Special Issue

The journal Migraciones maintains an ongoing open call for the submission of special issue proposals. Below are the existing modalities and the requirements to be fulfilled by the proposers.

Possible modalities

  1. Open call special issue: A call for proposals is published and disseminated.
  2. Closed special issue (with closed proposal of articles): This modality is possible as long as the quality and timeliness of the special issue are guaranteed and an acceptable number of articles are obtained at the end of the process (see below).
  3. Hybrid special issue: Coordinators contribute a predefined number of articles but complete the rest of the special issue through an open call.
  4. Monographic section: Monographic sections will consist of 3 to 5 articles on a specific theme.

Requirements

  1. Minimum number of articles: Each issue must include at least seven articles (excluding the introductory article) for publication. Exceptionally, issues with six articles may be considered, subject to the discretion of the journal. If the accepted articles, evaluated and finally approved for publication, do not meet the minimum requirement, they may be published as a monographic section.
  2. Maximum number of articles: Each issue may include 12 articles. Exceptionally, issues with up to 14 articles may be considered, subject to the discretion of the journal.
  3. Individual Articles:
    • Theme of the articles: The focus must be on the migratory aspect and contribute to the debates in this literature.
    • Style guidelines and submission: Those outlined in the general criteria of the journal. Articles may be written in Spanish or English.
  4. Introductory Article: Provides a state-of-the-art introduction to the issue's main topic and its relevance, introducing the individual articles.

The following aspects will be evaluated

  1. Theme and Approach
    • Alignment with the aims & scope of the journal
    • Relevance and interest
  2. Quality assurances
    • Editor credentials
    • Proposal credentials (e.g., competitive panel)
    • Open Call Monograph (see above)
  3. Co-Financing: Special issues are managed as extraordinary issues of the journal and involve additional funding that is ensured through co-financing. The lack of resources to cover co-financing expenses partially or fully does not automatically lead to the rejection of proposals. Still, the journal's editorial board must evaluate the financial feasibility of the issue before confirming its acceptance. In cases where multiple proposals without co-financing compete, priority will be given to proposals from junior researchers who face more significant difficulties accessing funding sources.

Generally, monograph sections will not require co-financing unless they stem from a co-financed monograph proposal that did not reach the minimum number of articles needed to constitute an issue.

Calendar/Schedule:

  1. Extraordinary issues will be published in March and October.
  2. For open special issues, the public call must be launched approximately 15 months prior to the anticipated publication date. Article submissions must be made about 12 months in advance for closed special issues.

Procedure for proposing a special issue

  1. Submit the proposal via email to revista.migraciones@comillas.edu.
    • The proposal must include the selected format (see above), information about the coordinators, the origin, justification and content of the proposal, references, and estimated deadlines.
    • For closed or hybrid proposals, a text justifying the interest of the special issue must be included, along with information and abstracts of all proposed articles and their connection to the general topic of the issue.
  2. The editorial team will evaluate the proposal and communicate their considerations. Potential publication and submission schedules will be displayed in the event of a positive evaluation.
  3. If the proposal is approved, the following steps should be followed [a-c: only in the case of open calls]:
    • a. Preparation and publication of the public call. The editors are responsible for this call, incorporating the considerations of the journal (see models of previous open calls here).
    • b. Reception of proposals (abstracts) via email in response to the call.
    • c. Selection of proposals. The editors are responsible for the final selection, incorporating the considerations of the journal.
    • d. Reception of articles through the platform. Once the proposals are selected, authors must individually submit them to the journal's platform (selecting the monograph issue they are intended for).
    • e. Pre-evaluation. Guest editors lead the pre-evaluation of received articles, incorporating the criteria established by the journal. All articles must pass the journal's quality filters.
    • f. Peer Review Process: The journal manages peer review within the platform, following the usual review process. Reviewers are selected based on recommendations from the editors and the journal.
    • g. Decision: The reviewers' reports are influential but not conclusive. The final editorial decision rests with the journal in consultation with the issue's guest editors. Editors may oversee the process and make suggestions for modifications.
    • h. Editing: The editing of each article's format and style is the exclusive responsibility of the journal, following its usual procedure. Editors are also involved in editing the issue by drafting the introductory article and deciding on the order of the articles.

Procedure for Monographic Section:

Articles will be submitted individually for evaluation, with authors notifying via email (revista.migraciones@comillas.edu) their affiliation with a monographic section proposal. If enough articles are accepted (3-5), they will be grouped within a monographic section.