We receive a large number of enquiries about and proposals for special issues which means that we are in the enviable position of selecting only the very strongest. To be successful, proposals need to offer a coherent set of excellent original research articles that will re-frame or develop knowledge on a topic which is at the leading edge of current debates and is clearly relevant to the journal’s worldwide readership. Proposals may include a mixture of theoretical, conceptual and empirical cases and a range of research methods, but must demonstrate how they will make a significant and lasting contribution to the field.

 
Special issues of this significance generally take at least eighteen months to two years from the acceptance of a proposal through to final publication.  In return, we can offer a fast-track publication service for all articles with turnaround times of 2-3 months from delivery of the final manuscript to publication. In addition, we undertake significant article-level marketing for special issues, and all special issues are eligible for consideration for publication in book form, in the Policy & Politics series published by Policy Press.
 
Please read our guidance on how to develop your proposal, to ensure that you include all the information we will need to evaluate it. If you would like to talk through any aspect of your proposal, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 
The timetable for evaluating proposals is set out below:
 

Call for proposals open; submit to mailto:sarah.brown@bristol.ac.uk 4th July 2016
Deadline for submitting proposals 9th December 2016
Decision on selection of one proposal announced 28th February 2017
Initial draft of articles submitted 30th June 2017
Peer reviews and feedback given 8th December 2017
Revised articles submitted and finalised 1st qtr 2018
Articles published online as fast track 2nd qtr 2018
Special issue print edition Jan 2019