Authors submitting to a special issue should review the thematic scope and follow JES submission standards. Special issues follow the same peer review and production workflow as regular submissions.

• Confirm scope fit with the special issue theme
• Prepare data and code availability statements
• Document sampling design and analytical workflows
• Ensure figures and tables are publication ready
• Prepare a cover letter referencing the special issue

Clearly indicate the special issue title in the cover letter and manuscript metadata. This helps editors route the submission to the correct guest editor team.

All special issue submissions undergo initial screening for scope fit, ethical compliance, and data transparency. Submissions that do not align with the theme may be redirected to the regular journal track.

• Define the evolutionary science gap the special issue addresses.
• Provide a rationale for guest editor expertise and topic coverage.
• Specify anticipated article types and approximate submission volume.
• Outline peer review timelines and editorial decision workflows.
• Describe outreach plans to evolutionary biology communities.
• Identify data reporting standards required for submissions.
• Clarify whether cross disciplinary submissions are in scope.
• List any planned invited contributions or consortium partners.
• Provide proposed metrics for impact or theory advancement.
• Describe data harmonization requirements for multi site submissions.
• Specify expected submission window and targeted publication date.
• Note any permitting or collection considerations for topic areas.
• Define expected peer reviewer pool and recruitment strategy.
• Describe data sharing expectations for special issue contributors.
• Specify interdisciplinary scope across genetics, ecology, and paleobiology.
• Outline plan for ethics oversight in field and laboratory studies.
• Provide expected timeline for revisions and final acceptance.
• Identify metrics for success such as citations or community uptake.
• State whether a preprint policy will be highlighted in the call.
• Include communication plan for targeted author outreach.
• Note if a conference partnership supports the special issue.
• Provide guidance on thematic keywords for submissions.
• Specify editorial support for harmonized methods across studies.
• Describe plans for webinar promotion or community engagement.
• Define guest editor responsibilities for conflict management and decisions.
• Clarify expectations for data availability statements in the issue.
• Outline review capacity planning and reviewer recruitment targets.
• State policies for preprints and prior dissemination in the call.
• Provide guidance for harmonized definitions across participating taxa.
• Describe plans for rapid communications or perspective articles.
• Specify whether protocol papers or methods notes are in scope.

JES is committed to rigorous, transparent publishing in evolutionary science. We emphasize reproducible phylogenetic and population genetic analyses, clear reporting of model assumptions, and ethical compliance in field and laboratory research.

The editorial office supports authors, editors, and reviewers with clear guidance and responsive communication. For questions about scope or workflow, contact [email protected].

We encourage open data, code sharing, and careful documentation of specimens and sequences to support replication and long-term reuse across the evolutionary biology community.