Guest Editor Guidelines

ProData welcomes proposals for Special Issues and Thematic Collections curated by Guest Editors. These collections spotlight emerging topics, interdisciplinary research areas, or focused themes that enrich the journal’s scope and readership. 

To ensure a smooth and successful collaboration, we provide the following guidelines for Guest Editors:

Role and Responsibilities

As a Guest Editor, you will:

• Lead the planning and development of a special issue or thematic collection, including defining its scope and objectives.
• Collaborate with the journal’s editorial team to promote the call for papers.
• Manage the peer review process for submitted manuscripts, ensuring a fair, timely, and rigorous evaluation.
• Make editorial recommendations to the journal’s Editors-in-Chief or Section Editors based on peer review outcomes.
• Uphold the journal’s ethical standards and editorial policies throughout the process.

Manuscript Handling

Guest Editors are responsible for:

• Assigning appropriate reviewers with expertise relevant to each manuscript.
• Ensuring reviews are completed within agreed timelines.
• Making preliminary editorial decisions based on reviewers’ feedback.
• Consulting with the journal’s Editors-in-Chief on final decisions, especially for borderline or complex cases.

All manuscripts must comply with ProData’s submission guidelines, ethical standards, and formatting requirements.

Communication and Reporting

Guest Editors should maintain regular communication with the journal’s editorial office,including:

• Providing progress updates on submissions and reviews
• Reporting any conflicts of interest or ethical concerns
• Coordinating with the production team for final article preparation and publication scheduling

Conflict of Interest and Ethics

Guest Editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest related to manuscripts they handle. They must adhere to the same ethical guidelines as regular editors, including confidentiality, impartiality, and avoidance of bias.

Recognition and Support

Guest Editors will receive:

• Formal acknowledgment in the published special issue or collection.
• Access to editorial resources and support from the journal’s editorial team.
• An invitation to participate in editorial board meetings or events, where applicable.