Special issues
Browse all special issues from Italian Culture.
- Special issues
Special issue information
Forthcoming special issues:
• 2020: 38.1: “Essays on the Edge: In Honor of Rebecca West,” guest edited by Ellen Nerenberg
• 2021: 39.1: “After Convergence,” guest edited by Paola Bonifazio and Maurizio Vito
Italian Culture Policy on Special Issues
Scholars not formally affiliated with the journal may be invited to coordinate submissions, or scholars may come to the editor with suggestions on a special issue topic. These guest editors may circulate a call for papers and/or contact leading and promising scholars in the field for possible submissions, then select from among the submissions generated to reap a proposed set of articles, and pass these articles on to the journal’s Co-editors for vetting.
Importantly, the guest editor does not replace the Co-editors or Editorial Board for that issue. The Co-editors and Editorial Board have final accountability for the ultimate product. If the guest editor does not follow a formal referee process, with the articles vetted by outside readers, the Co-editors or Editorial Board may put the articles through this process following the normal practice of the journal. In other words, solicitation of an essay for a special issue is not a guarantee of its acceptance. The solicitation is a sign of respect and an expression of hope that this author’s piece can make its way into the issue as finally published.
The Co-editors also retains an overall fiduciary responsibility for the journal’s cover art, typography, layout, printing, distribution, and the standards of its contents.
Authors should also remember that the referee process, already subject to delays in processing, assessment, and revision, can be further delayed by the Co-editors’ consultations with the guest editor and invited authors. People involved in special issues should be aware of time-related factors and are advised to be sure to prepare far in advance for deadlines and other contingencies.
In sum, the mission of the guest editor is primarily scholarly. The Co-editors are still heavily involved as would occur in a normal issue, the difference being that the guest editor has actively worked to shape the issue. The cross-fertilization for which this process allows is one of its primary benefits.