financial administrators and peer-reviewers in academia are mainly unavailable from December to January, and from June to July, so planning must account for these periods.

Communication

Effective and consistent communication between the guest editor(s) and the editorial team is essential for fostering a productive working relationship, ensuring quality control, adhering to the timeline, and upholding the journal’s reputation. Key communication practices include:

• Shared Folder Management: Establishing and routinely updating a shared folder containing all articles, book reviews, and internal and external peer-review reports (a standardised template will be provided).
• Production Flow Tracking: Maintaining and regularly updating a shared spreadsheet to monitor the production progress of the special issue (a template will be provided).
• Progress Updates: Ensuring clear and timely email correspondence at every phase, with updates exchanged between the guest editor(s) and the editorial team.
• Transparency: Copying the editorial team on all correspondence involving contributors, book reviewers, and the peer-review process to maintain clarity and alignment throughout the publication process.

This structured approach to communication is vital to ensure that the special issue aligns with the journal’s professional standards and timelines.

Guest Editor(s) Responsibilities

1. Proposal for Special Issue

Guest editors should submit an initial email outlining the following:

• The proposed theme, relevance, and the research gap it addresses.
• Names of potential contributors (if known).
• A rough timeline.
• Indication of funding availability or need.

Following provisional approval, a formal one-page proposal is required, which includes details about the theme, contributors, and timeline. After approval, the guest editor(s) may draft a Call for Papers, subject to editorial team approval. 

2. Call for Papers

Guest editors must compile and circulate a Call for Papers (or directly approach contributors). The editorial team will publish the Call for Papers on the journal’s website and LinkedIn profile. Deadlines must be clearly set. It is the guest editor(s) responsibility to source the papers as per the outlined requirements.

3. Acceptance of Papers

Guest editors must evaluate submitted abstracts, selecting contributors based on alignment with the theme, the quality of their proposals, and available space. A summary of accepted and rejected abstracts must be submitted to the editorial team, along with proposed book titles and reviewers, for approval. Abstracts misaligned with the special issue may be referred to the editorial team for consideration in a regular issue. In certain circumstances, new papers may be sourced after the abstract submission deadline, by agreement with the editorial team, and if the publication schedule allows it.

4. Book Reviews

Guest editors are responsible for sourcing books published within the last two years that align with the special issue’s theme. The editorial team must approve these titles. Guest editors also manage review copies and assign reviewers, ensuring only one reviewer is from SU. The journal’s Book Reviews Editor can offer guidance.

5. Internal Peer Review

Guest editors oversee the internal peer review process, ensuring compliance with journal guidelines, academic integrity, and responsible AI use. Reviewers should complete their assessments within four weeks, and contributors should have 14-21 days to implement any required changes. A summary report on the process must be submitted to the editorial team.

6. External Peer Review

After the internal peer-review, papers undergo double-blind external peer review, with two reviewers per paper. Guest editor(s) need to prepare the draft articles for the review process and provide a list of potential peer-reviewers, at least three names per article to be sent for review. For example, if there are five articles assigned to the special issue, the guest editor(s) need to provide 15 names of potential reviewers. The editorial team will manage the double-blind peer-review process but may ask for further assistance, such as additional names of potential peer-reviewers. The review period is typically 4-6 weeks. In cases where there is a disagreement between reviewers, for example, one reviewer rejects the article, and the other accepts it, a third reviewer must be consulted. Similarly, if both reviewers request significant changes, the article will need to be sent for a second round of double-peer review using at most one of the previous peer-reviewers and approaching a third reviewer.

7. Author Changes and Peer Review Responses

Guest editors communicate decisions to contributors, ensuring revisions are made within 14-21 days. Contributors must address all peer review feedback and justify any deviations. The editorial team must be kept informed throughout. At this stage, the guest editor submits the final list of contributors’ details (names, affiliations, bios, ORCID IDs, and postal addresses, preferably PostNet branches).

8. Language Editing

Revised articles will be sent for language editing through the journal’s contracted language editor unless previously arranged otherwise. Guest editors ensure contributors implement the language editor’s suggestions.

9. Copyediting and Layout

The editorial team manages copyediting and layout, but guest editors may be asked to assist as needed.

10. Publication

The editorial team handles the distribution of printed copies to contributors and guest editors. The journal’s Book Reviews Editor and guest editors thank book publishers for providing review copies.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Further Resources

For detailed article and book review requirements, visit the relevant page on the journal’s website. To download this page and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), click here. For additional inquiries, contact the editorial team at scientiamilitaria@sun.ac.za