IJOE welcomes proposals for special issues that highlight emerging priorities in occupational and environmental medicine. Special issues bring focused attention to fast moving topics and support collaborative research communities.

• Working title and thematic focus
• Rationale and relevance to occupational or environmental health
• Proposed guest editors and affiliations
• Target audience and expected contribution
• Preliminary list of potential contributors
• Timeline for submissions and reviews

• Define scope and thematic boundaries
• Recommend reviewers and manage peer review
• Ensure ethical compliance and reporting quality
• Provide an editorial summary upon completion

The IJOE editorial office supports special issue planning, reviewer coordination, and production workflows. Send proposals or questions to [email protected].

• Workplace exposure to chemicals, metals, or particulates
• Occupational respiratory disease and exposure control
• Heat stress, climate change, and worker protection
• Ergonomics, musculoskeletal disorders, and fatigue
• Occupational mental health and psychosocial risks
• Environmental justice and community exposure
• Define the occupational or environmental health gap the special issue addresses.
• Provide a rationale for guest editor expertise and topic coverage.
• Specify anticipated article types and approximate submission volume.
• Outline peer review timelines and editorial decision workflows.
• Describe outreach plans to occupational health societies or industry partners.
• Identify data reporting standards required for submissions.
• Clarify whether cross disciplinary submissions are in scope.
• List any planned invited contributions or consortium partners.
• Provide proposed metrics for impact or workplace relevance.
• Describe data harmonization requirements for multicenter submissions.
• Specify expected submission window and targeted publication date.
• Note any regulatory or policy considerations for topic areas.
• Specify how guest editors will manage conflicts of interest.
• Outline plans for an editorial introduction or synthesis article.
• Describe collaboration with regulatory agencies or safety organizations.
• Provide criteria for invited versus open submissions.
• Include data reporting checklists for exposure assessment studies.
• State plans for dissemination to workplace stakeholders.
• Provide anticipated geographic or industry coverage.
• Describe integration with ongoing surveillance programs or registries.
• Define expected peer reviewer pool and recruitment strategy.
• Describe data sharing expectations for special issue contributors.
• Specify interdisciplinary scope across occupational medicine, toxicology, and environmental science.
• Outline plan for worker privacy or ethics oversight in invited studies.
• Provide expected timeline for revisions and final acceptance.
• Define expected contributions from industry, unions, or regulatory partners.
• Specify plans for data visualization or policy briefs within the issue.

IJOE is committed to rigorous, transparent publishing in occupational and environmental medicine. We emphasize reproducible exposure assessment, clear reporting of workplace and environmental context, and ethical compliance across all article types.

The editorial office supports authors, editors, and reviewers with clear guidance and responsive communication. For questions about scope or workflow, contact [email protected].

We encourage continuous improvement in reporting practices and share updates that help the community maintain high standards in worker health, environmental safety, and preventive medicine.