Special Issues

The SJEE may occasionally publish a special issue, centred on a sub-theme within its overall scope to allow for in-depth exploration of a chosen subject (for example, the Special Issue published in 2023 on Engineering Ecosystems in Africa. 

As with this case, the editorial team would decide on a specific topic by focusing on recent developments within the scope of the journal. The collection of papers published would be of significant benefit to the readers to keep abreast of relevant current trends on the subject. The editor-in-chief would place a Call for Papers announcement on the journal website, with criteria to publish the selected, time-bound, research papers from events such as the biennial South African Society for Engineering Education conference.

Whilst the guest editors would be specialists in their discipline and be responsible for the collection of original research on the chosen topic for the issue, the editor-in-chief would have oversight of the issue. This role would include choosing and approving the guest editors who would have a proven publication record, relevant qualifications, and a verifiable institutional affiliation. The guest editors would usually use the journal’s peer-review panel for the peer review process. Further, the editor-in chief would have oversight of the same rigorous peer-review process as regular articles in the journal, as well as ensuring that the special issue conforms to the journal editorial processes. Ultimately, the editor-in-chief is accountable for the scholarly content published in special issues.