Special Issue Guidelines

Purpose

Bhutan Journal of Business and Management welcomes special issue proposals that bring a clear research question into conversation with a wider scholarly community. Published by Gedu College of Business Studies, Royal University of Bhutan, BJBM connects contextual relevance with rigorous research and responsible publishing.

The journal considers themes in business, management, economics, finance, accounting, policy, governance, entrepreneurship, technology, and related interdisciplinary fields. Proposals may address Bhutan, the Himalayan region, South Asia, comparable contexts, or questions of wider international significance.

Special issues follow the same editorial, ethical, and review standards as regular content. Approval of a proposal does not guarantee acceptance of any manuscript.

Prepare a clear proposal

Explain the theme, the gap it addresses, and its contribution to scholarship, policy, or practice. Define the topics and intended readership, and show why the collection belongs in BJBM. Include a proposed editorial team, contributor outreach, a tentative timetable, and any funding, partnership, or conflict disclosures.

Give practical plans rather than confirmed promises. Indicative contributors and dates remain provisional. The Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor receive the application, and the journal may request clarification before deciding whether to proceed.

Build an appropriate guest editorial team

Provide each proposed editor's affiliation, relevant expertise, publications or professional profile, and editorial or reviewing experience. Obtain their agreement before naming them. Explain how responsibilities would be shared.

Guest editors are appointed following the journal's assessment and serve within the approved collection and agreed responsibilities.

Keep decisions independent

Regular editorial leadership retains oversight. The Editor-in-Chief approves special issues and retains final decision responsibility for manuscripts unless recused. The Managing Editor coordinates the process.

Guest editors must disclose conflicts and withdraw from affected decisions. Their own manuscripts, and submissions involving close collaborators or other significant conflicts, are handled by an uninvolved regular editor. Invitations and editorial recommendations do not guarantee acceptance.

Use the ordinary submission and review process

Authors submit through BJBM and select the relevant open special issue. Each manuscript undergoes scope and ethical assessment. Scholarly submissions use double-blind peer review; research articles normally receive reports from at least two reviewers, subject to the journal's published editorial discretion.

Reviewer recommendations are advisory. The authorised editor assesses the complete record and decides whether the manuscript meets BJBM's requirements.

Protect research integrity and confidentiality

Editors and reviewers must protect confidential material, act fairly, and use independent reviewers with appropriate expertise. Review manipulation, fabricated identities, and coercive practices are unacceptable. The journal's requirements for originality, authorship, ethical approval, and disclosures apply throughout.

Publish without author charges

BJBM is diamond open access, with no submission, review, article processing, or publication fees. Funding and partnerships must be disclosed and cannot influence editorial decisions.

Authors normally retain copyright and grant BJBM a non-exclusive publishing right. Articles use CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise specified. Authors remain responsible for permissions and attribution for third-party material.

Plan the call and publication timetable

Approved calls identify the collection and guest editors. Authors should check its number, scope, and submission dates before choosing it. Selection routes a manuscript for consideration; acceptance and final publication arrangements remain editorial decisions.

The journal may revise the timetable, reassign manuscripts, or postpone, change, or discontinue a collection where quality, integrity, or practical concerns require it.