Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing - Submission and Review

Instructions for Guest Editors

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Anyone serving as a Guest Editor forPhotogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS) should adhere to the following guidelines.  Please refer questions to the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Russell Congalton (russ.congalton@unh.edu).

Background
Special Issues of Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing are published at most 2 times in any 12-month period.  In such issues, all peer reviewed articles will address a specific theme.  The theme may be proposed by a prospective Guest Editor or may be suggested by others.  It typically takes 12-14 months to bring a Special Issueof PE&RS to publication. The material below provides guidelines for prospective Guest Editors.

NOTE:  In most cases, peer reviewed issues will be limited to 56 printed pages (8 papers x 7 pages per paper). Published papers are generally limited to 7 journal pages.  A 27-page manuscript (including tables and figures), prepared according to PE&RS Instructions for Authors, equals about 7 journal pages.  Authors of published papers will be charged $125/page for each page exceeding 7 journalpages.  These page charges must be paid before publication; without exception. 

Initial Approval
Persons wishing to propose a theme for a Special Issue, and/or who wish to serve as Guest Editor for such Special Issues, must contact PE&RS Editor-in-Chief Dr. Congalton for approval before proceeding.  To facilitate consideration of such requests, a short written proposal should be prepared and emailed to Dr. Congalton.  This proposal must include your contact information, the specific subject of the Special Issue, a short justification of why this should be a Special Issue, and any other pertinent information.   Note that commitments for Special Issues are often made 18-24 months or more ahead of the publication date.  Therefore, advanced planning is strongly encouraged.

After approval, the Guest Editor will receive from the Editor-in-Chief the following resources:

• PE&RS Instructions for Authors
• PE&RS Instructions for Authors of Accepted Manuscripts
• Information on color costs
• The Special Issue Review Form
• The Special Issue Review Form Guidelines
• The Guest Editor Spreadsheet

General Timetable
The Guest Editor must adhere strictly to the following timetable.  If deadlines are not met, publication of an issue may be delayed by as much as a year because of prior commitments.

Call-for-Papers
Special Issues of PE&RS are occasionally comprised entirely of invited papers, but more often manuscripts are solicited through an open call-for-papers.  Sample calls-for-papers can often be found on the ASPRS web site (www.asprs.org) or can be found in past issues of PE&RS (see, for example, PE&RS, February 2003, 69:2, pp. 141 and 169).  A draft call-for-papers should be sent, via e-mail, to the Editor-in-Chief with a copy to Executive Editor Kim Tilley (kimt@asprs.org).
At a minimum, the call-for-papers must include:

• the theme of the Special Issue and identification of topics of special interest;
• the name and contact information (including e-mail, fax and telephone number) of the Guest Editor;
• the deadline for submission of manuscripts; and,
• a statement that all manuscripts are to follow the PE&RS Instructions for Authors that arepublished in each issue of the Journal and are available on the ASPRS website.

After the call-for-papers is approved, it will be published in the next available issue of PE&RS and on the ASPRS web site.

Receipt of Manuscripts
As manuscripts are received, the Guest Editor will notify authors that their manuscript has been received, and, subsequently, will keep authors informed on the status of the review process.  The Guest Editor will do an initial review of each paper to determine if it is appropriate for the Special Issue.  If it is not suitable for the Special Issue, yet the paper is worthy of publication, the Guest Editor will inform the author that they may submit the paper to the Editor-in-Chief for regular submission.  The Guest Editor will use the Guest Editor Spreadsheet to keep track of all submitted papers and associated information.

Peer Review Process
The peer review process should generally follow PE&RS guidelines. However, the Guest Editor is free to select a review process that best fits his/her situation and the theme of the Special Issue.  In all cases, the Guest Editor is encouraged to consult with the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief for advice and questions. 

The most usual approach for peer review is for the Guest Editor to seek three independent reviews from individuals who are well-acquainted with the subject matter and technology dealt with in an article.  The Guest Editor may wish to contact the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief for assistance in finding reviewers.  In some cases, especially where all papers are invited, another approach to review has been used.  This involves having each author review the others contributions to eliminate duplication and identify shortcomings.

Guest Editors are asked to use the PE&RS Guest Editor Review form which will be provided by the Manuscript Coordinator, Ms. Jeanie Congalton.  In addition, the Guest Editor will be given a spreadsheet to document all papers submitted for review – manuscript titles, authors’ names, reviewers’ names, and decisions. This spreadsheet should be sent to Jeanie Congalton (jcongalton@asprs.org) when:

• The call to papers is over
• All of the reviewers have been invited
• All of the reviews have been completed
• All of the decisions have been made
• All final papers have been received

Reviewers are usually asked to make one of the following recommendations:

• Accept the paper without modification.
• Accept the paper subject to minor revision.
• Reject the paper because it requires significant/mandatory changes. (The author may revise the paper and submit it as a new paper to the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief.)
• Reject the paper. The paper will not be reconsidered.

After all reviews are received, the Guest Editor will judge the acceptability of the manuscript and forward the consensus recommendation and reviews to the corresponding author. The decision will be either to:

• Accept the paper without modification (or with minor, non-mandatory modification).
• Accept the paper conditionally (subject to mandatory revision and subsequent review by the Guest Editor).
• Reject the paper - The author may choose to revise the paper and submit it as a new paper to the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief.
• Reject the paper - the paper will not be reconsidered.

Important Note:  Guest Editors must accept only papers that will fit within the page limits outlined above (they can only accept a total of 8 papers).  Papers that are reviewed favorably, but will not fit within the Special Issue, can be revised and submitted as a new paper to the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief for consideration for possible publication in a future regular issue of PE&RS.  However, papers that are reviewed unfavorably, or require significant changes and major revision, should be rejected.  Please notify the authors of rejection, and make it clear that no paper is automatically considered for regular submission.

Accepted Papers to Technical Editor
Papers accepted for publication must be prepared according to the PE&RS Instructions for Authors of Accepted Papers.  The Guest Editor must supply these instructions and copies of the Color Costs form to each author of an accepted paper. 

For all papers accepted for publication in the Special Issue, the Guest Editor will provide to the Technical Editor, Mike Renslow, a list of accepted papers (in the preferred order of publication in the Journal), authors’ names, and authors’ contact information.  Mike Renslow, will work with the Guest Editor and the authors to finalize the publication of the Special Issue.

All accepted papers, prepared according to the guidelines outlined above, should be emailed, to the PE&RS Technical Editor at least 4 months prior to planned publication.  The Guest Editor must ensure that all color costs are paid before the Special Issue goes to press.

Foreword
It is required that the Guest Editor prepare a Foreword or Introduction to the Special Issue.  This usually comprises no more than two journal pages (not counted against the 56-page limit).  The Foreword should be typed double-spaced and should be e-mailed directly to the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief, with a copy to the Executive Editor, Kim Tilley (kimt@asprs.org) at least 3 months prior to publication.

Journal Cover
The Guest Editor is not responsible for providing, or paying, for the cover of the Special Issue.  However, many Guest Editors choose to solicit a cover that is especially well-related to the theme of the issue.  Guest Editors who wish to provide a cover should contact the Executive Editor, Kim Tilley, (kimt@asprs.org) for details, with a copy to the Editor-in-Chief.

For additional information, contact:
Dr. Russell G. Congalton, Editor-in-Chief
Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing
4 Ryan Way
Durham, NH 03824 USA

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