What is a Research Topic?
A Research Topic is a collection of peer-reviewed articles that center around a cutting-edge theme. Each topic is defined and managed by renowned experts who bring together researchers from around the world to contribute as editors, reviewers, and authors.
In a rapidly changing academic landscape, Research Topics help research communities to explore new themes in their field and share their research quickly.
What are the benefits of contributing to a Research Topic?
Increased visibility, reach, and impact of your research.
A chance to network and work collaboratively with researchers in your field.
An opportunity to contribute to an interdisciplinary discussion
Timely publication of your work.
Support the advancement of a specific area in your field of expertise.
How are Research Topics different from special issues?
Scope and structure
Research Topics bring together articles around a defined theme within a specific subject area or across disciplines. While many Topics are interdisciplinary and span multiple journals, others focus on a single field. Special issues, by contrast, are typically limited to one journal and are more narrowly tied to its scope.
Submission process and timeline
Research Topics have defined submission windows, but offer greater flexibility in the publication process. Manuscripts are reviewed as soon as they are submitted and, if accepted, are published online without delay—there is no embargo period. Special issues often hold accepted manuscripts until all articles are ready, publishing them together in one issue.
Editorial approach and community
Research Topics are community-led. Editors and contributors collaborate around a shared theme, often building lasting networks within and beyond the Topic. Special issues are usually led by a small editorial team or guest editors curating submissions for a specific, time-limited project.
How are Research Topics published?
Proposal submission and approval
The Topic Editor(s) submit their Research Topic proposal, which the editorial office then reviews for the specific journal(s) involved and the relevant Specialty Chief Editors.
Call for papers
Once the Research Topic is approved, authors are contacted with the opportunity to submit papers. During this stage, both the journal’s editorial team and the topic editors promote the Research Topic and encourage high-quality submissions from their networks. Depending on the Research Topic, this stage can take 6-12 months.
Manuscript submission and peer review
Once submitted, manuscripts in a Research Topic enter peer review as soon as possible. Unlike some special issues—which may wait until all submissions are received before starting the review process—Research Topic articles are assessed on a rolling basis. This helps accelerate feedback and supports timely publication.
The duration of peer review can vary depending on how quickly suitable reviewers are secured and the extent of revisions required..
Publication of accepted papers
Once a manuscript is accepted, it’s published in the relevant journal and will be visible as part of the Research Topic. Papers are published in a Research Topic as soon as they’re accepted, even if the call for papers is still open.
Closure of Research Topic
Once the submission window closes and accepted papers are published, the Research Topic is closed. The final contribution to the Research Topic is an Editorial article collaboratively authored by the Topic Editors to summarize the main findings and bring the collection together.
Ebook published
If the Research Topic has attracted sufficient contributions (10 or more accepted articles) the collection is published as a free ebook. The collection and the ebook can be promoted to increase visibility, citations, and downloads for the included manuscripts.