Guidelines for Special Issue Proposals

From time to time, Computational Linguistics publishes special issues focused on a specific topic or theme. A special issue starts from a proposal by (typically) two or more active researchers in the area, who serve as guest editors: they solicit submissions, manage the review process in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief (EiC), and deliver the camera-ready materials for publication.

Current call: Special Issue on the Ethics of NLP and CL (submission deadline 27 November 2026).

How Special Issues Work

  • Selection. Proposals are reviewed by the EiC and the Editorial Board, who decide whether there is good reason for a special issue, as opposed to simply encouraging regular submissions from the proposing group.
  • Reviewing. The guest editors manage the review process, in consultation with the EiC. The EiC may reserve the right to solicit half of the reviews.
  • Decisions. The guest editors make recommendations on each submission; the EiC has the final say on the content of the issue.
  • Open to all. Submissions must be open to everyone who wishes to submit; they cannot be limited, for example, to attendees of a particular workshop. Submissions by the guest editors themselves are generally discouraged.
Not a workshop proceedings. Specialist workshops often inspire special issues, but a special issue is not a repackaging of workshop papers. Journal papers are typically longer, more substantive and broader in scope than workshop papers, and go through a longer and more detailed review. Submissions are also expected from authors beyond those represented at the workshop.

What a Proposal Should Include

  1. Guest editors. Names, institutions and contact details, with a brief explanation of why they are appropriate editors for the proposed issue.
  2. Topic area. A statement of the topic, detailed enough that those unfamiliar with it can grasp the main problems and approaches (probably no more than 3–5 paragraphs).
  3. The case for a special issue. Why this area deserves a special issue, for example the lack of other suitable venues or the timeliness of the topic.
  4. Expected submissions. The size and geographic/institutional distribution of the community you expect to draw on, and evidence of its vitality, such as publications in other venues or recent workshops. A list of potential contributors is a good indicator of likely interest.
  5. Timetable. The schedule you envision for the issue, allowing for the stages below.

Planning the timetable

Stage Allow
Call for papers to submission deadline At least 2 months, preferably more
Assigning reviewers 1 week
First-round reviews 4 weeks (sometimes optimistic)
First-round decisions 1 week
Authors revise and resubmit 4–6 weeks
Re-reviews of revised papers 2 weeks
Final decisions 1 week
Authors prepare final versions 1 week

In total, plan for at least 6 months from the call for papers to final versions.

Submit a proposalSend your proposal as a PDF to editor@cljournal.org, with “Special Issue Proposal” in the subject line.