Special Issue Guidelines

Once or twice a year, Professional School Counseling publishes a special issue about a single topic. If you are interested in developing a special issue for the journal and would like to serve as guest editor for that issue, read the special issue guidelines. Please note, special issue editors should generally be either associate or full professors and have a solid background of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Proposals for special issues should be submitted by the lead guest editor of the special issue and need to include the following:

• The topic of the proposed special issue
• A suggested title for the special issue (should not exceed 12 words)
• Proposed aims and scope, giving an overview of the special issue’s intended focus and a list of the topics to be covered
• Set out the importance of the area and topics the special issue will focus on (rationale). This should explain the anticipated contribution of the special issue in advancing understanding within the profession of school counseling; Proposals may include an example/overview of potential article foci (estimate no more than six-seven articles at approximately 20 pages each).
• If applicable, a list of guest editors who will join the lead guest editor in managing the special issue, including their names, emails, affiliations and a short biography (one paragraph) of each of the guest editors
• A proposed timeline and schedule that includes:
  • Deadline for submission (initial)
  • First round of review (generally within three months after submission deadline)
  • Tentative date for submission of final manuscripts to PSC editor/associate editors

Additional Guidelines

1. Manuscripts in special issues must adhere to Professional School Counseling author guidelines.
2. In preparing manuscripts for the special issue, guest editors must follow a scholarly, blinded, peer-review process. Special issue editors may develop their own evaluation form/format for the review process.
3. Each submission to the special issue must be referred for review as part of a blinded review process. Every manuscript must undergo at least one round of blinded review and must include at least one member of the PSC editorial board as a reviewer at some level in the review process (with prior arrangement, special issue guest editors may elect to use the PSC manuscript review form and PSC editorial board members for all reviews). Final approval of articles in special issues is the purview of the PSCeditor/associate editors.
4. Guest editors for special issues may author/co-author no more than two manuscripts in a special issue (including an introduction and/or conclusion to the special issue).
5. Special issues should try to include at least one manuscript that is empirically based research.

To apply, the lead guest editor of the special issue should send a CV and proposal to Angie Hickman, CAE (ahickman@schoolcounselor.org).