The process for theme issues begins 6 months in advance of publication deadlines to ensure enough time for solicitation, writing, submission, peer review, and copyediting. Outlined below are the steps Guest Editors for Theme Issues are expected to follow.
- Brainstorm topics and prospective authors for each of the required article types (see below).
- Reach out to the prospective author to gauge interest once all editors have agreed on the candidate(s).*
- Contact the Editorial Office with the corresponding author’s name and email address as well as the topic or working title once the author has confirmed interest. The Editorial Office will send the author an invitation to submit through Editorial Manager (EM).*
- Manage the peer review process for the solicited articles in EM.
- Keep authors, reviewers, and fellow Guest Editors on track to meet deadlines.
- Review related unsolicited submissions in the pipeline and flag any that should be included in the issue (provided they pass peer review). Lists of potential manuscripts will be provided periodically by the Editorial Office.
- Write an introductory Editorial for the theme issue in collaboration with fellow Guest Editors.
*This should be done on a rolling basis—do not wait until all articles have been confirmed/agreed upon, as this can contribute to delays.
General Timelines
| Process Step | Timeframe |
| Editors brainstorm topics/authors and complete outreach | 1 month |
| Authors write and submit | 3 months |
| Articles undergo review | 1 month |
| Articles are accepted, copyedited, and sent to the publisher | 1 month |
Article Types
Not all listed article types need to be solicited, but Editors should strive to solicit as many as they can. Some (e.g., Arts and Humanities) may be more difficult than others and can sometimes be supplemented with unsolicited submissions. As a general rule, about 80% of a themed issue should be related to the theme. Editors may also solicit more than one of each article type if they wish. Additional information about JBJS article types, such as word count limits, can be found here.
- Expert Review – a comprehensive, authoritative review highlighting recent advances, emerging trends, and future directions in a particular area of orthopaedic research
- World Report – a report from an international author(s) sharing recent developments from their region’s orthopaedic community
- Health Care Recommendation – a consensus statement developed by a group of experts on best practices,
- guidelines, or recommendations for a specific orthopaedic issue
- Viewpoint – an opinion piece reflecting on personal experiences, clinical insights, and/or current trends
- Innovation – an article presenting novel techniques, technologies, or approaches to a problem that has the potential to improve patient care, practice management, or policy
- Patient Voices – narrative accounts from individuals who have experienced orthopaedic conditions or treatments firsthand
- Arts and Humanities – a creative piece, such as photography, painting, sculpture, poetry, or fiction