Journal of Real-Time Image Processing - Guidelines for Offering and Managing Reviews of Special issues as Guest Editors of JRTIP
Guidelines for Offering and Managing Reviews of Topical Collections as Guest Editors of JRTIP
JRTIP welcomes the offering of special issues. Special issues are meant to provide a set of contributions that are focused on a specific real-time image or video processing topic. Considering that the number of requests for offering special issues has steadily increased, the following guidelines are put together to guide potential guest editors (GEs) with offering and conducting successful special issues. The following guidelines must be followed for acceptance of a special issue proposal:
1. Noting that the thrust of JRTIP is on the real-time aspects of image and video processing, e.g. computational complexity reduction compared to existing solutions, real-time hardware implementation, software optimization to achieve real-time processing, etc., the acceptance of a proposed special issue is heavily dependent on the focus or emphasis of the submitted manuscripts being on the real-time aspects of image and video processing.
2. A Call for Papers (CFP) for a special issue is required to be sent to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) in which the real-time scope and focus of the special issue manuscripts need to be briefly described together with the deadline for submission of manuscripts to the special issue. As part of the CFP, the names, affiliations, institutional email addresses and websites of all the GEs together with their prior real-time image or video processing experience needs to be provided. A proposed CFP must follow the template provided here (this opens in a new tab). A Lead GE must be specified in the CFP, who will initially be assigned all the special issue manuscripts which he/she would need to manage or reassign to the other GEs for handling their reviews.
3. It is important to note that a GE team needs to have sufficient real-time image processing experience or expertise indicated by prior publications in real-time aspects of image or video processing. GEs could invite one of the Associate Editors (AEs) of JRTIP to join their team to enhance the real-time expertise of their team.
4. It is found that the most effective way to offer a successful special issue is to contact experts in advance to secure submissions of manuscripts related to real-time aspects of the special issue. Often, it is seen that a CFP on its own does not generate an adequate number of high-quality accepted papers for a special issue. Therefore, in addition to a proposed CFP, it is required that an initial effort is made by potential GEs to contact experts in the area and seek their commitments to submit manuscripts to the proposed special issue with tentative titles reflecting their real-time thrust. Together with a proposed CFP, this list is also required to be sent to the EIC. Note that manuscripts which get submitted without addressing the real-time theme of the journal get rejected by the EIC as out of scope before handling GEs get to see them in their review pipeline.
5. Accepted papers of a special issue will be published immediately after acceptance and proof correction under a listing for the special issue.
6. All manuscript submissions must be done through the SNAPP online reviewing system once the CFP is accepted by the EIC and it is placed on the journal website and included in the SNAPP online reviewing system as a special issue.
7. All the GEs of a special issue will receive an individual login to the SNAPP online system. They are required to register as reviewers in SNAPP and are expected to have an active role in the reviewing process of their special issue manuscripts. The Lead GE will be responsible for distributing manuscript assignments among the GE team. Reviews need to begin immediately after assignments from the EIC. Due to the narrowness of a special issue research area and thus the availability of a smaller pool of reviewers, it is allowed to have one of the three required reviews to be conducted by one of the GEs independent of the other two reviews. A total of three reviews must be provided for any accepted manuscript. GEs need to ask the authors of their special issue manuscripts to register as reviewers in SNAPP so that they can act as reviewers of the manuscripts submitted to the special issue.
8. If a special issue is to be offered as a follow-up to a conference or a workshop, GEs are responsible to ensure that the contents of the manuscripts to be submitted to their special issue must be at least 50% different or must contain at least 50% more contributions beyond the conference papers. Any potential copyright and self-plagiarism issues must be avoided and addressed in advance – GEs need to find out from the authors submitting to their special issue whether there is any “conference versions” of their manuscripts and if so indicate it as part of the submission process. For such special issues, it is still required to have a CFP announcement so that the opportunity is made available to the entire real-time image and video processing community to submit manuscripts.