Guidelines for Special Issue Proposals

Overview

The Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies (JOLLAS) welcomes proposals from individuals who wish to edit an issue of the journal.

JOLLAS is receptive to scholarship from various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. Each issue of JOLLAS is organized around a single theme or topic. Issue editors who have expertise in the topic plan and develop each issue. The issue editors submit a formal proposal to the JOLLAS Editor. The formal proposal is reviewed, and if approved, recommendations for further development of the issue and individual articles are provided. Once special issue articles are submitted by the invited authors, JOLLAS handles the selection of relevant & expert reviewers (if possible 2 per article) to assess the manuscripts in the blind peer-review process.

General Considerations

The inclusion of early career scholars as editors and/or authors is encouraged. JOLLAS issues should reflect a diversity of conceptual approaches to the issue they address. Authors should come from more than one discipline and represent varied perspectives. No more than two first authors should come from a single institution, and no author's name should appear on more than two contributions.

JOLLAS issues typically begin with an introductory piece by the issue editors in which they provide a rationale and overview for the issue. JOLLAS issues typically end with a concluding piece that evaluates and extends the themes that have emerged throughout the issue.

Stages of Issue Development

A proposal should be submitted by the issue editors to the JOLLAS Special Issue Associate Editor for feedback on the general focus of the issue and its feasibility.

The proposal should include:

Contact information, including phone, e-mail, and postal addresses, of special issue editor(s).
Short bios of issue editors (about half page), including previous editorial experience.
1-2 page overview of the topic the issue will address.
A tentative table of contents showing the sections, proposed titles/topics within each section, and potential authors (noting whether they have or have not already agreed to contribute)
Plans for inviting contributions (if applicable)
A 200-word abstract for each proposed contribution, followed by a short bio, current institutional affiliation, and contact information (email, phone and mailing address) of each author.
A timeline for the development of the issue, indicating when manuscripts are likely to be ready.

Proposals are approved if they are deemed to represent an important and timely topic of considerable interest to the JOLLAS readership, and if they include a strong and diverse group of scholars whose collective contributions appear to represent a coherent, compelling theme. Content suggestions (revisions, omissions, extensions, reorganizations) and suggestions for additional contributors are typically given.

Approval of the proposal by the JOLLAS Editorial Team indicates the journal's intent to publish an issue, following the general plan of the proposal, modified by any suggestions for additions or revisions. It does not guarantee that JOLLAS will publish the set of papers ultimately submitted by the issue editor(s). The JOLLAS Editorial Team and ad hoc reviewers will review the finished manuscripts. Any paper, or even the issue as a whole, may be deemed unacceptable in its final form. Thus, the approval is a statement of intent, not a contractual commitment. The issue editor(s) should have a similar understanding with the potential contributors. However, the JOLLAS Editorial Team and issue editors will try to prevent the unusual circumstances that require the rejection of a paper at a late stage in the process.

After the Formal Proposal is approved

The issue editors communicate suggestions to their contributors and confirm with them the timeline to submit full-length manuscripts. Once tentative dates for submission have been confirmed, the issue editors communicate the dates to the JOLLAS Editorial Team.

Authors will receive an email invitation from JOLLAS to submit full-length manuscripts through the JOLLAS Scholar One Portal. The manuscripts should include an abstract of 200 words or fewer and a one-paragraph biography of each author in a separate file. JOLLAS follows author-date style according to guidelines in The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Ed., Chapter 15). (See author’s instructions for format and style guidelines)

The full-length manuscripts will undergo double-blinded peer review process handled by the JOLLAS Editorial Team. Authors are expected to respond to the recommended changes based on the peer review process and submit revised manuscripts with a cover letter outlining revisions made through the JOLLAS Scholar One Portal.

The JOLLAS editor does a final review of each manuscript to check for clarity, the use of correct statistical procedures, adequacy of citation and other format issues. Occasionally, some final revisions are required at this point. The JOLLAS editor will also ensure that the overall length of the manuscripts is appropriate.

Final Processing of Manuscripts

After all contributing articles have been accepted and copyedited, the JOLLAS Editor will notify the Issue Editor. Copyright forms must be signed by the first author of each article and sent (preferably scanned and sent as .pdf files) to the JOLLAS Editor.