About Special Collections

What is a Special Collection?

A Special Collection is a select group of scientific contributions focused on a central theme, topic, or research direction. Special collections are initiated and supervised by Guest Editors, who are responsible for the content and for managing the review process for all contributions in collaboration with the Editorial Office.

How is a Special Collection initiated?

Prospective Guest Editors are encouraged to submit a short proposal to the journal's editorial office. This initial proposal should include a description of the intended topic, its scholarly relevance, and the names of the proposed Guest Editors. The proposal is evaluated by the Demographic Research Editorial Board, which determines its suitability and may request revisions to refine its focus or broaden its scope. If approved, the journal then issues an open call for submissions, which is published on the journal’s website. Guest Editors are encouraged to further distribute the call within their academic and professional networks.

While Demographic Research welcomes Special Collections linked to scientific events (conferences, workshops or projects), collections should not be restricted to contributions from the event participants alone. An open call ensures that submissions from all researchers working on the proposed theme are equally welcome. There is no fixed limit on the number of articles in a Special Collection, which allows for the inclusion of a diverse and high-quality range of research.

How are Special Collection submissions handled and reviewed?

All submissions to a Special Collection must be uploaded through the Demographic Research online submission system and follow the same rigorous peer-review process as regular submissions.

Once submitted, manuscripts undergo an initial pre-screening by the Editor-in-Chief or a Deputy Editor. Papers that pass this stage are transferred to the Guest Editors, who suggest reviewers, process and adjudicate reviews, offer feedback to contributors, and make final publication decisions.

All material in a Special Collection is peer-reviewed, and each individual submission must be accepted for publication according to the same standards as all other journal content. There are no exceptions to this rule.

How is Special Collection content published?

Special Collection contributions appear on the journal website in two complementary ways.

First, individual contributions that have been accepted are published immediately, as normal articles, in the current volume of Demographic Research. Thus, they are available online without delay to readers and library services.

Second, after publication of the collection’s final contribution, the guest editor submits an editorial that outlines the focus, content, and importance of the collection. The editorial and all contributions are then also linked together under a separate heading on the journal’s website that identifies the group of papers as a Special Collection. Each individual contribution continues to stand alone as a published paper in the journal, but this second listing also enables readers to view the collection of material as a whole. In the Special Collections section it is also possible to include links to supplementary material, and to related websites or publications.

What are my responsibilities as a Guest Editor?

Guest Editors work with journal staff to review submitted contributions. Typically, all papers in a collection begin the review process after they are submitted to the journal. The time to decision will naturally vary from paper to paper.

Guest Editors are responsible for identifying reviewers, for maintaining contact with the office staff during the review period, for suggesting additional reviewers should the need arise, and for evaluating the reports, including any editorial adjudication decisions. Once reviewers have recommended publication of a submission, the Guest Editor must also approve the final version of the work before it can be published.

After submissions are published, a Guest Editor must then submit an introduction, summary, or editorial for the collection. Depending on the length and content of this piece, it may itself be subject to a full peer review. This piece is also published in the current volume of the journal, under an appropriate submission category.