Publishing Monographic

Process to be implemented for publishing a monographic issue

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The Revista Española de Drogodependencias, known below as RED, publishes an annual volume made up of four quarterly issues, one of these a monograph. This edition tackles a new or seldom-explored subject in the field of addictions, one of its features being coordination by a researcher or group of researchers (at most two). In view of the fact that it has for some years now become established as a part of the annual volume of the RED with outstanding contents and significance, the need has arisen to set the main guidelines for steering the process of publishing this, both for the Managing Board of the RED and the Editorial Secretariat and for the researcher/s in charge of coordinating the issue.

Publishing a monographic issue may result from the proposal of a group of researchers or through the RED Managing Board's express invitation of a researcher about a subject in which he or she specialises. In both of these cases the subject matter to be handled will involve addictions. 

In either situation the preparation process will comprise the steps described below.

1. The Managing Board will carry out the following tasks:
   1. Planning the timing of the annual monographic issue published by AESED and determining the subject matter to be dealt with. This planning will have to be done at least one year in advance.
   2. The subject matter of the issue will be chosen from the main lines of research in the field of addictions (epidemiology, prevalences, treatment, prevention, physical/psychic pathology, etc.) proving least well-known or covering an area not hitherto extensively examined.
   3. The request for the monographic issue will be established by the director or a member of the Managing Board delegated by the latter.
   4. The coordinator (or coordinators) of the issue will be a researcher specialising in the field whose work is preferably done in the setting of a University or specialised institution.
   5. After establishing contact and acceptance, the coordinator will be requested to draw up a short justification of the subject matter in view of the journal's "thematic profile". When a specialist in a subject area proposes or accepts the coordination or preparation of a monograph, he or she is assumed to be familiar with the state of the art and be able to properly justify the progress that would be meant by publishing a set of current works on this matter to act as a reference. The potential guest coordinator/s will thus draw up this justification clearly and succinctly, covering at least the following aspects: Background: any recently published compilations on the subject; a proposal for specific subjects (sub-themes) that would be relevant to deal with in the monographic issue. In line with this, a (provisional) structure for the index of articles may be proposed, and reference guest authors may also be mentioned. The publication of the works will be conditional on the external review process, as this is generally established.
   6. The Managing Board will be the body in charge of assessing the index of contents provided by the coordinator, which will be previously have been requested.
   7. The Managing Board shall be the body required to give its approval for publication of the monograph or not. In the event of any discrepancy as to publication the decision will be made by the Publishers of the RED.
   8. The language in which the articles will be requested will preferably be Spanish. One of the articles could be written in English, to be translated into Spanish and published in both languages.
2. Tasks of the coordinator/s of the monographic issue. Apart from what is already stated in the previous section, acceptance of the monographic issue by the coordinator/s will entail taking the following steps:
   1. The coordinator will present a schedule for delivery of the contents of the issue three months prior to the publication.
   2. The coordinator will ask the researchers contributing to the issue to furnish it with a letter in which it states that the articles in the monograph are original and have not been published nor submitted for publication in other journals.
   3. The coordinator will hand in the works reviewed by him or her. The Managing Board may nevertheless, if it considers this appropriate, review the articles intended to form part of the monographic issue.
   4. During the first six months from acceptance of the coordinating role, the coordinator will confirm the index, the guest authors asked to submit contributions and the final title of the issue, also providing an illustration for the cover of the monograph.
   5. The contents of the issue will be: an editorial and several original articles covering the empirical side –of the subject matter -, analysis –with what is known about the subject-, and review –what has been researched. This content could be complemented with an article on the regulations of the subject selected, where applicable. The exact number of original articles will be agreed by the coordinator and the Managing Board. The contents will be flexible, depending on the subject matter put forward.
   6. The drafting of the articles shall be in line with the Publishing Rules of the RED.
   7. The coordinator will appraise the diversity of institutions and researchers forming the monograph, as well as the cities from which the researchers intended to contribute to the issue come. Any duplication of authorship of both the coordinator and of other contributors in the works to be published shall be avoided.
   8. The language in which the authors are to contribute their manuscripts shall be Spanish. One of the articles may nevertheless be written in English.
   9. If the authors have written any recent book a short summary may be published in this issue, on condition that it bears some relation with the subject matter involved in the monograph.
3. Tasks of the Editorial Secretariat of the RED:
   1. The Editorial Secretariat shall act as the channel for coordination and communication with the coordinator of the monographic issue right from the start, until this is published.
   2. It shall coordinate the entire process of the issue, complying with and having the coordinator comply with the scheduling and deadlines set from the start, and keeping the Managing Board informed about this process.
   3. The coordinator shall supply the Editorial Secretariat with all the data that the latter requests as regards the authors, institutions to which they belong or other aspects which could limit the appropriate publication of the issue. The Managing Board empowers the Secretariat to help to solve any problem that may arise for as long as it takes to prepare the monograph.
   4. The Editorial Secretariat shall keep the Managing Board informed about the continuity of the process and about any possible problems that might crop up during the time scheduled for its preparation.
   5. The Editorial Secretariat shall consider the coordination process to be complete when the issue leaves the printers and has been distributed.