Editing a Special Issue of the Journal of Technology in Human Services (JTHS)

JTHS encourages special issues on topics of interest to readers. Major articles from a conference supplemented by content such as application descriptions often make great special issues. Special issues can be a single issue, double issues, or larger. To calculate whether it will be a single, double, or larger issue, consider that each issue of JTHS typically contains 110-125 double spaced type pages. A double issue contains 215-240 pages, etc.

Often special issues are published simultaneously by Taylor & Francis as a separate book. The decision of whether to publish special issues as a separate book is made by Taylor & Francis based on the market for the book and potential sales. Usually the journal/book publishing combination require a double issue or larger. Interviews, book reviews, software reviews, and Web site reviews never appear in special issues that are printed as a book. A special marketing form will need to be completed for those wanting to publish a special issue as a separate book. If the special issue is published as a book, a standard book royalty contract must be signed.

If you have an idea for a special issue, follow the steps below.

Steps in editing a special issue of JTHS

Email me you idea to see if it has potential. Include in your email the major sections or divisions for your idea.
If my reply is encouraging, form your ideas about the special issue into an outline of potential articles. For some special issues, a general call for papers might be the best way to proceed. For other special issues, you might want to have a common outline for each article. Email this information to me for feedback. Provide a ideal timeframe on when you would like the issue announcement made, authors selected, detailed outlines approved, draft articles submitted, final articles submitted, special issue completed.
If my reply is to proceed, write a "request for articles" and "instructions to authors" and distribute these to potential authors, listservs, etc. There are two approaches to preparing a special issue. The first follows the journal approach where you request articles and then provide blind review by several experts. The second follows the edited book approach where you solicit authors and guide their contributions. In the edited book approach, you usually request a 100-word summary of the article and/or a detailed outline of the contents. You can then provide one or more blind reviews of the contents. At this stage, I will send you some forms (e.g., book contract) for you to complete for Taylor & Francis.
If following the edited book approach, select your potential authors and firm up your timeframe. Indicate on your timeframe when you require items due to you, e.g., summary, detailed outline, draft article, final article. Also, indicate your tasks and timeframe, e.g., feedback on the summary, feedback on the detailed outline, feedback on the draft, etc. If you let your authors know that you will be checking with them periodically, they will not feel harassed but expect your input. Mail/email the list of authors and timeframe to me and your authors. After authors have been selected, communicate with them frequently to insure that they are meeting your deadlines and that they understand the expected content. Lack of communication is probably the largest problem in putting a special issue together. Much work can be avoided by good communication and monitoring, e.g., authors should know that their article must be run through their spelling and grammar checker. Email them the copyright release form available from this web site so they understand that Taylor & Francis will own copyright of their work, which is standard practice. Original signatures of all authors are required.
Begin accepting and reviewing manuscripts if you are following the journal approach. If you are following the edited book approach, when each manuscript is submitted to you, read it over and provide feedback to the authors. Once you feel a manuscript is close to final form, email it and your comments to me for additional review. Depending on the manuscript and topic, I may send the manuscript out to one or more editorial board members for their review. The reviews will be "blind", so please remove all author identifying information from the manuscript before you email it.
At this point, you need to complete a marketing questionnaire that will be sent to Taylor & Francis. If appropriate, prepare an introduction to the special issue/book, preface, section introductions, etc. Also prepare a biographical sketch for use in the issue/book. Sign a copyright release from for each section the editors write and send them alone with the other copyright release forms.
JTHS's policy is not to reprint previously published materials without special permission. If previously published materials are used, editors are responsible for obtaining copyright release and any payments associated with reprinting those materials.
When you have all the final manuscripts, email them to me along with copyright forms in PDF or JPG format. Remember, each introduction, preface, chapter etc., by the editors requires a separate, signed, copyright form.

Contents	A check indicates the content is included
Contents	NA	Yes	No	Notes
Manuscript emailed in APA format (e.g., double-spaced on one side of paper with references in APA format).
Copyright form with original signatures of all authors
A list of all authors including name, highest degree, title, affiliation, mailing address, telephone number (telephone numbers will be kept confidential),
Include an author's description of less than 40 words for each author. Author's description may include grant support for manuscript preparation, acknowledgments, etc.
Permission to reprint copyrighted materials, e.g., figures or screenshots (if needed)
Abstract of under 100 words
3-5 key words or phrases describing the manuscript contents
Artwork on disk or good quality printing for photo-reproduction
Date the manuscript was submitted, revised, and accepted for publication

Contract Terms for Special Issues Published as a Separate Book

The Guest Editors shall receive the following royalties on “net income received”* from the Publisher's sale of the Work as follows: (Note: these terms are subject to change with Taylor and Francis as publisher).

1. From hardcover USA sales:

0% = between 0 and 500 copies sold;
10% = between 501 and 1,000 copies sold;
12.5% =between 1,001 and 3,000 copies sold;
15% = over 3,001 copies sold

2. From softcover USA sales:

0% = between 0 and 500 copies sold;
4% = between 501 and 1,000 copies sold;
7.5% = over 1,001 copies sold

3. From sales outside the USA:

50% of the royalty scale for USA sales

4. From International Editions:

If the Publisher issues an International Edition of the Work, intended for textbook adoptions in developing countries, and where the retail price is less than 50% of the regular softcover retail price, the royalty rate shall be 50% of the regular rate for sales outside of the USA. International Editions are typically produced for classroom adoptions in such countries as India, Bangladesh, some African nations, etc. They are prohibited for sale in developed countries.

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* “Net Income Received” is the total amount of sales income received minus any costs deducted by the Publisher. This sales income includes revenue from sales by the Publisher of reprint editions which are defined as editions published in less expensive form than the original; sales or rentals by the Publisher of film strips, slides, transparencies, tapes, records, and other adaptations of the Work; and micro published editions.