1. Purpose

This policy governs the proposal, approval, editorial management, peer review, ethics oversight and publication of special issues, thematic collections, conference-related issues and guest-edited sections of Ho Chi Minh City Open University Journal of Science (HCMCOUJS).

2. Approval of Special Issues

Special issues must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief or competent editorial governance body before public announcement.

A proposal should include:

1. title and scope;
2. academic rationale;
3. relevance to journal aims and scope;
4. proposed guest editors;
5. timeline;
6. call for papers;
7. peer review plan;
8. Conflict of Interest (COI) management plan;
9. ethics oversight plan;
10. expected article types.

3. Guest Editors

Guest editors must:

1. have appropriate expertise;
2. declare conflicts of interest;
3. follow HCMCOUJS policies;
4. maintain confidentiality;
5. not guarantee acceptance;
6. not bypass peer review;
7. not handle manuscripts where they have COI;
8. not use special issues to promote citation cartels, paper mills or closed networks.

4. Editorial Oversight

All special issues remain under the authority of HCMCOUJS and the Editor-in-Chief.

The Editor-in-Chief or assigned independent editor shall oversee:

1. scope integrity;
2. reviewer selection;
3. COI management;
4. peer review quality;
5. acceptance decisions;
6. ethical concerns;
7. final publication approval.

5. Peer Review Requirements

All special issue manuscripts must undergo independent peer review equivalent to regular submissions.

Special issue manuscripts must not be accepted solely because they are invited, conference-linked or guest-editor recommended.

6. Conflict of Interest

Guest editors, editors and reviewers must declare conflicts of interest.

A guest editor must not handle:

• their own manuscript;
• manuscript by close collaborators;
• manuscript from same research project;
• manuscript from family members;
• manuscript where financial or academic conflict exists.

7. Conference-related Submissions

Conference-related manuscripts may be considered only if:

• substantially developed beyond the conference version;
• properly disclosed;
• not duplicate publication;
• independently peer reviewed;
• compliant with copyright and licensing requirements;
• aligned with journal scope.

8. Citation and Network Integrity

Special issues must not be used for:

• citation stacking;
• coercive citation;
• guest editor self-promotion;
• paper mill activity;
• reciprocal publication networks;
• bypassing normal editorial standards.

9. Withdrawal or Cancellation

HCMCOUJS may suspend, modify or cancel a special issue if:

• peer review integrity is compromised;
• guest editors fail to comply with policy;
• paper mill activity is suspected;
• citation manipulation is detected;
• insufficient quality submissions are received;
• conflicts of interest cannot be managed;
• the topic no longer fits journal scope.

10. Related Policies

This policy shall be interpreted together with:

• Publication Ethics & Research Integrity Policy;
• Authorship & Contribution Policy;
• Peer Review Policy;
• Reviewer Guidelines & Ethical Responsibilities;
• Editorial Independence & Editorial Governance Policy;
• AI Governance Policy;
• Correction, Retraction & Post-Publication Policy;
• Complaints & Appeals Policy;
• Research Data Policy.

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Policy Information

Item	Content
Policy Owner	HCMCOUJS Editorial Council
Approved by	Editor-in-Chief and HCMCOUJS Editorial Council
Version	3.0
Effective Date	May 2026
Review Cycle	Annual