Special Issues & Guest Editors

Overview

The Mesopotamian Journal of Arabic Language Studies (MJALS) occasionally publishes Special Issues that address focused themes in Arabic linguistics, literature, rhetoric, translation, and digital language studies. These collections aim to enrich scholarly dialogue and highlight both classical and modern developments in the field.

Each Special Issue is curated by qualified Guest Editors in collaboration with the Editor-in-Chief, ensuring academic rigor, transparency, and adherence to international ethical publishing standards.

Proposal and Evaluation

Proposals for Special Issues may be submitted by scholars, institutions, or research groups at least six months before the intended publication date. Each proposal must include:

The title and thematic scope of the proposed Special Issue;
The rationale and expected academic contribution to Arabic language studies;
The names, affiliations, and short biographies of the proposed Guest Editors;
A list of suggested topics or potential contributors (optional but encouraged);
A detailed timeline for submissions, reviews, and final publication;
A plan for outreach and dissemination through academic and cultural networks.

All proposals are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board based on academic merit, feasibility, and ethical alignment with MJALS’s publishing standards. Accepted proposals proceed under a formal Guest Editor Agreement outlining roles, responsibilities, and ethical obligations.

Appointment and Responsibilities of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are appointed based on their academic expertise, reputation, and prior editorial or research experience. They are responsible for:

Defining the scholarly objectives and thematic focus of the Special Issue;
Preparing and promoting the official Call for Papers;
Overseeing the peer review process while maintaining fairness and confidentiality;
Ensuring that all manuscripts comply with COPE-aligned ethical standards and MJALS’s author guidelines;
Collaborating with the Editor-in-Chief on final acceptance decisions.

To ensure transparency and prevent conflicts of interest, Guest Editors may publish no more than one article within their own Special Issue, which must undergo independent single-blind review.

Peer Review and Editorial Integrity

All Special Issue submissions are held to the same standards as regular MJALS manuscripts. The journal follows a single-blind peer review process, where the reviewers remain anonymous to the authors while authors’ identities are known to reviewers.

Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers, preferably including one member of the editorial board when appropriate. The Editor-in-Chief retains final decision authority to ensure impartiality and consistency with the journal’s academic and ethical standards.

The review process strictly follows the COPE Core Practices and aligns with Scopus CSAB, WAME, and DOAJ transparency principles.

Ethical and Transparency Standards

The Mesopotamian Journal of Arabic Language Studies (MJALS) fully adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing. All authors, reviewers, and Guest Editors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest and strictly comply with the journal’s publication ethics policy.

Cases involving plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data manipulation are handled according to the MJALS Publication Ethics and Malpractice Policy.

Dissemination and Impact

All Special Issues are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license and made freely available to readers worldwide. Each article receives a Crossref DOI and is indexed in Google Scholar, ROAD, and other scholarly databases.

MJALS collaborates with Guest Editors to implement effective dissemination and academic promotion strategies through universities, conferences, and online research platforms to ensure the widest possible reach and long-term academic impact.