Galaxies (ISSN: 2075-4434, CiteScore: 2.8) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal of astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology published quarterly online by MDPI. The journal is indexed within Scopus, ESCI (Web of Science), Astrophysics Data System, INSPIRE, Inspec, and many other databases.

The Galaxies editorial team is pleased to announce this open call for Special Issue proposals, which offers a group of authors the opportunity to work on an interconnected set of papers on an innovative topic. We are soliciting high-quality proposals that will be evaluated in a continuous selection process throughout the year.

Proposals for a Special Issue should have a well-articulated, unifying topic, and reflect, on an international level, the best work in a particular research area (either an established or an important emerging area), in which future investigations may be propelled by the publication of a set of novel research papers. Hence, an international group of Guest Editors and a few high-quality planned papers are always encouraged when it comes to proposals.

Proposals for Special Issues should be sent to the Editorial Office ([email protected]) or via the website: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/galaxies.

The following information should be provided in a proposal:

• A 200–400-word summary that clearly states the significance, novelty, technical advancement, and adherence to the scope of the journal of the proposed topic;
• A list of 5–10 keywords on the topic;
• A brief resume of the proposed Guest Editors, together with their information (title, name, email, affiliation, personal website, keywords of interests);
• A proposed submission deadline (a Special Issue will usually be open for submissions for 6–8 months);
• A list of at least 20 potential contributors, or a list of 8 planned papers.

As a Guest Editor, you would be responsible for:

• Inviting papers from your peers to be published in this Special Issue and to take advantage of our high publicity of open access publishing, our rapid and high-quality peer-review process, and immediate publication after acceptance;
• Checking the suitability of abstracts/manuscripts submitted to the Special Issue;
• Making pre-check decisions regarding whether to send a new submission to peer review;
• Making final decisions regarding whether to accept or reject a paper based on peer-review outcomes.

As a Guest Editor, you would have the following privileges:

• A recognition certificate as a Guest Editor of Galaxies;
• Publishing one paper free of charge in your Special Issue;
• Inviting high-quality papers to be published in your Special Issue free of charge, or with certain discounts;
• If the Special Issue is successful, with at least 5 accepted manuscripts after full peer review, we can organize it into a printed book and send you a free one as a gift.

Editorial Office’s role:

The Editorial Office will set up the Special Issue website, arrange the promotional material, assist with invitations for paper contributions, and take care of the administrative tasks associated with peer review, including inviting reviewers, collating reports, contacting authors, and arranging professional production before publication.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office ([email protected]) if you are interested and would like further details and clarifications.

We look forward to receiving your proposals.

Galaxies Editorial Office