Guidelines

Special Issue Guidelines

Purpose of Special Issues

The Annals of Dentistry University of Malaya (Ann Dent UM) may periodically publish Special Issues dedicated to emerging, interdisciplinary, or strategically important topics in dentistry, oral health and related fields. Special Issues are intended to provide focused coverage of a specific theme and to promote scholarly discussion on areas of current scientific and clinical significance.

Proposal for a Special Issue

Proposals for Special Issues may be submitted by members of the Editorial Board, academic institutions, professional organizations, conference organizers, or qualified researchers with recognized expertise in the proposed subject area.

A Special Issue proposal should include:

·       Proposed title and theme of the Special Issue;

·       Rationale and significance of the topic;

·       Scope and objectives;

·       Names, affiliations, and brief biographies of the proposed Guest Editor(s);

·       Expected number and type of manuscripts;

·       Proposed timeline for manuscript submission, review, and publication.

All proposals are subject to review and approval by the Executive Ediotr and Editorial Board.

 Role of Guest Editors

Guest Editors are responsible for promoting the Special Issue, identifying suitable contributors, and assisting in the management of the peer-review process. Guest Editors shall act in accordance with the journal's editorial policies, publication ethics standards, and conflict-of-interest requirements.

The Executive Editor retains overall responsibility for editorial decisions and publication of all manuscripts included in a Special Issue.

Manuscript Submission and Peer Review

All manuscripts submitted to a Special Issue must comply with the journal's Author Submission Guidelines and publication policies.

Submissions to Special Issues are subject to the same editorial assessment and double-blind peer-review process as regular submissions. Acceptance of a manuscript is based solely on its scientific quality, originality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the Special Issue theme.

Guest Editors shall not make final decisions on manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest, including manuscripts authored or co-authored by themselves, their collaborators, students, or colleagues from the same institution. Such manuscripts will be handled independently by the Executive Editor or a designated member of the Editorial Board.

Publication Ethics

Special Issue submissions must adhere to the journal's policies on publication ethics, research integrity, authorship, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, and data transparency. Any allegation of research misconduct will be investigated in accordance with the journal's established procedures.

Publication Model

Special Issue articles may be published on a continuous basis as soon as they complete the editorial and production processes, and subsequently assigned to the relevant Special Issue.

 The journal reserves the right to publish, postpone, modify, merge, or cancel a proposed Special Issue if circumstances warrant such action.

 Article Processing Charges

The publication of articles in a Special Issue is subject to the same Article Processing Charge (APC) policy that applies to regular submissions. Any applicable fees will be clearly communicated to authors prior to submission.

Final Authority

The Executive Editor and Editorial Board maintain full editorial independence and final authority over all decisions relating to the acceptance, rejection, editing, and publication of manuscripts submitted to a Special Issue.