Announcements

Future’s Editorial Board requests proposals for Special Issues for 2025 to be submitted to its journal editors by 31 December 2024. Proposals should be submitted via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journalproposal/sendproposalspecialissue/future.

We aim to respond to you within approximately one week once the proposals have been considered by the Editorial Board.

Potential Guest Editors should submit a proposal of no more than three pages covering the following topics:

• Fit with Future’s aims and scope;
• Rationale: Timeliness, importance, and international interest in the topic;
• Indicative content: Titles, authors, and abstracts should be provided, including an Editorial;
• Timetable: This should indicate deadlines for submissions to Future in early 2025 (for May publication, Issue 2) or middle 2025 (for December publication, Issue 4). Guest Editors should also clarify whether they will include an open call for papers, and if so, factor this into their timetable.

Responsibilities of Guest Editors include:

• Preparing the Special Issue’s title, aim and scope, summary, and keywords;
• Providing a list of potential contributors;
• Pre-screening authors, supervising the whole peer-review process, and making decisions about new submissions in their Special Issue;
• Promoting the Special Issue at conferences, on social media, and using other relevant platforms.

Benefits of Guest Editors include:

• Guest Editing a Special Issue is an ideal opportunity to network and communicate with scholars in the research community.
• You can help to accelerate the dissemination of science around the world and initiate new collaborations;
• Special Issue Reprints: MDPI provides the option to have the Special Issue reprinted in book format. Reprints are free to read on our platform, and interested scholars can order printed copies on demand at cost. MDPI Books encompasses all the benefits of open access publishing—high availability and visibility, as well as wide and rapid dissemination. Reprints are indexed in DOAB and available through various channel partners. If a Special Issue publishes more than 10 papers (excluding Editorials), it may be published as a reprinted Special Issue book with an ISBN, and each Guest Editor will receive a free hardcopy. In addition, Guest Editors can purchase print copies at a 20% discount.

Criteria for Special Issues:
Criteria for judging Special Issues are based on the vision for the journal as a key publication in the area of childhood studies. These are as follows:

• An international approach that fosters dialogue between minority and majority worlds;
• Evidence of theoretical sophistication with applied engagement with practices and policy;
• Engaging contributions that provide high impact and attract widespread interest to enhance the profile and research engagement/citations of the journal.

We have identified the following themes as indicative of areas in which we would welcome contributions. However, we would also welcome other proposals, and all proposals will be considered by Editors and the Editorial Board. The list of themes is as follows:

• Growth and development;
• Diet and nutrients;
• Nutrition and environment epidemiology;
• Health-related behaviors and intervention;
• School health promotion policies and practices;
• Child health and care;
• Adolescent health and wellbeing;
• Mental health;
• Global health and education.

If you have questions about the submission process for Special Issue proposals, contact the Future Editorial Office.