Call for Special Issue Proposals: Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online

As an interdisciplinary journal, Kōtuitui promotes dialogue across disciplines, perspectives, communities, and knowledge systems. We welcome Special Issue proposals that advance understanding of significant social, cultural, economic, political, health, educational, environmental, and psychological issues, and that contribute to scholarly, policy, or public debates in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.

We encourage proposals from researchers based in NZ and beyond. Proposals may be led by collaborative teams with the expertise, experience, and commitment to develop a high-quality collection of papers. We particularly welcome proposals arising from cross-institutional and cross-country collaborations that bring together diverse perspectives on issues of shared significance, engage new research communities, foster connections across regions and disciplines, and contribute to broader social science debates.

Why propose a Special Issue?

Special Issues provide an opportunity to:

• Shape scholarly conversations in an emerging or strategically important area of research.
• Bring together leading researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and community perspectives around a common theme.
• Highlight research addressing issues of significance to NZ, the Asia-Pacific region, and wider international audiences.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue across fields.
  Increase the visibility and impact of a growing area of scholarship.
• Create a lasting resource that advances research, policy, and practice.

Topics of Interest

Kōtuitui welcomes Special Issue proposals that address timely, societally significant, or policy-relevant topics across the full spectrum of the social sciences. We particularly encourage proposals that bring together interdisciplinary perspectives, advance understanding of contemporary social challenges, and stimulate scholarly debate.

While grounded in the NZ context, the journal also invites comparative and internationally oriented contributions that resonate across the Asia–Pacific and beyond.

What makes a strong proposal?

Successful Special Issues are typically:

• Timely and relevant to current scholarly, policy, or societal debates.
• Clearly aligned with the journal's aims and scope.
• Innovative and capable of advancing understanding in the field.
• Interdisciplinary or cross-sector in outlook.
• Supported by a capable Guest Editor team with appropriate expertise.
• Likely to attract high-quality contributions from a diverse group of authors.

Proposal Requirements

Prospective Guest Editors should prepare their proposal using the Special Issue Proposal Template. Using the template will help ensure that all the information required to assess the proposal is provided.

1. Proposed Special Issue Title
A concise and engaging title that clearly reflects the theme.
 
2. Rationale and Scope
A brief description of the proposed topic, including:

• the background and context;
• why the topic is important and timely;
• its relevance to the journal's readership and impact for NZ;
• the anticipated contribution to scholarship, policy, practice, or public debate;
• For projects led by International Guest Editors, we encourage themes that offer global insights and connect Kōtuitui with new research communities while falling within the journal’s scope.

3. Guest Editor Team
Please provide:

• names and affiliations of all proposed Guest Editors;
• identification of the Lead Guest Editor;
• expertise keywords for each guest editor.

We encourage diverse Guest Editor teams, including disciplines within social sciences, institutions, geography, career stage, and perspectives, where appropriate.

4. Planned Contributions and Content
Please provide a brief overview of:

• the researchers, research groups, professional communities, or networks you hope to attract;
• potential topics or provisional Table of Contents that may be included in the collection;
• how you intend to recruit and engage contributors.

5. Indicative Timeline
Please outline an expected timeline for:

• launching the call for papers;
• EOI deadline
• formal submission deadline
• completion of the collection.

Working with the Journal

If a proposal is accepted, the Guest Editor team will work closely with the Editor-in-Chief, the Editorial Board, the journal's publishing office, and Wiley colleagues throughout the development of the Special Issue. Support will be provided in areas such as project planning, call-for-papers development, manuscript management, peer review, production, and promotion.

Submission and Enquiries

Please note that submission of a Special Issue proposal does not guarantee approval. All Special Issue proposals are assessed by the Editor-in-Chief and Wiley's Strategic Content Acquisition (SCA) team. The assessment considers factors such as the significance and timeliness of the proposed theme, alignment with the journal's aims and scope, and the suitability of the proposed Guest Editor team, including their expertise, publication records, and ability to recruit high-quality contributions. 

All manuscripts submitted to a Special Issue are subject to the journal's standard editorial policies and peer-review procedures, as outlined in the Author Guidelines. Depending on the circumstances and to ensure appropriate editorial oversight and management of potential conflicts of interest, individual submissions may be handled by members of the Editorial Board rather than Guest Editors. The Editor-in-Chief retains overall responsibility for the content and editorial standards of all Special Issues.

Authors affiliated with one of the 3,800+ institutions covered by Wiley's 125+ Open Access transformative agreements may be eligible to publish their articles Open Access at no cost.

About the journal

Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online aims to publish rigorous and influential research that advances understanding of social, cultural, economic, political, health, and psychological issues of relevance to Aotearoa New Zealand and the broader Asia–Pacific region. The Māori name Kōtuitui means 'interweaving', reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the journal and its commitment to fostering dialogue between national and international scholars. Through this approach, the journal seeks to strengthen the global visibility of social science research from New Zealand and the wider region, and to contribute to the international exchange of ideas across disciplines and borders.

Kōtuitui welcomes high-quality submissions across the full spectrum of the social sciences, including original research articles, reviews, and short communications on topical or policy-relevant issues. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary work and studies that address pressing questions relevant to society, policy, and communities. While grounded in the New Zealand context, the journal also invites comparative and internationally oriented contributions that resonate across the Asia–Pacific and beyond. Thematic special issues on matters of major national and international significance are published from time to time.