1. Purpose and Scope

ETHIOINQUIRY welcomes proposals for thematic Special Issues that advance scholarship in the humanities and the social sciences, with particular attention to African and Ethiopian contexts. Special Issues must meet the same scientific and ethical standards as regular issues of the journal.

2. Proposal Requirements

Proposals must be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief at least twelve (12) months before the proposed publication date and must include:

• A clear statement of the thematic focus and its relevance to the journal's scope.
• Names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, and brief CVs of the proposed Guest Editor(s).
• A rationale explaining how the theme advances scholarly discourse.
• A list of at least eight (8) confirmed or prospective authors and tentative manuscript titles.
• A proposed timeline covering the call for papers, submission deadline, peer review completion, and publication.
• A declaration of any potential conflicts of interest between Guest Editors and prospective authors.
• A statement confirming that the Special Issue will not consist predominantly of articles from a single institution or country (maximum 40% from any one institution).

3. Guest Editor Responsibilities

Guest Editors serve under the authority of the Editor-in-Chief and must adhere to all ETHIOINQUIRY editorial policies. Specific responsibilities include:

• Issuing the Call for Papers through appropriate scholarly channels ensuring broad international reach.
• Conducting initial screening of submitted manuscripts for scope, quality, and compliance before routing to peer review.
• Coordinating at least two (2) independent, double-blind peer reviews for each manuscript. Guest Editors must not serve as reviewers for manuscripts by their own collaborators or graduate students.
• Making recommendations to accept, revise, or reject manuscripts, with written justification, forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief for final approval.
• Ensuring their own articles, if any, in the Special Issue are handled entirely by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated Associate Editor.
• Writing an introductory editorial article of 1,500–3,000 words contextualizing the theme.
• Adhering to the agreed-upon timeline and communicating any delays promptly.

4. Conflict of Interest and Independence

Guest Editors must disclose all actual or perceived conflicts of interest throughout the editorial process. A Guest Editor who has co-authored with, supervised, or has financial ties to a submitting author must recuse themselves from the review and decision process for that manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief retains the authority to override any Guest Editor decision and to reject the entire Special Issue if ethical standards are not upheld.

5. Author Self-Submission Limits

Guest Editors may submit a maximum of one (1) original research manuscript to the Special Issue they are editing. This manuscript will undergo independent review managed exclusively by the Editor-in-Chief.

6. Quality Assurance and Final Approval

All accepted manuscripts from a Special Issue are subject to final editorial review by the Editor-in-Chief before publication. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to request additional revisions, additional peer reviewers, or to reject any manuscript that does not meet the journal's standards, irrespective of the Guest Editor's recommendation.