List of Call for Papers for Social Work Scholars
“A Special Issue is an issue of your journal dedicated to one chosen topic. It should contain the latest work on that subject. And if you create a Special Issue well, it can be a unique and valuable reference source for every researcher interested in that area.” (copied from Taylor & Francis editor resources)
Special issues typically involve expedited publication decisions on timely topics. These are usually recruited through calls for papers. Below are websites where social work researchers can find a collection of calls for papers that might be of interest.
Publisher-Specific Resources
Professional Association Resources
Open Access Journals
If you are considering submitting them to the fully open-access journals, please note that open-access journals charge the authors an article processing fee (APC). You need to verify that you have sufficient funding sources to cover the APC before submission. Further, open-access only journals include the current controversy regarding whether it is predatory or not.
One of the most notable trends in academic publishing in recent years has been the dramatic increase in papers published through special issues. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced among certain open-access publishers, as revealed by data collected between 2016 and 2022.
The graph clearly illustrates a divide in how different publishers approach special issues:
- MDPI: Nearly 80% of papers published through special issues, with a significant increase since 2016
- Frontiers: Approximately 70% of papers published in “Topics” (their version of special issues)
- Hindawi: Around 60% of papers appearing in special issues
You can also refer to this article by Science: https://www.science.org/content/article/fast-growing-open-access-journals-stripped-coveted-impact-factors
