A "special issue," as it is called, is distinct from a regular issue or a supplementary issue.
A regular issue is part of the journal's fixed or regularly scheduled publications. All papers published in a regular issue have passed the journal's editorial and peer-review process, and their topics must fall within the journal's scope. Journals are typically published semi-monthly, monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.
For example, if a journal has 24 scheduled publications a year, and none of them have a specific theme, those are considered regular issues.
A special issue, on the other hand, is a dedicated issue independently organized by the journal, with a flexible publication schedule.
Wu Ting's special issue was designated for his article alone. It would get its own exclusive cover—a testament to the high recognition of his achievement.
