Dear colleagues
Call for submissions and Guidelines for submitting a Special Issue proposal to Human Resource Management
Human Resource Management (HRM) invites proposals for special issues (SIs). Human Resource Management is the premier academic journal focusing solely on the study of Human Resource Management (HRM). We publish scholarly articles presenting cutting-edge research and thought leadership on policy, practices, trends, and issues aimed at understanding and advancing the field of HRM and, in turn, the effective utilization of human capital and the practice of HRM in organizations. Human Resource Management seeks articles that uniquely advance and contribute to the academic literature (theoretically, empirically, and/or methodologically). In addition, in keeping with our history of bridging research and practice, submissions must also have practical significance in terms of clear implications for workforce policy or HRM practice. HRM is a Financial Times top 50 business journal with a 2024 Impact factor of 9 (Clarivate) and CiteScore (Scopus) 14.1. See the HRM website for more information about the journal: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1099050x.
We encourage SI proposals that investigate contemporary phenomena with scientific rigor as well as strong policy and practical implications, that consider all types of research methods, especially qualitative studies. Examples of SI calls for papers accepted by HRM can be seen at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1099050x/calls-for-papers.
Proposals will be reviewed by members of HRM's editorial team and assessed based on the quality of the likely contributions and relevance to the aims and scope of HRM. Decisions will be conveyed to the SI proposers within 2 weeks after the submission deadline. It is the policy of HRM to assign a current Associate Editor as the supervising editor to work with the guest editors in making editorial decisions to ensure consistency with HRM's practices and standards. We recommend that an SI proposal include no more than 3 guest editors (not counting the supervising editor). If a proposal includes more than 3 guest editors, the proposal should explain why that number of editors is needed and the role each editor will play in #2 below.
The review process for all SIs will be managed online through the Wiley submission system, using the journal's Editorial Board and a pool of ad hoc reviewers, with additional reviewers added by the guest editors as needed. All papers submitted for SIs will be subject to the journal's double-blind peer review process and, to be accepted, papers must meet the editorial standards of HRM. Submissions must also be prepared according to the journal's guidelines.
SI proposals should include the following:
1. Proposed SI title.
2. Contact information for each of the proposed guest editors (names, titles, affiliations, and email addresses).
3. Define the SI topic, and articulate the rationale and objectives of the SI.
a. Provide the academic rationale for the topic, making the case for its importance and potential contributions (theoretical, empirical, and/or methodological) and impact on the future study of human resource management (i.e., why will other scholars want to cite the articles in this SI).
b. Address the practical significance of the SI (HRM targets an academic audience, but its articles must include clear implications for practice and a lay translation of those articles should be of interest to practitioners).
4. Outline the key themes that will be addressed, the scope of focus and the boundaries around the topic.
5. Plan for generating interest in the SI and attracting sufficient high-quality submissions, e.g. how and where the Call for Papers will be globally publicized (e.g., distribution lists, networks, or professional associations, websites).
6. Timeline. Assuming the SI is approved, provide target dates for the submission of the SI papers (the submission deadline is typically 10-13 months after the proposal is accepted, with a one-month submission window, e.g. 1st-31st March 2027).
7. Reference list.
8. Draft "Call for Papers." See currently posted calls as examples. Within the author instructions, clearly state that the authors need to select "Special Issue" as the article type, select "yes" to the special issue question, select which SI the submission is for, and also state the name of the intended SI in their cover letter.
9. A short bio (approx. 150 words) for each of the proposed guest editors, focusing on their qualifications and prior editorial experience.
Submit your SI Proposal by emailing it to Fang Lee Cooke and Shaun Pichler, Co-Editors-in-Chief for HRM, at fang.cooke@monash.edu and spichler@Fullerton.edu by March 31, 2026. Please use 'HRM Special Issue Proposal' as the email subject line.
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Fang Lee Cooke
Professor
Monash University
Melbourne
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