update: 2018/09/27

Initiate a Special Issue

Potential Guest Editors are welcome to launch Special Issues with TAO. To initiate a Special Issue, Guest Editors should submit a proposal by sending to the TAO Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Please contact the TAO Office to get the template of proposal.

Principle of Proposal

All of the proposals for Special Issues must receive approval from the Editor-in-Chief. The proposal should include:

• The title of the Special Issue
• The scope of the Special Issue
• The Special Issue’s significance for Earth Science
• Proposed time schedule of the Special Issue
• Brief CVs and publication lists of the proposed Guest Editors (at most 4 Guest Editors)
• Authors and tentative title list of each proposed articles (at least 10 potential articles)

Ensure that the preparation time is sufficient enough (3-6 months suggested) for authors to submit their manuscripts.

After the proposal is approved by the Editor-in-Chief, the TAO Office will prepare a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to itemize the terms agreed upon by the TAO Editorial Board and the Guest Editors for signing.

Open Announcement

Guest Editors are strongly encouraged to openly announce the Special Issue and solicit for contributions from the science community domestically and internationally. The TAO Office will provide a space at TAO’s web page for the open announcement.

Selection of Papers

Guest Editors are responsible for the selection of papers and the overall content of the Special Issue. The Special Issue is expected to consist of a coherent and complete set of papers. The selection should be based on scientific quality of the papers. Each paper should fall squarely within the scope of TAO and the Special Issue.

Peer Review Process

Guest Editors need to be prudent in handling manuscripts and make sure that all the papers go through the complete review process. This is an essential procedure to ensure that only quality papers are published.

• Each paper must be reviewed by at least two referees (three in case of doubt) in the first round review and is suggested to be revised in accordance with reviewers’ comments. In addition, each paper should not have more than one internal reviewer.
• The referees should not be included in more than one of the contributors of the Special Issue.
• If a major revision is suggested by one of the referees, the revised manuscript will be sent for a second round review and should be reviewed by at least one referee.
• Guest Editors should try to avoid being involved as first author or co-author of multiple manuscripts included in the Special Issue.
• Guest Editors are not allowed to handle manuscripts with those they are listed as a first author or co-author. If all the Guest Editors are involved in certain manuscripts, the Responsible Editor(s) will be called to handle such manuscripts.

Time Schedule

It is recommended that the Executive Guest Editor establishes a time schedule and notify contributing authors of submission deadline to ensure delivery on time. The Executive Guest Editor should inform the Responsible Editor(s) of the status of the Special Issue regularly (at least once every three months).

The tentative publication date of the Special Issue will be given on the MOU. However, the final publication date can only be decided after all the submissions finish the reviewing process. Once the Editor-in-Chief approves the publication of the Special Issue, it shall be published within six months.

Guest Editors should be aware of scheduled deadlines. Any of the scheduled deadlines cannot be met, the Executive Guest Editor should submit an application for deadline extension to the TAO Office by stating the reason for delay and proposing a new deadline. The application will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief. If the extension is not approved or the Executive Guest Editor fails to apply for an extension, the Special Issue may be terminated. The received paper(s) of terminated Special Issue will be handled as regular articles.

Length

The total length of a Special Issue should not exceed 300 printed pages. If the number of papers is less than eight or the number of printed pages are less than 100, the collected papers may be published in a Special Section of a regular issue rather than in a Special Issue.

Format

Details of manuscript formats can be reached at Guide for Authors under Submission section at TAO website (http://tao.cgu.org.tw/index.php/submission/guide-for-authors). Please refer all authors to the guidelines and make sure that they follow the correct format.

Final Acceptance

The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on acceptance of manuscripts in consultation with Guest Editors. Manuscripts cannot be accepted for publication before they have been subjected to a final evaluation by the Responsible Editor(s). If the manuscript is approved for publication, the author will receive a final acceptance letter via the Online Submission System.

Submit to TAO Office

After the complete set of final manuscripts is ready to be submit, the TAO Office will request the Executive Guest Editor to provide the following items:

• A Introduction of the Special Issue, which should be submitted in *.doc/.docx format.
• The order of papers. The Executive Guest Editor is suggested to organize the order of papers in the Special Issue. If there is no particular order of the papers, the TAO Office will arrange them by the time of acceptance.
• Cover page of the Special Issue (optional). Guest Editors are welcomed to design their own cover page for the Special Issue. For more information about the format of cover page, please contact the publishing division of TAO Office.