Special Features
You might come across the terms Special Feature, Virtual Issue or Special Focus when browsing our journals. But how is a Special Focus different from a Virtual Issue and when might one be more relevant than another?
We’ve put together an FAQs page and Special Feature workflow here to help demystify the process.
Download the Special Feature Workflow
What is a Special Feature?
Special Features are collections of new papers that are published around a particular topic. All of the British Ecological Society journals publish Special Features, either as standalone journals, or across multiple journals.
Special Features are a forum to collate the best research on a topic which is relevant for the journal, or journals. Special Feature papers are either invited to submit to the Special Feature by the Guest Editors, or we run an open call for proposals. If the Special Feature has an open call, the Guest Editors assess the proposals based on their abstracts, and choose which papers to invite to the submit to the journal.
All Special Feature papers undergo the same rigorous peer review as any other article submitted to the journal, and the Senior Editors retain oversight of all proposals, and papers.
What is a Special Focus?
A Special Focus works the same as a Special Feature, but rather than containing a mix of new Research, Reviews and Perspectives, you only find Review papers in a Special Focus. The below workflow applies to Special Focus as well as Special Features.
What is a Virtual Issue?
Virtual Issues work differently from Special Features. Rather than being made up of new papers, Virtual Issues are collections of existing papers around a topic which are pulled tog
ether after publication. For example, we pull together a Virtual Issue of existing journal content around our Annual Meeting topics each year, to give a tailored reading list to conference attendees.
Given that the papers in a Virtual Issue have already been published, there is no Guest Editor involved in a Virtual Issue process.
How can I find Special Features with open calls?
Open calls for contributions for all British Ecological Society journals here
I’m interested in running a Special Feature, how do I get this started?
If you have an idea for a Special Feature, you can email any journal editorial office to discuss your idea in more detail. If you are interested in running a cross-journal Special Feature, the editorial office you contact will coordinate with the other relevant BES journals to discuss your idea with the relevant Editor teams.
Contacts:
- Ecological Solutions and Evidence: editorial@ecologicalsolutionsandevidence.org
- Functional Ecology: admin@functionalecology.org
- Journal of Animal Ecology: admin@journalofanimalecology.org
- Journal of Applied Ecology: admin@journalofappliedecology.org
- Journal of Ecology: admin@journalofecology.org
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution: coordinator@methodsinecologyandevolution.org
- People and Nature: editorial@people-and-nature.org
How does a Special Feature go from idea to publication?
Download the Special Feature Workflow
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