Special Issue Planning as a Win-Win Practice for Enhancing Quality and Cultivating Editorial Talent in Agricultural Science and Technology Journals: A Case Study of Journal of Southern Agriculture

Abstracts: Special issue planning embodies the self-motivation and innovative efforts of science and technology journals. It not only addresses the problem of homogenization of journals, but also forges distinctive identities for journals, thereby enhancing the influence and visibility of journals. This study analyzes the experience of special issue planning of Journal of Southern Agriculture and concludes that special issue planning could achieve quality improvement and editing talent cultivation:（1）Special issue planning identifies emerging trends and advances in disciplines, thus optimizing the topic structure; it gathers high-quality submissions and strengthens the core competitiveness of content; it builds a distinctive brand and strengthens the recognizability of the journal; it facilitates concentrated exposure and display, boosting dissemination and impact, ultimately driving the quality improvement of agricultural science and technology journals.（2）Special issue planning, for editors, enhances professional competence and sensitivity to academic trends, improves the core competence in an all-round way, develops an innovative mindset and skills in applying new technologies, and strengthens confidence and a sense of fulfillment, thereby shaping the editors into high-quality professionals for science and technology journals. Moreover, since special issue planning summarizes the trends, points out academic directions, and enhances the influence of journals as special issue planning, its implementation shall align with the journals’ unique characteristics, regional advantages, and development goals, so a long-term special issue planning strategy and a scientific evaluation and incentive mechanism should be established to ensure the continuity of the planning.