Proposals for special issues are welcome from:

  • Clinicians/researchers who wish to be a Guest Editor and propose a special issue.
  • Organisers of conferences and seminars who may wish to make the substance of their event more widely available.

Special issues may include reviews, original research, or case reports/case series. We accept proposals for special issues on both open and closed topics.

Open topics: A potential Guest Editor contacts the Editorial Office about a possible special issue. If approved, the topic is listed on this page as an open invitation, i.e. unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. The Guest Editor may also send separate invites to potential authors to submit their manuscript.

Invited topics: A sponsor or potential Guest Editor contacts the Editorial Office about a topic or conference theme and provides a list of authors with titles of manuscripts (potential or confirmed). Subject to the approval of topic/authors/titles, we will send submission instructions to the authors.

Peer review: All articles for special issues undergo peer review, which may be managed in collaboration with the Guest Editor. Accepted papers are published as a Special Issue collection on this page and appear separately on the journal’s homepage. 

Indexing: All articles are indexed on PubMed and free to view on PubMed Central.

Costs: Standard APC would apply for all Special Issue articles unless a fee waiver/special charge has been negotiated.

Sponsorship: Sponsors may contact the Editorial Office directly to develop a Special Issue. All sponsorship would be declared on published papers, as is standard in the publication of any article.

Tackling clinical complexity in breast cancer

Guest Editors: Federico Sottotetti, Operative Unit of Medical Oncology, IRCCS-ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy

Breast cancer, one of the most common malignancies worldwide, is an example of complex disease. Clinical complexity is an increasingly recognized feature of internal medicine and oncology patients, who are often characterized by multifaceted needs determined by both biological (i.e. intrinsic to patient or disease biology) and non-biological (i.e. socioeconomic, cultural, environmental and behavioural) factors. […]

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Diabetes: how to manage…

Guest Editors: Sarah L Anderson, Scientific Director, Clinical Care Options, LLC, Reston, VA, USA

Medications for treating and technology for managing diabetes have advanced significantly in recent years. We now have multiple therapeutic agents that not only reduce glycaemia but also cardiovascular and renal disease. Advances in continuous glucose monitoring have been game-changers for patients and their caregivers, though management of hypoglycaemia remains a concern that necessitates focused education […]

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Dermatology in skin of colour

Guest Editors: Melinda Gooderham, Dermatologist, SKiN Centre for Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

Gaps in the education and knowledge of the diagnosis and management of dermatological conditions in patients with skin of colour (SOC) that can lead to worse health outcomes have been identified. Not only has SOC been underrepresented in medical education for trainees in dermatology but also patients with SOC have been underrepresented in clinical trials […]

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HIV: how to manage…

Guest Editors: Milena Murray, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove, IL, USA; Department of Pharmacy, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA

Over the course of 40 years, the management of HIV has drastically changed. A wide variety of medications and data shape the current treatment of HIV. However, pockets of people with HIV still remain with barriers to successful outcomes, such as those with low-level viraemia and the highly treatment experienced. Transitions of care become critical for […]

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Mitigating the opioid epidemic in the United States – strategies and challenges during COVID-19

Guest Editors: A Simon Pickard, Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Todd A Lee, Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Drugs in Context present a series of papers that describe and evaluate programs that seek to improve the care and management of patients with opioid-related substance use disorder.

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Paediatrics: how to manage…

Guest Editors: Alexander KC Leung, Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, and Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Kam Lun Hon, Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, and Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, Hong Kong

Drugs in Context presents a series of review articles summarising the latest evidence in the management of common childhood conditions.

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Current therapeutic strategies in connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease

Guest Editors: Arduino A Mangoni, Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide, Australia; Gian Luca Erre, Università degli Studi di Sassari and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Sassari, Sassari, Italy

This Special Issue focuses on the efficacy and safety of current treatment strategies for patients with connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease, including the use of immunosuppressants, such as cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab and antifibrotic drugs.

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Treatment of vulvar and vaginal atrophy: clinical experience with ospemifene

Guest Editors: Santiago Palacios, Palacios’ Institute of Women’s Health, Madrid, Spain

This Special Issue contains case studies about the experiences of women with vulvar and vaginal atrophy during treatment with ospemifene. It covers the effects of ospemifene on bone markers, its use in breast cancer survivors, and in women with dyslipidemia, urinary incontinence or VVA-related sexual dysfunction, and its concomitant use with laser therapy.

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Rapid publication of articles on COVID-19

Guest Editors: Gordon Mallarkey

This Special Issue features articles covering all aspects of the coronavirus pandemic. We aim to provide efficient peer review and publication – on this website and on PubMed Central –  to ensure rapid dissemination of information. Please email the Managing Editor with details of your proposed manuscript.

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