Special issues, supplements, article collections and conference proceedings
In addition to regular journal content, Taylor and Francis Group journals (including journals owned by and published on behalf of learned societies or associations) may also publish articles as part of a collection in a special issue, an article collection or a supplement (hereafter collectively referred to as grouped content). Note that some journals in our humanities and social sciences portfolios may publish whole issues dedicated to a specific theme. These are handled in the standard way by the editorial teams of those journals (which may include an invited guest editor), and as such are not discussed further below.
The regularity with which these are published can vary between journals, and the articles may or may not be commissioned /invited to be part of the grouped content. However, the common factors which apply to all are described below.
Content may include original research, invited opinion, perspective articles, review articles and abstracts. All are subject to the usual standards of the journal (aims, scope and thresholds), the editorial policies and the peer review policies.
| Grouped content type | Description | Guest Editor (involved in handling submissions) | Guest Advisor (not involved in handling submissions) | Final decision to publish | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Issue | Articles dedicated to a specific topic, typically invited to be part of the special issue | Yes | Yes | Journal Editor | TBED: Emerging trends in big Earth data management and analysis (online-only special issue) F1000 ELIXIR Gateway (external board screened; rolling issue) IEBT: Biosimilars IERM: JAK inhibitors TJDE: Surface radiation and energy budget datasets (Article Collection-based special issue) |
| Article Collection-invited content | Articles commissioned by T&F Content Acquisition team | No | Yes | Journal Editor | Pandemic of Loneliness F1000 AI in Medicine & Healthcare Collection |
| Article Collection- aggregated content | Collection of already published articles on a common theme (can be across different journals). Aggregated together under an article collection to raise awareness about the theme. | No | No | Journal Editor | F1000 Python Collection Indoor Environments and Aerosols ESG and Sustainability (cross-journal collection) |
| Supplement | Group of articles with specific requirements (e.g. publishing schedule) which cannot be accommodated in the standard workflow and schedule of the journal. | Sometimes | No | Journal Editor | F1000 Tree of Life Gateway IERR: National Hemophilia Foundation ICMO: ISMPP Abstracts book IJME: AstraZeneca SLE |
Guest Editors (GE) and Guest Advisors (GA)
Depending on the set-up, the grouped content may involve one or more Guest Editor(s) or Guest Advisor(s).
A Guest Editor (GE) is somebody who is involved in handling submissions and/or editorial decision-making and/or peer review. Where there is a GE involved, they are responsible for making a final recommendation to the journal Editor. Where the GE submits an article of their own to the collection, they are required to recuse themselves from handling the article. In those cases, the handling and decision making is delegated to the journal Editor, a co-GE (where relevant) or an editorial board member. For all articles in the article collection, special issue or supplement, the final decision is approved by the journal Editor.
A Guest Advisor (GA) is somebody who plays an advocacy role in terms of promoting and raising awareness amongst their networks about the grouped content. They are not involved in handling of the article, peer review and any final editorial decisions. Further information available here: Get to know the role of Guest Advisor at Taylor & Francis (taylorandfrancis.com)
Where content is invited for an article collection, special issue or supplement this could be via the in-house content acquisition team, or via the Editor, GE or GA promoting it via their networks and also more widely via a Call for Papers. In all cases, responsibility for the journal content lies with the journal Editor, and any concerns regarding integrity of content are dealt with in the standard way by the journal Editor and Publisher
Conference proceedings at Taylor & Francis
Conference proceedings are:
A collection of scholarly works that were either presented at the event (this can be as posters or oral presentations) or scholarly works that resulted from the event, for example, the outcome of a workshop.
Usually a set/collection of abstracts or full articles.
The abstracts or full articles are handled by the conference organizer and may be published:
As a supplement in a journal.
As a book.
The peer review process of conference proceedings is conducted by the conference organizer and is usually outside of the processes and editorial oversight of Taylor & Francis. Note, peer review standards of conference proceedings should meet the same editorial and ethical standards as that of peer review of standard content, and conference organizers must adhere to the Taylor & Francis code of conduct. Transparency statements listing the name of the event, the organizers and the name(s) of those with overall editorial responsibility should be included in all conference proceedings.
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