Special Issues Policy

Anesthesiology (AOJ) welcomes proposals for Special Issues — collections of articles addressing a focused theme within anesthesiology or perioperative medicine, typically coordinated by one or more Guest Editors alongside the journal's regular editorial team.

Proposing a Special Issue

Researchers interested in guest-editing a Special Issue should submit a proposal to the editorial office, including the proposed theme and its relevance to the journal's Aim & Scope, a brief rationale for why the topic warrants a dedicated collection, the names and credentials of proposed Guest Editor(s), and an estimated timeline and expected number of contributions.

Guest Editor Role and Independence

Guest Editors are responsible for coordinating the call for papers, identifying potential contributors, and providing initial editorial screening for submissions to the Special Issue. However, Guest Editors do not have unilateral authority over final acceptance decisions — every submission to a Special Issue undergoes the same Peer Review Process as a regular submission, and final editorial decisions remain subject to oversight by the Editor-in-Chief.

Conflicts of Interest

Where a Guest Editor submits their own manuscript to a Special Issue they are coordinating, they are recused from all editorial decision-making related to that submission, consistent with the journal's Conflict of Interest Policy. The manuscript is instead handled by the Editor-in-Chief or an alternative qualified editor.

Scientific Standards

Special Issue submissions are held to the same standards of scientific rigor, originality, and ethical compliance as regular journal submissions, per the journal's Publication Ethics policy. A Special Issue does not represent a lowered bar for acceptance.

Transparency

Each published Special Issue clearly identifies its Guest Editor(s), the scope of the collection, and any funding or sponsorship associated with the issue, consistent with the journal's Advertising Policy regarding sponsor influence over editorial content.