We welcome proposals for Special Issues on topics of significance in contemporary Asia and the Pacific. The themes, topics, and methodologies are open, but we require that at least two countries, and preferably two regions in Asia and the Pacific (e.g. East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Pacific islands), be covered. Some Samples of previous Special Issues are available on the Submissions page under the yellow Sample Articles button near the top of the page. We are open to considering historical themes; however, this is only if the editor(s) make a strong case for clear relevance to the contemporary scene.
Each paper in a special issue should not exceed the standard 8,000-word limit (including notes). Please refer to the Submissions Guidelines and the Style Guide. Special Issues are usually composed of 5 or 6 papers (including the Introduction). All submitted papers should be formatted according to the Article Submission Guidelines, Style Guide, and Romanization Guidelines on the Submissions page.
Procedure:
We first require a formal proposal, which should consist of:
- Title of the Special issue
- Name(s) and contact information for the Issue editor(s). If there is more than one editor, the primary contact person should be identified.
- An Abstract of the entire Special Issue – usually around 250-300 words.
- A list of all article titles, author names, and affiliations (including a listing for an Introduction).
- The Proposal – usually around 1,000 words explaining the significance, theoretical and/or methodological approach, main themes and links between the papers, major conclusions.
- Paper Abstracts – abstracts of 250 words are required for each paper. We do not require one for the Introduction, as we anticipate the Proposal would be incorporated into the Introduction.
Pre-review
The Pacific Affairs board will review the proposal, and assess whether it should move forward as is, or invite a revised resubmission, or decide to decline. Most proposals are asked to make revisions and resubmit. We will usually re-review proposals only once. We strongly prefer that resubmissions or proposals take place within six months of the initial decision.
The requirements for regular submissions — empirical depth, theoretical awareness or engagement, clear writing, and adherence to our Style Guide – apply to Special Issues papers. In addition, cohesion of the entire set of papers (abstracts) and inter-area coverage are crucial to the success of Special Issue proposals.
External Review
If the proposal is accepted (or a revised version accepted), the editor will issue a letter of understanding outlining the duties of the guest editors. Please note that after this stage, the special issue editors will be responsible for suggesting reviewers, submitting masked PDF versions of all papers (including the Introduction), and later, revised MS Word versions. The issue editors will also be responsible for communicating with individual contributors regarding revisions and deadlines. Then, all the papers, including the Introduction, will be subject to our usual practice of double-blind reviews. The referees will assess the papers as either accept, revise and resubmit, or reject. If a sufficient number of papers pass the refereeing process, the special issue will proceed.
Please note that some papers from the original proposal may have to be dropped and/or replaced at this point, and in the worst-case scenario, the entire Special Issue may have to be abandoned if an insufficient number of papers are deemed acceptable by the referees. Pacific Affairs retains the right to publish individual articles from a special issue that has not passed review as a whole.
Publishing
Pacific Affairs does not guarantee a specific volume and issue of publication until after the final acceptance of the Special Issue (i.e. all previous steps have been cleared). We make every effort to keep the review cycle as close to our regular article submissions as possible.
Please also note that in instances where the publication of a conference or edited volume is planned, Pacific Affairs insists on the first right of publication (i.e. right to publish the articles prior to the conference volume). In general, we require the copyright year of any conference volume to be later than the year of publication in PA.
