P-ISSN: 2664-8776
E-ISSN: 2664-8784
A special issue is an edition of an engineering journal devoted to a single theme or to papers from a particular conference, rather than to the general mix of submissions. The peer review, the DOI registration and the open access terms are identical to a regular issue — what changes is the scope of what is collected, not the standard applied.
Authors are often unsure whether an engineering journal special issue is a lesser venue, a shortcut, or something to be wary of. It is none of those, provided you check the same things you would check anywhere.
Two things, usually:
The value to an engineering journal reader is that everything relevant sits in one place. For someone working on that exact problem, a themed collection is more useful than the same papers scattered across three years of regular issues.
| Regular issue | Special issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Peer review | Double-blind, two reviewers | The same |
| Editorial check first | Yes | Yes |
| Plagiarism screening | Every submission | Every submission |
| DOI | Crossref, prefix 10.33545 | The same |
| Access | Open, immediate | The same |
| Licence | CC BY-NC, authors keep copyright | The same |
| Volume numbering | Continuous with the journal | Continuous |
That last row matters for how you cite it and how it appears on a CV. A special issue is not a separate publication with its own numbering — it sits in the journal’s sequence, which is why an article from one is cited exactly like any other. See the special issue page for those published here.
Exactly as you would cite anything else in the journal: authors, title, journal name, year, volume, issue, page range and DOI, in Vancouver style. There is no separate convention and nothing extra to add. The theme is a description of the issue, not part of the reference.
The question is fit, and it is worth being honest with yourself about it:
If the answer to the first is no, submit to a regular issue. A themed collection carrying a loosely related paper helps nobody, including you — your work is read by people who came for a different topic.
Most are handled by a guest editor — a researcher with standing in the theme, working with the journal’s editorial team. They shape the call, invite contributions and often handle the first read.
That arrangement is normal and it has one implication worth knowing: a guest editor submitting their own paper to their own special issue should not be handling its review. Any well-run journal routes that to someone else. If you are ever a guest editor, arrange it explicitly rather than assuming it is understood.
The second common type collects extended versions of papers presented at a conference. This raises a question authors ask often: is that duplicate publication?
Generally no, provided two conditions hold. The journal version must be substantially extended — more data, fuller method, deeper analysis, not the same paper reformatted. And the conference paper must be cited in the journal version, so the record is clear about what came first.
A conference paper republished with a new title and no citation is duplicate publication. The same work extended by 40% with the original cited is a normal and accepted route.
If in doubt, say what you have done in the cover letter. An editor told about the relationship up front will tell you whether the extension is sufficient; an editor who finds out later has a different conversation.
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Is the guest editor named, with an affiliation? | Anonymous calls are the pattern predatory publishers use |
| Is the journal itself checkable? | The special issue inherits everything from the journal |
| Are the charges the same as usual? | A special issue should not carry a different price |
| Is the review process stated as identical? | If a call implies lighter review, that is the warning |
| Does the theme genuinely match your paper? | This is your decision, not the call’s |
The third row catches something specific. In a legitimate engineering journal, a special issue is an editorial arrangement, not a product tier — the charges, the review and the licence are the journal’s, unchanged.
There is a reason to be careful here, and it is worth stating plainly. The special issue format — a themed call, a deadline, an invitation — is the format predatory publishers copy most often, because it creates urgency and flatters the recipient.
A genuine call describes the theme, names a guest editor, and points to a journal you can check. A mass-mailed invitation praises work you have not written, promises fast publication and attaches a deadline.
The checks are the same as for anything else: is the review process described, do the DOIs resolve, can the indexing be verified, are charges stated before you submit. Our guide on telling predatory from genuine journals works through it in half an hour.
It happens, usually after you have published in the area or organised a session at a conference. Three things to establish before agreeing:
Guest editing is real work and it is worth doing. It is also a role where an unclear arrangement creates problems later, and five minutes of clarity at the start prevents all of them.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is a special issue different in quality? | No — same review, same standard |
| Does it get a DOI? | Yes, the same way |
| Is it open access? | Yes, on the same terms |
| Is it cited differently? | No |
| Is it worth less on a CV? | No |
| What actually differs? | The scope of what is collected |
So the short answer to the question authors actually have: a special issue is a normal issue with a theme. Judge it by the journal it sits in.
An edition of the journal devoted to a single theme, or to papers arising from a particular conference, rather than to the general mix of submissions that fills a regular issue.
Yes. The same double-blind process applies, with two reviewers and an initial editorial check, exactly as for a regular issue. The theme changes what is submitted, not how it is assessed.
Yes. Every article receives a Crossref DOI under the same prefix, so it is cited and found in exactly the same way as any other paper in the journal.
No. It carries the same volume and issue numbering, the same review process and the same DOI. If anything, a themed collection is read more attentively by people working in that theme.
They are announced on the journal's special issue page and in calls circulated to the field. Check the page rather than relying on an email, because invitations are also the format predatory publishers imitate.
If your paper genuinely fits the theme, the special issue puts it in front of a more focused readership. If the fit is loose, a regular issue is better — a themed collection with an unrelated paper in it serves nobody.
How a themed issue fits the normal process:
Created by Omar Haddad • 09 Aug 2026
P-ISSN: 2664-8776
E-ISSN: 2664-8784
International Journal of Research in Engineering
